ABSTRACT

This study tests the hypothesis that teacher-led collaborative inquiry cycles, guided by instructional standards, lead to improved teacher performance and effectiveness. We examine the impact of teachers’ self-selection into teacher peer excellence groups (TPEGs), which involves lesson co-planning, peer observation and feedback, and collaborative lesson-plan revision on participating teachers from 14 pilot public schools in Tennessee. Using survey results and statewide administrative data, we apply a propensity score matching strategy, and find that TPEG teachers experience growth in their instruction ratings and value-added scores in the subsequent year, although the longer term impact is attenuated. We contribute to the literature by identifying deprivatized practice and instruction-focused collaboration as key features of teacher communities of practice, highlighting the importance of using standards-based instructional quality measures, linking participation in collaborative inquiry cycles to teacher-level outcomes, and estimating effects applicable to situations in which teachers exercise agency and collaborate voluntarily.

摘要

本研究检验了以下假设：教师主导的协作探究循环，在教学标准的指导下，可以提高教师的表现和效率。我们研究了教师自我选择加入教师卓越小组 (TPEG) 的影响，其中涉及课程共同计划、同伴观察和反馈以及对来自田纳西州 14 所试点公立学校的参与教师的协作课程计划修订。使用调查结果和全州行政数据，我们应用倾向得分匹配策略，发现 TPEG 教师在随后的一年中经历了教学评级和增值分数的增长，尽管长期影响减弱。