How Effective are “Wise Interventions” in Fostering Teacher Buy-in?

Project Rationale

Effective teacher support and buy-in for character education programs like Character Counts! enhances overall educational outcomes, optimizes resource use, and ensures sustainability.  Our research focuses on the impact of “wise-interventions” with the goal of fostering positive change in attitudes, behaviors, or outcomes of the Character Counts! Program at AD Henderson University School.  Interventions are used in educational settings to produce change using evidence-based practices. Wise interventions in terms of research are typically tailored to the individual's or group's specific needs, taking into account factors such as mindset, motivation, and social context.  In our study the wise intervention will be composed of discussion forums where the teachers are the experts and have a free space to discuss implementation of the CC Program. These wise interventions will encompass a range of approaches, including mindset interventions, behavioral nudges, and cognitive strategies.

Analyzing wise interventions will tailor strategies, inform professional development, and enhance Character Counts! at AD Henderson University School. This research equips educators with evidence-based practices, fostering self-reflection and collaboration. Increasing teacher buy-in through these interventions is key to successful implementation, benefiting students and the educational community.

Project Context 

The study targets ten middle school teachers, encompassing various content areas and elective courses. Middle school was chosen due to its current implementation of Character Count initiatives. Informal conversations, observations, and data from Character Counts Choice Boards suggest a need for increased teacher buy-in. Additionally, the administrative support for the program in middle school makes it an ideal focus. The sample includes three male and seven female teachers, with a permanent sub teaching an elective course since the school year's start. Teacher experience in the sample ranges from three to fifteen plus years in education.

Supportive Literature 

Character Counts

Character Counts!, established in 1987, is one of the most widely used character education programs in the United States with evidence to support its efficacy. Reports from schools that teach character indicate that the academic performance of students is higher, attendance is improved, and there are fewer disciplinary issues (Lahey, 2013). Researchers have shown that character programming, when implemented with fidelity, produces positive results in one's character (Lickona, 2003; Edmonson, Tatman, & Slate, 2008). 

Teacher Buy-In: A necessary ingredient

Historically teachers have been left out of policy discussions, decision-making and implementation (Ravitch, 2010; Fullan,2010; Lee & Min,2017 ).  Teacher buy-in is often an afterthought in the era of accountability where test scores dictate curriculum decisions.  According to Lee & Min (2017), teacher buy-in is made up of a teacher’s “perceptions, beliefs, and values in relation to the reform program” (pg. 372).   Achieving “teacher buy-in” goes beyond a teacher’s acceptance of a new program; it means a teacher is included in the decision and is actively supporting the initiative.  Fullan (2010) describes teacher buy-in as having teachers “on-side” instead of on the outside of reform merely looking in.  

Macy and Wheeler (2020) studied teacher-buy to a Positive Behavior Intervention program and found that “​​lack of consistency, time, and support from administration” hindered buy-in.  Macy and Wheeler (2020) recommended providing teachers with more time under the new program  and increased professional development.  Turnbull (2002) found that “teachers were most likely to ‘buy-in’ to their school reform program when they had adequate training, adequate resources, helpful support from the model developers, school-level support, administrator buy-in, and control over the reform implementation in their classrooms”.  The definition of what is “adequate” training and the format of the professional development is not clear and therefore needs to be examined with teachers as the driving force.  

Research Methods

Participants

Participants in the study are middle school teachers from various subject areas.     The middle school teachers were chosen because of the increased occurrence of Character Counts initiatives at the level compared to the elementary and high school levels.  The sample is made of three male and seven female teachers, with a permanent sub teaching an elective course since the school year's start. Teacher experience in the sample ranges from three to fifteen plus years in education. All participants are invited to participate in the Character Counts Expert Discussion Forum. 

Data Collection & Analysis

Qualitative data was collected for this study. This study took place for twenty three weeks with five different 30 minute “wise intervention” sessions. Seven educators of varying experience and expertise were invited and agreed to participate. Before starting the study, a pre-survey was administered. During each intervention, the participants were encouraged (as the experts) to share their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of the Character Counts program, professional learning opportunities, various research presented, and the overall effectiveness of the integration of Character Counts into daily school routines. Each session was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for common themes and sentiments. ChatGPT and Claude were used to support data analysis.  The transcripts were entered into the AI programs and prompted to identify common themes as well as quotes to support the themes and/or positive feelings about Character Counts.  To conclude the study, a post survey was conducted. The pre and post-surveys were also analyzed for any changes in inner narratives and buy-in  regarding character education, specifically Character Counts.

Results