Navigating the Sociocultural Web:

Introducing a theoretical model for evaluating teaching residency programs

Dr. Lisa GonsalvesDr. Tricia Kress

The University of Massachusetts BostonNOYCE, July 8, 2010

Teach Next Year:Presentation Overview

Teaching residency programs have emerged nationally as one response to the need to recruit and prepare high quality urban teachers

Intense (year long teaching residency)

Success depends upon mutual trust and clear communication among stakeholders – partnerships are deeply relational

Model helps us think more systematically about the impact of inter-organizational dynamics and stakeholder goals on the preparation of new teachers

Model encourages goal alignment at all stages of the partnership

Teach Next Year

How Teach Next Year (TNY) was built Strong relationships between school, funder &

university Initial meetings with all stake-holders (teachers,

School administrators, faculty, university administrators, funder)

Later meetings with only teachers

Two-step interview process Step one is university based (application,

admissions, acceptance to university) Step two is school based (candidate interviews

with school personnel)

Teach Next Year: Integrated Course Work & Practice

SummerJune 29-July 29

SummerAugust 3-21

Fall Spring

Inclusion K-12Edc G – 630

Content Literacy Edc G – 648

Assessment - Edc G 663

Practicum & SeminarEdcG – 688, 687

Designing Instruction Edc G – 660

Socio-Cultural PerspectivesEdc G – 606

Developmental Stages EdcG – 644

Classroom Management -EdcG-643

Teaching & learning in the disciplines History, EnglishScience, Math

Sheltered English Immersion - SEIEdc G 649

Legacy Project – Edc G – 696

Teach Next Year: Giving back to the School Community

Legacy Projects School/community project that adds value to the

qualify of school life for DHS students Drama club Math club Junior entrepreneur’s club Fashion club Homework club School website

Teach Next Year: Professional Development for Teachers

Alternative PD for School Teachers Mentor teacher’s in TNY schools are relieved

from half of their teaching assignment from February through June. During this time, mentor engage in self-directed professional development projects that contribute to the schools overall improvement goals

Looking at Student Work Analyzing Data Developing a science fair Developing a college prep guide & program Creating orientation materials for new teachers Developing a public speaking curriculum

Teach Next Year: The Conflicts

The First Conflict Needs of the university versus the needs of the

high school

The Second Conflict Deciding on which applicants to accept

The Third Conflict Who would have the greater say when placing

interns with the school teachers (university faculty, teachers, school administrators)

Teach Next Year: Expanding to other Partnerships

After 11 years, TNY has expanded to 13 schools within two districts

One site – balance of control rests with teachers Another site – balance of control rests with

school administrators A third site – balance of control rests with the

university faculty/partner

Teach Next Year: The Evaluation Model

How can we make sense of the variance in implementation between schools, and even within the same school?

How do sociocultural relationships and power dynamics between and among stakeholders contribute to this variance?

Three organizations…

University

School

Foundation

…unique identities, goals and priorities…

The interns’ experiences and classroom practice

Situated with the school, but impacted by the actions and interactions of all three organizations.

School

University Foundation

Assembling a Multidimensional Lens

Ecological Systems Theory (EST) Individual development is shaped by an ecological system

(Bronfenbrenner, 1979)

Assembling a Multidimensional Lens

Structure|AgencyIndividual and collective agency is regulated and shaped by

cultural structures, while agency recursively impacts and shapes structures

(Sewell, 1992). Structure: a system of schema (beliefs and customs) and resources (anything that can serve as a source of power, e.g. objects, tools, ideas, etc.) that comprise culture.

Agency: one’s ability to act within a given cultural locale.

Common goal:

University

School

Foundation

Improving urban education by

improving teaching

The organizations are separate units, loosely bound by common macrostructural beliefs.

This results in exosystem convergence.

Goals Diverge on the Micro level

•Individual organizations have different needs and goals that emerge within unique cultures of microstructures.

•Schema and resources are understood differently in different miscrostructures.

•This results in power-struggles.

Microsystem impacts Individual Implementation

The daily happenings of the classroom are loosely regulated by the exosystem and macrosystem but greatly influenced by micro level interactions.

Individual agency is regulated by proximity and goal alignment vis-à-vis exosystem organizations.

Power/Agency Shifts

For example, teachers had little control over university admissions, but greater influence over daily implementation. Still, all stakeholders continue to work towards the common macrostructural goal even though individuals’ beliefs and practices during microlevel implementation may vary significantly. This results in unpredictable implementation.

The Model helps us Consider:

How the balance of program control impacts the intern/resident experience

Impact of inter-organizational dynamics

Impact of individual stakeholder goals

Importance of maintaining macro and exo goal alignment, while being cognizant and respectful of microlevel needs and goals

Implementing the Model

Beginning Apply the model from the beginning as part of

the process of choosing a school/university partner

Assess the relational dynamics and stakeholder goals of each partner

In-Process Assess for goal alignment between all

stakeholders Pay attention to the interplay between Macro,

exo and micro levels of the partnership

Questions for the Activity

What is the pattern of your partnership? What would it look like if you were using this model?

How might you suggest altering this model to suit your context/partnership?

What other theoretical frames or perspectives might we think about to enhance or alter the model?