Double Take

Research Alert

A recent report by the RAND Corporation found some positive results for a program that helps mid-career educators learn to lead. The heart of the approach, called Leading Educators, is the two-year fellowship program, in which selected fellows who work in low-income schools engage in activities that strengthen their ability to support and give feedback to "mentee teachers." Fellows begin to mentor a colleague within a few months of starting the program—and fellows themselves receive coaching to help them be strong mentors.

Mentoring includes coaching, modeling lessons, and observing the mentee and giving feedback. Fellow and mentee meet at least biweekly, and they often co-plan or co-teach lessons. They also design and implement an initiative aimed at raising student achievement.

The RAND report analyzed whether the participation of both the fellows and mentees in the program affected student achievement and teacher retention in schools in Louisiana and Missouri. (The program also operates in Tennessee and Washington, D.C., but hasn't yet been evaluated there.) The most encouraging finding: Achievement for students of mentees in Louisiana, but not in Missouri, increased in math and social studies. Although some positive effects for the fellows' students also surfaced, the effects for mentees were more robust. There were no definitive effects on teacher retention.

Examining the Early Impacts of the Leading Educators Fellowship on Student Achievement and Teacher Retention by Kata Mihaly, Benjamin Master, and Cate Yoon is available at www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1225.html

Screen Grabs

Teachers and Students Sound Off on Co-Teaching

How can co-teachers effectively structure their shared work? And how do students respond to having two teachers in their classroom? A series of three videos from Brooklyn Preparatory High School teachers Erin Stark and Karolyn Maurer answers these questions.

In the videos, titled Successful Co-Teaching: Keys to Team Development, Stark and Maurer explain the steps they took to develop their working relationship and make adjustments during the year. Several of their 9th grade English language arts students share their impressions of Stark and Maurer's work and how having two teachers in the classroom has helped them learn.

All three videos, as well as an additional reflection video that offers background information on Brooklyn Prep's co-teaching program, are available at www.youtube.com/user/eringstark/videos.

Relevant Reads

The Power of Curiosity: How to Have Real Conversations That Create Collaboration, Innovation, and Understanding by Kathy Taberner and Kirsten Taberner Siggins (Morgan James Publishing, 2015)

Successful co-teachers must be able to hash out conflicts, which are bound to arise in any relationship. In this book, the authors offer a strategy for having positive conversations about differences: adopting an attitude of curiosity. Although the book is aimed at the business world, its approach can be applied to any collaborative work.

Curiosity, say the authors, is an antidote to our all-too-common way of addressing those who disagree with us—by judging their actions and ideas, telling them what we want them to do, and blaming them for their failure to do what we'd like. In contrast, when we adopt an attitude of curiosity, we ask open-ended questions about the other person's reasoning and motivation, and we enlist them in exploring solutions. It's the difference between saying, "Why did you put James and Kevin in the same group today? You know they always argue!" and saying, "What do you usually consider when assigning students to groups? What are your ideas about how we can improve group dynamics and avoid arguments?" The latter questions can lead to a relationship-building conversation that can open opportunities for learning.

Numbers of Note

Do Teachers Collaborate in OECD Countries?

When asked whether they engage in the following practices, surveyed teachers from countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said they never:

45% Never observe other teachers' classes to give feedback

42% Never teach jointly as a team in the same class

18% Never take part in collaborative professional development

11% Never exchange teaching materials with colleagues

Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2014). TALIS 2013 Results: An International Perspective on Teaching and Learning. Paris: OECD Publishing, Figure 6.10. Figures show the average of responses across 32 OECD countries from a survey of nearly 108,000 teachers.