Teacher community in urban elementary schools

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education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal

Arizona State University

Volume 19 Number 3

30th of January 2011

ISSN 1068–2341

Teacher Community in Urban Elementary Schools: The Role of Leadership and Bureaucratic Accountability1 John M. Weathers University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Citation: Weathers, J. M. (2011). Teacher community in urban elementary schools: The role of leadership and bureaucratic accountability. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 19 (3). Retrieved [date], from http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/887 Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of principal leadership and accountability policies on teachers’ sense of community. This study is situated within the research and policy/practice discourse over the importance of schools developing a professional community of teachers who share common values, cooperate in support of these values, and a have sense of mutual accountability as a means of improving student achievement. However, to date, few studies have examined the effect of leadership practices and accountability policies on teacher communities, and these studies do not conceptualize and measure teacher community in line with theories of community. Additionally, there is a pervasive and mostly untested belief by advocates of teacher professionalization that top-down management, standards, and accountability policies are antithetical to teacher communities. Data for this study come from the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey (1999-2000). A two-level multilevel regression analysis was used with a public school urban elementary (K-5) 1

Accepted under the editorship of Sherman Dorn. Submitted 10/20/2008 Revisions Received 12/30/2009 Accepted: 12/15/2010


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