Recommendations for School Administrators
There are disparities between the teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of how
the school’s reforms are being implemented. Based on the findings of this study, school
administrators must recognize how the culture of their school and teacher dispositions
can have an impact on the success of any reform initiative. The MILE Guide clearly states
that education leaders must develop a consensus around the vision for student learning
that includes both content mastery and 21 st century skills and communicate this alignment
to the staff regularly. It is paramount that everyone in the school organization interprets
the goals the same way. Dede (2009) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education,
warned educators of the reverse “Tower of Babel” problem, in which people may use the
same words or language but mean quite different things or expectations. In this study,
teachers overwhelmingly had a different interpretation of what were the actual reform
efforts and unclear of their personal responsibility in contributing to its success. A major
consideration for school leaders would be to contemplate their vision carefully and its
articulation to their staff.