Teacher Teams, Teamwork, and Empowerment: Exploring Associations and the Nexus to Change

Research on team-based schools suggests the importance of teacher empowerment as a factor in the school revitalization and reform equation and as a critical element in redefining schools as collaborative workplaces. In this study, the authors inquire into potential associations between teamwork skills and teacher team empowerment. Research questions focus on the team as the unit of analysis: (1) Will higher levels of teamwork skills be associated with higher levels of teacher team empowerment?; and (2) Will the relationship between teamwork skills and team empowerment be influenced by teacher demographic variables: gender, age, education level, years of teaching experience (YTE), years in the current school (YCS), and school level? The data source for the study was a survey instrument completed by 159 (57.4%) of the teachers employed in all elementary schools (n = 3) and middle schools (n = 1) in one school district. Findings show that teamwork, as measured, is a significant factor in team empowerment. (Contains 3 tables.)