Types of Business Organisations - Essay Example

Chapter I Introduction and Background The Wyoming 2006 Legislative session passed House Bill. No 139, which funded instructional facilitators for each Wyoming school district. Typically, school districts provide opportunities for professional development. However, standardized test scores across the nation imply that the professional development opportunities have not significantly impacted student achievement. The instructional facilitator positions are the state legislator's effort and support to improve student achievement, by improving all teachers through professional development at the classroom level. According to several authors, better instruction is the key aspect of the education system that will improve student learning (Rowan, Correnti, & Miller, 2002; Sanders & Horn, 1994; Sanders & Rivers, 1996; Webster, Mendro, Orsak & Weerasinghe, 1998). Studies conducted by Joyce and Calhoun (1996) and Joyce and Showers (2002) found that when teachers had adequate time to participate in professional development that was embedded in classrooms with the aid of instructional coaches, teacher practice changed significantly, with effect sizes of 1.68 in the transfer of training to classrooms, 1.25 for skill level objectives and 2.71 for knowledge-level objectives. Effect was almost unnoticeable without the classroom based coaching. Sparks (2005) concurs with the studies conducted by Joyce and Calhoun (1996) and Joyce and Showers (2002): The very best thing you can do for a superintended is not to give him more money, more buildings, or a better contract. Instead, give him a tool to make his average teachers just a little bit better and you will see a vastly greater impact across the district than any model school or blue-ribbon program will ever bring. (p.111) The instructional facilitator positions are to provide ongoing professional development for all school facilities, with the intent to improve instruction and learning at the classroom level. Being more than a receptor for information and data, expectations of instructional facilitators include finding applicable, research-based practices and helpings teachers make use of it in new ways in their classrooms (Schultz, 2001). Statement of the Problem There is no guarantee that the state of Wyoming will fund the instructional facilitator positions past the two-year time frame. The intent being that if a district decides the positions positively affect student achievement after the two-year time frame, the district will provide the funding for instructional facilitators and plan for their sustainability. The sustainability of the instructional facilitator positions will be greatly impacted by the attitude of the teachers towards the instructional facilitators, and what percentage of the teachers invite the instructional facilitators to help them. Researchers at the Kansas University Center for Research on Learning have been refining and evaluating instructional coaching programs. Researchers at the Kansas University Center for Research on Learning, (2004) reports that there are less tangible qualities that impact the success of instructional facilitators. Our coaches are master teachers who are comfortable in any classroom. They love children and love working with children in schools. They possess energy and a positive outlook, making them the kind of people that others enjoy being around. Above all, they are able to communicate their deep, honest belief in teachers, even as they suggest ways for teachers to improve. (p.1) An instructional facilitator's success will depend greatly on how receptive the classroom teachers are to welcoming the instructional facilitators in their classroom. Teacher's attitudes towards the instructional facilitators are crucial. According to Knight (2006) at the University of Kansas, "If teachers like a coach, they usually will try out what the coach suggests. If they don't like the coach, they will even resist helpful teaching practices" (p.39). Preparing the stakeholders, which includes the classroom teachers, for the new instructional facilitator's positions is essential. According to Water's and Grubb (2004), leadership initiating a change, such as the instructional facilitator positions, must understand the magnitude of the change implemented to use the correct leadership practices. Strategically planning and outlining expectations of the new roles can provide powerful support for the new positions. When the destination is clear and goals loaded with specifics, there is little question about what work is completed or unfinished (Sparks, 2005). According to Heifetz (1994), knowing how hard to push and when to let up is central to leadership. Some teachers may need more time to adapt to the idea of a professional development opportunity that exists in their district and classroom. Other teachers may welcome the opportunity to work with the instructional coaches immediately. Additionally, a few teachers will continually refuse to embrace the professional growth presented through the work of the instructional facilitators. However, the anticipated positive impact on the teachers who work with the instructional facilitators is expected to intrigue teachers who are reluctant. Coggins, Stoddard, and Cutler (2003) conducted a study in the San Francisco Bay area school districts on the positions of reform coaches (Wyoming school districts instructional facilitator positions equivalent). The study examined the reform coach role, the functions it provides to the system its potential as a capacity-building strategy. The results of this study showed that coaches in the first year at a building-site spent 57% of their time in establishing their role with teachers, whereas coaches in the second year at a building-site spent 40% of their time in establishing their role with teachers. Tung & Feldman (2002) report on an ongoing study conducted by the Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) in Boston, whose mission is to work collaboratively with urban schools and districts to improve student learning by promoting and facilitating models of whole school reform. CCE supports approximately sixty schools in New England in reform models. This study, analyzed teacher and administrator perceptions of the coaching role and practices in their schools and how those practices influence school reform. Teachers and administrators from five schools that participated with coaches from the center for Center for Collaborative Education, answered surveys, participated in interviews and the coaches kept logs of their activities. Among the barriers to implementing the coaching role, teachers and administrators reported that one main barrier was their lack of understanding of the role of the coach. In schools where teachers understood the coaching role, the teachers reported they experienced more change in school-wide and classroom practice. Many educational leaders in Wyoming are excited about the newly-created academic instructional facilitator positions in Wyoming school districts. The intent for the new positions is to provide ongoing professional development for all school facilities, with the intent to improve instruction and learning at the classroom level. What remains to be seen is how teachers in Wyoming will respond to the instructional facilitator in their buildings. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes of Wyoming teachers toward instructional facilitators based on teachers who have worked with instructional facilitator's and teachers who have not worked with instructional facilitator's. The sustainability of the instructional facilitator positions will be greatly impacted by the attitudes of the teachers toward the instructional facilitators and what percentage of the teachers invite the instructional facilitators to help them. Teachers employed by ten different Wyoming school districts will be this study's participants. The survey approach will be the data collection strategy to obtain descriptive data. Research Questions There are five primary research questions to be assessed in this study. (a) What are the attitudes of Wyoming teachers toward instructional facilitator's (b) What percentage of Wyoming teachers have worked with an instructional facilitator (c) What percentage of Wyoming teachers have not worked with an instructional facilitator (d) How does a teacher's teaching expertise impact the degree to which he/she collaborates with an instructional facilitator (e) What is the comparison of the number of elementary teachers who worked with an instructional facilitator to the number of secondary teachers who worked with an instructional facilitator References Coggins, C., Stoddard, P., & Cutler, E. (2003). Improving instructional capacity through school based-reform coaches. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Feldman, J. & Tung, R. (2002). The role of external facilitators in whole school reform: Teacher's perceptions of how coaches influence school change. Center for Collaborative Education, Boston, MA. Fifty-Eighth Legislature of the State of Wyoming 2006 Budget Session, Original House Bill No.139. Section 4: Instructional Facilitators, p.32. Heifetz, R.A. (1994). Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Joyce, B. & Calhoun, E. (1996). Learning experiences in school renewal: An explor- ation of five successful programs. Eugene: OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. Joyce, B. & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development (3rd Ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Knight, J. (2006). Instructional Coaching. The School Administrator. (n) 4, Vol: 63 p.36- 40. The University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning (2004). Retrieved October 2, 2006 from http://www.instrucationalcoach.org/research.html. Rowan, B., Correnti, R., & Miller, R. (2002). What large-scale, survey research tells us about teacher effects on student achievement: Insights from the prospects study of elementary schools. Teachers College Record, 8 (104), 1525-2567. Sanders, W., & Horn, S. (1994). The Tennessee value-added assessment system (RVAAS): Mixed-methodology in essential assessment. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 8(n), 299-311. Sanders, W., & Rivers, J., (1996). Cumulative and residual effects on teachers on future student's academic achievement. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center. Schultz, M. (2001). The uncertain relevance of newness: Organizational learning and knowledge flows. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 661- 681. Sparks, D. (2005). Leading for results: Transforming teaching, learning, and Relationships in schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Waters, T., & Grubb, S., (2004). Leading schools: Distinguishing the essential from the Important. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. Webster, W., Mendro, R., Orsak, T., & Weerasinghe, D., (1998). An application of Hierarchical linear modeling to the estimation of school and teacher effect. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research. Read More