Blazing New Trails - Connexions

Principals and Teachers Stated Beliefs as Compared with Their Perceptions of Multiage Implementation 195
The qualitative research revealed that there were areas of agreement between the
teachers and the principals, especially in the area of beliefs regarding multiage instruction.
Principals and teachers both agreed that teachers differentiated instruction; however, a larger
percentage of teachers than principals indicated the need for varied assessments and flexible
groupings. There were areas where the principals and teachers did not seem to be in
agreement. An example was in assessment where the primary focus of the principals was on
standardized tests while the teachers focused on more informal classroom assessments.
The interviewers attempted to avoid skewing the responses of the participants by
providing no prompts to the open-ended questions. Since prompts were not provided in the
questioning, the answers reflected the participants’ highest priority, not necessarily all their
priorities in answering the interview question. Most of the differences between the two groups
tended to reflect each principal’s primary focus on the entire school and the teacher’s primary
focus on his or her classroom.
CONCLUSIONS
As we blaze new trails by preparing leaders for improving access and equity in today’s
schools, one of the significant challenges education faces is the need to redesign schools to
nurture the needs (social, emotional, intellectual, and physical) of all children. One way
schools are addressing these needs is through multiage programming which is designed to
build relationships with students, parents, and community; thus empowering students to
develop their own learning and behavior goals and encouraging students to be leaders in an
environment which is collaborative with all stakeholders. These relationships and structures
help educators address the social and emotional needs of children.
Teachers and principals had a high agreement with the six categories of beliefs (Goals
of Schooling, Organization, Curriculum, Instruction, Materials, and Assessment) in Anderson
and Paven’s (1993) survey regarding the Principles of Nongradedness. For both groups, all
six categories had mean scores equal to or above 13.00 which Anderson and Paven (1993)
designated as a high level of agreement. The comparison of the mean scores in the six
categories indicated that there was no statistical difference between the teachers’ and the
principals’ assumptions regarding the Principles of Nongradedness.
Multiage is being implemented in over 80 schools in the combined states of:
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri communities. The qualitative research
revealed that teachers and principals did not always share the same priorities on areas that are
important components of a multiage program. This was most evident in the areas of
monitoring and determining the success of multiage programs. In the area of monitoring,
principals focused on standardized tests, and teachers focused on more informal assessments
with students. In the area of determining the success of the program, teachers focused on
differentiated instruction, collaboration, and curriculum while the principals’ focus was on
professional development. According to Anderson and Pavan (1993), principals must be
educated in the benefits of multiage instruction and in the skills needed to lend positive
support. Fox (1996) stressed that principals are becoming more supportive of curriculum
change and are better prepared to assume the role of facilitator and change agent. According
to Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005), principal leadership had significant effects on
student learning, second only to the effects of a sound curriculum and quality teacher
instruction. This study supported that principals must possess the competencies and
enthusiasm to support teachers’ instructional practices that improve student-learning
outcomes.