Situating teacher inquiry: a micropolitical perspective

Abstract

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have become a popular strategy in various forms (e.g., data teams, grade-level teams) and with various champions (e.g., district leaders, university researchers, teacher advocates). Although well-implemented PLCs have been shown to distribute leadership, the tension between democratic inquiry processes and the demands of accountability remain understudied. This study asks how teacher inquiry is situated within conflicting school priorities and the impact of competing power structures on PLCs through a case study of a teacher inquiry initiative at 6 urban elementary and middle schools in the US. Data were collected over 3 years of PLC implementation. District officials, principals, reform coaches, and teachers at each setting participated in more than 300 interviews, regular site visits, and annual teacher surveys. The influences of power structures – such as district mandates, accountability pressures, and principal leadership – emerged as strong themes in teacher narratives of what it means to “do” inquiry in their PLCs.

Keywords:

• professional learning communities
• data-driven decision making
• accountability, leadership
• district policies
• micropolitics

Notes

1. Facilitators were hired consultants with experience as coaches and teachers. They were on site approximately three days a month to facilitate teacher inquiry, decision making, and relationship building among stakeholders (teachers, principals, central office administrators, parents) as decisions were made and implemented.

2. Members of the research team were not involved in implementing TI or governing the initiative and were fully independent from the initiative.

3. The role of coaches in TI is examined in more detail in Mayer, Grenier, Warhol, and Donaldson (2013) and in Mayer, Woulfin, and Warhol (2015).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kimberly LeChasseur

Kimberly LeChasseur is an Assistant Research Professor at the Neag School of Education of the University of Connecticut and a Research Associate with the Center for Education Policy Analysis. She holds a PhD in Urban Education from Temple University and focuses her work on the ways education structures opportunities and access to privilege.

Anysia Mayer

Anysia Mayer is a Research Associate with the Center for Education Policy Analysis at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Mayer earned a PhD from the University of California at Davis. She studies the intersection of education policy and practice for English Language Learners and access to schooling more broadly.

Anjale Welton

Anjale Welton is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Research Associate with the Center for Education Policy Analysis at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Welton earned a PhD in Educational Policy and Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. She primarily studies the educational opportunity structures for students of color from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Morgaen Donaldson

Morgaen Donaldson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut and a Research Associate with the Center for Education Policy Analysis. She earned an EdD in Adminsitration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. Dr. Donaldson is currently conducting studies on innovative approaches to human capital development, the influence of state policies on teacher evaluation practices, the role of unions in shaping educational policy, and alternative measures of effective teaching.