Teachers’ Perceptions of Support in a Comprehensive Student Support Intervention

Abstract

The out-of-school factors that low-income children face can impact their wellbeing and ability to learn (Rothstein, 2010), leading to low academic performance, and, in turn, high levels of stress among their teachers. One of the numerous potential strategies that exist to address this problem is the implementation of systemic student support interventions, which are hypothesized to support teachers in addition to students (Ball & Anderson-Butcher, 2014). Using the City Connects intervention as an example of a comprehensive, systemic student support intervention that has demonstrated positive effects for students, this dissertation study examines the impact of this same intervention on teachers. The study used data obtained from annual surveys administered to all teachers in public schools (across several districts) where the City Connects intervention was implemented. The sample consisted of 656 responses from teachers in Boston Public Schools that were participating in the City Connects intervention during three designated school years (2012-13, 2013-14, and 2015-16). The study implemented a mixed-methods approach that allowed for an in-depth analysis of teachers’ perceptions of support from the City Connects intervention through both quantitative and qualitative data sources. Following exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the survey instrument itself, survey data was analyzed using the Validating Quantitative Data Model (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007), in which quantitative findings were confirmed and expanded upon through analysis of data from a small number of open-ended survey questions. The results of this dissertation study support the continued use of systemic student support interventions in schools, as data confirm that teachers in schools with City Connects report being supported by the intervention. These results hold for veteran teachers who have been teaching for over sixteen years and have participated in the City Connects intervention for over ten years. Ultimately, the findings of this dissertation study suggest that, in addition to leading to positive changes in students’ developmental trajectories, student support interventions can improve the experiences of other members of the school community.