Finnigan, K. S. & Gross, B. (2007). Do accountability policy sanctions influence teacher motivation? Lessons from Chicago's low-performing schools. American Educational Research Journal, 44(3), 594-629.
When will we learn that teachers are not that different from school children when it comes to motivation? When will we learn that negative consequences, pressure, and public humiliation won't really cause either teachers or students to do what we want them to?
The Chicago schools put accountability policies into place several years before No Child Left Behind. These policies used much the same approach as NCLB. At first, when schools were put on probation, motivation and effort increased, but for schools who could not get off probation, over time, morale eventually dropped, as did expectations. It was clear that the pressure to perform was there, but not the support needed to make it happen.
As usual, government entities misjudged teachers, thinking they'd be motivated by the threat of job loss, as in business. Teachers were affected by that threat, but more by their desires to retain membership and status in the professional community AND to see children succeed.
This is sooooooo spot on! Being one of "those" teachers in "that" building is bad enough but to threaten our jobs on top of it when we are already at a disadvantage just doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteI am all for making sure we have quality teachers but when there are many factors that go into student success it does not help to continue to create pressure.
I will also say that a lot of the time it is the lowest income school who shows up first on the "list" and many teachers in a district will not work in that building because of all the issues with behavior that they have to deal with. It takes a special teacher who can come in everyday with the attitude that they are going to make a difference today when they deal with very disrespectful and unmotivated children and parents.