An initiative aiming to give teachers more control over their schools is spreading all over the United States. The Teacher-Powered Schools Initiative, which commenced more than five years ago, is becoming more popular among schools in the country, and teachers are thrilled with the results.
The idea behind this organization is to give teachers more control over the topics, curriculums and general school-day workflow in their respective workplaces. According to several participating teachers, this is a fantastic way to recognize the skills of all individual teachers and to lighten the bureaucratic governance of schools across the country.
One of the most significant benefits of the initiative is that it brings back teachers’ motivation to invest themselves in their work thoroughly. While teachers take on more responsibility, as their educational plans determine the academic achievements of students, the freedom to express themselves professionally serves as a good boost in motivation.
Teacher-powered schools and the student-teacher ratio
Another positive effect of such initiatives is the fact that more teachers remain interested in staying in this professional field. Currently, more and more professional educators are shifting their career orientation because they feel they are not rewarded appropriately for the work they do as teachers. This has caused the student-teacher ratios in some countries to be alarmingly low.
However, implementing the principles of teacher-powered schools has the potential to revive interest in the profession all over the world. What is most appealing in this educational approach is that teachers get the opportunity to organize their activities in ways that are not hindered by administrative restraints and bureaucratic procedures. Such a change sounds appealing to most professional educators, as government policies do not always meet the needs of schools.
