Teacher-Reported Effects of New American School Designs: Exploring Relationships to Teacher Background and School Context

Abstract

Getting teachers within schools to support, substantively engage in, and sustain the implementation of whole-school designs is critical to the success of the design-based assistance providers, such as New American Schools (NAS). As policymakers make decisions about reauthorizing Title I this year, and as they consider alternatives to previous shortcomings of Title I spending, it is important to understand the factors related to implementing whole-school restructuring efforts and early indications of their effects. The purposes and approaches of NAS and its design teams are the same as those of "schoolwide" Title I programs and the Comprehensive School Reform Development program. Each intends to improve student and school performance through schools adopting a unified, coherent approach rather than adding fragmented programs or investing in personnel dedicated to a small group of students in pull-out programs. It is uncertain whether the designs have positive effects on teachers' professional lives and, more importantly, the educational experiences of students. This is especially true for schools in the first few years of implementing whole-school reforms. This paper attempts to shed light on these issues with analyses of survey data from teachers and principals in 130 implementing NAS sites in eight jurisdictions. Findings reveal that teacher views of resource adequacy and communication by designs to further implementation are related to teacher support for the design and implementation. The paper ends with a discussion of the policy implications of the analyses reported here and of the need to better understand the process of schoolwide change