Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions of the Benefits and Barriers of Common Planning

Abstract

This quantitative study investigated what one group of middle school teachers (N = 50) perceived to be the benefits and barriers of Common Planning Time (CPT). The teachers surveyed were from one suburban public middle school in a Mid-Atlantic state. Results reported in the present study derived from 26 items included in the Benefits and Barriers of Common Planning Time section of The National Middle Grades Research Project Common Planning Time Teacher Survey. These items focused on how teachers perceived CPT at their school, what they found that did and did not work during CPT, and their professional development needs with regard to CPT. Results indicated the three primary benefits of CPT for teachers were: (1) open lines of communication with their team leaders; (2) their ability to work with others; and (3) their high expectations for student achievement. The most commonly reported barrier to CPT was that teachers believed they did not have enough time to achieve their goals. This study reports on these findings and discusses implications of implementation of CPT for researchers and practitioners.