From Compliance to Empowerment: Mediating Teacher Activity in Data Team Meetings Through Cultural Historical Activity Theory and Collaborative Inquiry in the Context of Neoliberal Education Reform

Abstract

This qualitative case study focuses on the impact of neoliberal education reform on an urban charter school serving students of Color. This study has two main objectives: to examine how neoliberal reform influences the goal-oriented actions of data meetings (DMs) in an urban elementary school and engages in a formative intervention methodology to collaborate with educators in addressing(mediating) our assumptions around the ways of measuring what students know and learn, paying particular attention to how teachers' language and decisions reflect neoliberal ideologies. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) methodology and an expansive learning cycle provide a framework to collect and analyze data of teachers' goal-oriented actions in the context of neoliberal reform and standardized testing to aide in understanding and interpreting joint activity systems in educational institutions. The study's significance lies in the potential for intentional teacher learning activities that challenge and transform the marginalizing effects of neoliberal education reform, particularly in relation to standardized testing at the intersections of race and ability. Key findings of the study are the complex challenges educators face in balancing accountability policy requirements with the unique needs of their students. It emphasizes the importance of professional learning that moves away from individual performance toward collective agency.