ERIC Number: EJ816596
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 21
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1536-3031
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
To Adapt or Subscribe: Teachers' Informal Collaboration and View of Mandated Curricula
Stevenson, Heidi J.
Issues in Teacher Education, v17 n1 p75-95 Spr 2008
California public schools serve a highly diverse student population, including: 65% minorities, 24.9% English Language Learners, 10.6% disabled, and 19% in poverty. In the face of this diversity, all teachers are expected to use the Curriculum Frameworks of the California State Board of Education as a "blueprint for implementing the content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education and are developed by the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission." The Curriculum Standards for California Public Schools and "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) appear to have a goal of equal access to education for all students. "Education: The Promise of America" states that the goal of the NCLB legislation is to ensure that "all children are proficient in reading and math by the 2013-2014 school year" and to "to close the achievement gap that exists between students of different socio-economic backgrounds." A 2004 American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences Teacher Opinion Poll illustrates the disparity in teachers' beliefs regarding NCLB. Sixty-two percent of responding teachers say that they do not think NCLB has enhanced or will enhance the education of American children, and 37 percent respond positively regarding NCLB. In regards to district, state, and federal mandates, it appears that teachers may make the final decision as to how they interpret and implement curricular standards, including NCLB, into their practice. The initial objective of this study was to determine what factors govern elementary school teachers' informal collaboration (i.e., voluntary conversations) regarding technology use (computers, software and the Internet). The scope of the study, however, quickly extended beyond technology and informal collaboration, into teachers' practical theories. It became readily apparent that teachers' beliefs concerning implementation of mandated curriculum, and their academic expectations for students, seem to strongly influence with whom, and under what circumstances they may informally collaborate. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Public Schools, Federal Legislation, Cooperation, Educational Technology, Elementary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Collaboration, Curriculum Implementation, Teacher Expectations of Students, Beliefs, Theory Practice Relationship, Computer Uses in Education, Grounded Theory, Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A