Ecological Approaches Towards Agentic School Environments: Narratives of Teacher Agency at DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach

Abstract

This research study examines the mindsets, actions, and relationships needed to feel, foster, and further agency in education. DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach (DreamHouse) is Hawai‘i’s newest and fastest growing public school on O‘ahu. This paper shares how teachers at DreamHouse experience teacher agency in their professional work environment. Agency is ecological - defined as iterational, projective, and practical-evaluative. Iterational aspects of agency focus on lived experiences of individuals. Projective aspects of agency focuses on future-orientations and desire for new realities. Practical-evaluative aspects of agency focuses on what can be changed now to reach the desired reality for people. By understanding the ecological nature of agency, I asked, “how do teachers feel, foster, and further agency in education?” Using a dynamic narrative inquiry methodology, interviews were conducted with eleven teachers to investigate what ecological factors contribute to teacher agency. Narratives from teachers were analyzed and connected themes emerged from their ideas, thoughts, and experiences. The role of a school leader in sustaining teacher agency was also investigated in this study. The findings address recommendations for school leaders who find interest in education sovereignty and agency for their school communities. Through this research study, I have discovered that teachers experience agency when they commit to reimagining education, look at themselves as transformational leaders, and trust others to lead. To accomplish these aspects of agency, school leaders must create vulnerable spaces for their teachers, persist and navigate their teams through rapid changes, and trust their teachers to make change. I also began to understand the intentional power and potential of designing for agency and how to persist against systems that are meant to be transformed.