On the frontline of CCSS implementation: A national study of factors influencing teachers’ perceptions of teaching conditions and job satisfaction

Jason L Endacott,George S Denny,Vicki Collet,Christian Z Goering,Ginney Wright,Ronna Turner,Jennifer Jennings-Davis,John Lee

doi:10.1080/2331186x.2016.1162997

Jason L Endacott, George S Denny + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2016.1162997

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Abstract

AbstractThe Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent an unprecedented change in American education. As an increasingly integral part of the school accountability movement under No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, responsibility for implementing CCSS rests largely with school leadership. One important factor in the success or failure of these efforts is the perceptions and experiences of the teachers who will ultimately employ CCSS in the classroom. This survey study examined teachers’ views of CCSS implementation, teaching conditions, collaboration, and job satisfaction. Factor analysis revealed that the openness and activeness of school leadership had a significant effect on teachers’ perceptions of implementation, suggesting that attention to these aspects of leadership is an important consideration during transition to CCSS.

Highlights

The adoption and implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 43 states arguably represents the most significant educational change in American history
This paper investigates how school leadership affects teaching conditions during the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
Our findings suggest that reflective examination of the manner in which school leadership facilitates the implementation of CCSS in schools is worthy of purposeful consideration

Summary

Introduction

The adoption and implementation of the CCSS in 43 states arguably represents the most significant educational change in American history. The research team examines issues surrounding the adoption of the Common Core State Standards in Arkansas and across the USA. This paper investigates how school leadership affects teaching conditions during the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Our primary findings are that teachers generally have a positive opinion of CCSS, though their experiences are impacted by the openness and activeness of their school leaders. Teachers who implemented CCSS under the leadership that was open, flexible, and active experience better teaching conditions and have a higher opinion of the standards themselves. Our findings suggest that reflective examination of the manner in which school leadership facilitates the implementation of CCSS in schools is worthy of purposeful consideration

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