Is Second Grade a Zone of Instructional Development for Teachers? Rethinking Strategic Staffing with a Mixed-Methods Study of Elementary Principals' Assignment Decisions
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| Title: | Is Second Grade a Zone of Instructional Development for Teachers? Rethinking Strategic Staffing with a Mixed-Methods Study of Elementary Principals' Assignment Decisions |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Lora Cohen-Vogel (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 2026 48(2):613-647. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 35 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Early Childhood Education Grade 2 Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | Principals, Elementary School Teachers, Teacher Placement, Grade 2, Teacher Effectiveness, Elementary Schools, Accountability, Decision Making |
| Geographic Terms: | North Carolina |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737251348202 |
| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| Abstract: | Prior research suggests that elementary school principals assign their strongest teachers to tested grades. As accountability frameworks have softened and principals' experiences with them have matured, does the pattern still hold? We employ a convergent mixed-methods design to consider, at once, multiple explanations for how school leaders implement teacher assignments by combining data from surveys, interviews, and administrative records from North Carolina. Results reveal a reassignment pattern into second grade, with principals more likely to reassign teachers with lower scores on observation rubrics or value-added ratings to second grade than teachers with higher scores or ratings. Pushing beyond the literature that documents conventional notions of accountability-based staffing, we reveal a more nuanced story about how and why principals assign their teachers within schools. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1506031 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Prior research suggests that elementary school principals assign their strongest teachers to tested grades. As accountability frameworks have softened and principals' experiences with them have matured, does the pattern still hold? We employ a convergent mixed-methods design to consider, at once, multiple explanations for how school leaders implement teacher assignments by combining data from surveys, interviews, and administrative records from North Carolina. Results reveal a reassignment pattern into second grade, with principals more likely to reassign teachers with lower scores on observation rubrics or value-added ratings to second grade than teachers with higher scores or ratings. Pushing beyond the literature that documents conventional notions of accountability-based staffing, we reveal a more nuanced story about how and why principals assign their teachers within schools. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737251348202 |
