THE ROLE OF

TEACHERS
IN SCHOOL REFORM
EDUC 292:
Curricular & Instructional Innovations
REPORTERS:
Mary Rose Bueno
Mary Joy Calanno
Maria Carmela Labindao
 ROLES OF TEACHERS
IN SCHOOL REFORM
“There can be no
improvement without the
teacher.”
- Fullan
I. The Problem & Hargreaves,
– Failed Reform in1996
Schools
II. The Teacher as Curriculum Maker
III. Teacher Empowerment –
Strategy towards School Reform
 THE PROBLEM – FAILED
PART I:
REFORMS IN SCHOOLS
 The Problem –
Failed Reforms in Schools
A. Narrowness of teachers’ role & the problem of leadership
(Fullan & Hargreaves, 1996)
1. Traditionally, teaching has been a “flat” career.
- Spending year in & year out performing the same role is
inherently deadening
- Without substantial outside stimulation, commitment,
motivation & effectiveness is reduced
2. Teachers are still within the prescribed circle of traditional
“teacher tasks”.
- Responsibility is left solely to “formal leaders”
- Failure to prepare younger teachers for future leadership roles
 The Problem –
Failed Reforms in Schools
3. Teachers are alienated from participating in reforms & not
motivated to implement improvements.
- Educational change that does not involve & is not supported
by teachers usually ends up as change for the worse.
- Excluding teachers from the task of leadership or the process
of change is in this sense neither practical nor politic.
4. Involvement itself is not enough. It is the “kind” of
involvement, the particular way that teachers work
together as a community that really matters if meaningful
improvement in schools is to take place.
 The Problem –
Failed Reforms in Schools
B. Barriers of Teacher Empowerment
(Blase & Blase, 1994)
1. Teachers do not involve themselves in administrative
decisions because it detracts them from their
classroom work & they see empowerment as a sham.
a. Belief of teachers that participation in decision making
is only made available as a way to vent out frustrations
b. They have little or no real impact in decision making
outcomes
 The Problem –
Failed Reforms in Schools
B. Barriers of Teacher Empowerment (Blase & Blase, 1994)
2. Organizational limitations
a. Lack of definition & clarity regarding change efforts
b. Inadequate or inappropriate resources
c. Lack of hierarchal support
d. Sources of resistance from school personnel (including
principal’s or central office staff members’ fear of losing
power)
e. Forms of teacher resistance (reluctance to change, roles &
responsibilities, lack of skills, lack of trust)
 THE TEACHER AS
PART II:
CURRICULUM MAKER
 The Teacher as
Curriculum Maker
A. Teachers’ Self-Perceptions of their Roles in Curriculum
Change

Statements from Teachers (Doll, 1996)

Teacher 1: “I identify & evaluate a variety of curriculum
materials under a given theme or topic. Then I select what
seems appropriate to what I want to do in the classroom.

- This statement suggests paucity of imposed plans.

 The Teacher as
Curriculum Maker
A. Teachers’ Self-Perceptions of their Roles in Curriculum
Change
Teacher 2: “I identify & evaluate a variety of curriculum
materials too, but I see myself as a free person, an authority
figure in my own right, a manager, a decision maker, an
individualist. Also, I’m a producer, not a mere consumer. I
interpret what seems at first glance to wear a ‘mantle of
nobility & righteousness.’”

- Here is a teacher with extreme initiative, one who is

probably difficult for the principal to direct.
 The Teacher as
Curriculum Maker
A. Teachers’ Self-Perceptions of their Roles in Curriculum
Change
Teacher 3: “In planning, I don’t like the ‘objectives first’ way of
proceeding. I can enrich planning by calling to mind my
preparation in teaching, my interests, the materials I know,
& what the administration will let me do. Stating objectives
can follow in due time.”

- This teacher would please the growing body of educators

who favor free as opposed to structured planning.
 The Teacher as
Curriculum Maker
A. Teachers’ Self-Perceptions of their Roles in Curriculum
Change
Teacher 4: “I’m influenced by my own beliefs, but recognize that
I have to yield to pressures coming from outside myself. I
don’t really know how I balance personal belief and
pressure.”

- Ambivalence is characteristic of uncertain persons in an

unstable profession.
 The Teacher as
Curriculum Maker
A. Teachers’ Self-Perceptions of their Roles in Curriculum
Change
Teacher 5: “I know what I value. When an idea comes along
that is close to my values, I can accept it immediately. I’m
then seen as a cooperative person. But I have trouble wit
ideas that are far removed from what I value – enough
trouble that I balk and drag my feet. Then I’m considered
subversive.”
- Perhaps this is a reminder to planners & administrators that
they should know their teachers’ values & at least begin
by working accordance with these values.
 The Teacher as
Curriculum Maker
A. Teachers’ Self-Perceptions of their Roles in Curriculum
Change
Teacher 6: “When something new comes along, I usually try it.
One thing bothers me, though. I don’t want to give up old
curriculum content for new. It doesn’t seem right to meet
new requirements &, at the same time, discard the good
traditional ones.”

- “Preservers of the faith” are found outside the bounds of

religion.
.
The Teacher as Curriculum
Maker
Actual roles of teachers depends on the ff.
(Doll, 1996):
1. teacher’s position
2. Teaching (grade) levels
3. Social organization of their school
4. Areas of decision making in which they
are to voice judgments
5. Professionalism of their fellow teachers
6. Size and wealth of their school
The Teacher as Curriculum
Maker
3 Tasks that makes Teachers effective
improvers of the curriculum (Doll,
1996)
1. They work & plan with their pupils.
- Learning from children
2. They engage in individual study.
- Learning from books
3. They share experiences concerning
curriculum with other teachers
- Learning from one another (with
colleagues)
 TEACHER EMPOWERMENT –
PART III: STRATEGY TOWARDS
SCHOOL REFORM
 Teacher empowerment – strategy
towards school reform
A. What does teacher empowerment
look like?
- Melenyzer, 1990 (Blase & Blase, 1994)
“the opportunity & confidence to act upon
one’s ideas & to influence the way one
performs in one’s profession.”
“true empowerment leads to increased
professionalism as teachers assume
responsibility for & an involvement in
the decision making process.”
 Teacher empowerment – strategy
towards school reform
B. FACTORS DETERMINING TEACHER
COMMITMENT TO REFORM
1. TEACHER ROLE IN IMPLEMENTATION
• School wide reform requires a new vision
of professionalism, where teachers
assume a major role and responsibility for
the schools (Bodilly, 1996).
• It necessitates making fundamental
changes in the way instruction is provided,
and, usually, redefining roles and
relationships, reconsidering allocation of
control and resources, and managing
conflict effectively (Timar, 1989)
 Teacher empowerment – strategy
towards school reform
B. FACTORS DETERMINING TEACHER
COMMITMENT TO REFORM
2. ALLOCATION OF TIME AND
RESOURCES
• Providing teachers with adequate
resources for implementation, such as
materials, professional development, and
time for planning, promotes their support.
3. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• Professional development is at the heart of
school change efforts. Its type, level, and
quality are linked to successful
implementation
 Teacher empowerment – strategy
towards school reform
B. FACTORS DETERMINING TEACHER
COMMITMENT TO REFORM
4. SPECIFICITY OF CURRICULUM AND
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
• Some CSR models are very prescriptive and
provide curricula and assessments (e.g.,
Success for All), while other models rely more
on the school to develop materials that
support the philosophy of the reform (e.g.,
Coalition of Essential Schools). The models
which provide more prescriptive materials,
curriculum, and assignments have faster
implementation rates (Bodilly, 1996, 1998;
Stringfield et al., 1997).
 Teacher empowerment – strategy
towards school reform
C. TEACHERS AS LEADERS
Tate, 1991 – “broadening of teachers’
expert & professional authority over
schooling”
1. Decentralization – teachers are experts
on teaching
2. Professionalization – teachers can
provide good judgments about
educational issues
3. Enablement – empowered teaching is
characterized by reflection & self-
fulfilment
 Teacher empowerment – strategy
towards school reform
C. TEACHERS AS LEADERS
Tate, 1991 – “broadening of teachers’
expert & professional authority over
schooling”
4. Democratization – empowerment is
democratic reform that yields broadened
participation
5. Inversion of the hierarchy – bottom-up
as well as a top-down; teachers
reclaiming their right to have a say in
policies affecting them
Points to ponder:
“I find it most promising those paths to
empowerment that call for a major
transformation of the teacher’s role.”
- Sprague, 1998

“ It is individuals and small groups of teachers

and principals who must create the school
and professional culture they want.”
- Fullan & Hargreaves, 1996