Effects of the Culture in Two Schools on the Progress and Outcomes of Staff Development

Abstract

Research suggests that traditional staff development programs that neglect the context of the school and the classroom have not been successful. Failure to recognize participants' beliefs and understandings and the influence of school context can strongly affect the results of a staff development program. In this article we examine a staff development program implemented in 2 elementary schools that focused on the beliefs and understandings about reading comprehension instruction of 12 teachers in grades 4-6. This staff development program attempted to shift responsibility from the staff developers to the teachers and incorporate teachers' beliefs, practices, and concerns into the program content. We describe interactions in the group-level staff development process. Additionally, we explore whether there were differences in the processes in the 2 schools and whether these differences could be attributed to differences in school culture. Results suggested that group collaboration and empowerment were strongly affected by the interaction of school culture and the staff development process involved. The effectiveness of a staff development program may be related to the social norms within a school that encourage teachers to discuss their beliefs and practices. Finally, we consider the need for an alternative approach to staff development.