Parallel Session Proceedings »
4.9.5 Fidelity of Implementation of the Total School Cluster Grouping Model: The Role of Teachers
Total School Cluster Grouping (TSCG; Gentry, 2014) is a research-based, schoolwide intervention designed to meet the needs of gifted students in general elementary classrooms. As with any schoolwide intervention, school personnel play a critical role in the implementation of TSCG. Previous research has shown the importance of school leadership support in successfully implementing interventions such as Response to Intervention (Meyer & Behar-Horenstein, 2015; Printy & Williams, 2015). However, limited research exists examining the role of teachers when implementing gifted practices and interventions in schools (e.g., Hertberg-Davis & Brighton, 2006), and how systemic structures can be created to help teachers effectively meet the needs of the gifted students.
This presentation focuses on a Javits-funded study on the implementation of TSCG in 28 schools. At the end of the year 2 of implementation, teachers and administrators from these schools completed surveys on their perceptions of the implementation of TSCG at their schools. School administrators submitted artifacts related to the implementation process, such as training documents, templates, and staff meeting minutes. We also conducted interviews of 34 teachers and administrators and four focus group discussions at nine schools to understand the implementation process at each of the schools. Through the interviews and focus groups, we collected information from teachers and administrators about the support systems, communication, and the role of professional development in the successful implementation of TSCG. We then analyzed interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, and artifacts using open and axial coding.
A major finding from this study is the influence of teachers’ positionalities in ensuring successful implementation of an intervention in schools. Teachers who positioned themselves as part of a learning community, worked well with other stakeholders to develop procedures and strategies that helped them through the implementation. This can be seen through the grouping procedures they adopted and different types of classroom strategies they implemented. Another key finding is the importance of buy-in from the teachers. Teachers, who are more committed and supportive of the project, were able to overcome the various challenges they faced. Examples of teachers’ actions include speaking to school administration on behalf of the students and making changes to existing procedures and school policies in order to better meet the needs of the students.