Moving from Compliance to Agency: What Teachers Need to Make Professional Learning Work
This resource reports on research conducted by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) and Learning Forward. It seeks to uncover the reasons why teachers’ experience with professional learning has been generally unhelpful at facilitating their classroom work that impacts student learning. In the introduction, the report states, “we have come to believe that to transform professional learning so that it really supports educator learning, education leaders will need to pay greater attention to the importance of teacher agency. In addition to analyzing data, visiting classrooms, and reviewing school and system goals, leaders must cultivate an environment of continuous learning that engages teachers in their professional learning at every step of way. They must understand the intangible, but enormous, value teachers place on being listened to and involved meaningfully as well as the benefits the school community enjoys when teachers are intrinsically motivated to pursue their continued development.”
This resource contains high content quality in its description of how to improve professional learning through increasing teacher agency. This message is communicated clearly by elaborating steps education leaders can take to improve professional learning. The resource is of high utility in that it addresses important needs in the education community. It has the potential to positively and effectively impact student achievement through the facilitation of good quality professional learning for teachers.