ERIC Number: EJ1420951
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1946
EISSN: EISSN-1532-6993
"The Freedom to Teach": The Role of (Re)Professionalization in Cultivating Responsive Schooling for Immigrant Students
Adriana Villavicencio; Sarah Klevan; Chandler Patton Miranda; Reva Jaffe-Walter; Hua-Sebastian Cherng
Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v60 n2 p156-176 2024
While we know that professionalization improves outcomes for teachers, education policy has effectively "deprofessionalized" teachers, especially those who serve immigrant English Learners. Based on a three-year case study, this paper explores how teachers in an immigrant-serving school exercised autonomy and authority over their instruction and professional development. Drawing on staff interviews and observations of teacher meetings, this paper further describes how these professional conditions positioned teachers to better serve their student population. Our study also revealed the underlying conditions that made teacher autonomy possible, including the negotiation of external policy and a robust model of shared decision-making. By providing rich descriptions of teacher work, this paper moves beyond abstractions of professionalization and toward a concrete set of practices that other schools can employ to "reprofessionalize" teachers. Moreover, we argue that "reprofessionalizing" teachers can better equip teachers to create learning opportunities that are responsive to students' needs. In so doing, the paper speaks to the potential short-sightedness of policies that further undermine teacher autonomy.
Descriptors: Professionalism, High School Teachers, Immigrants, English Language Learners, Professional Autonomy, Academic Freedom, Faculty Development, Teaching Conditions, Teacher Empowerment, Professional Recognition, Role Perception, Educational Policy, Decision Making, Teaching (Occupation), Teacher Leadership
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A