Perceptions of teachers and teaching in the United States: a document analysis of one State’s policy memos during COVID-19

Purpose This study aims to examine policy artifacts produced by state governance in the wake of COVID-19 and the way they communicate certain perceptions of teachers and the work of teaching. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a document analysis methodology to systemically evaluate policy memos from one state’s educational agency. Findings This study's findings include that conceptualizations of teachers as technicians persist within these policy documents as do images of the purpose and measure of teaching solely based on standardized testing. Such findings reveal a problematic gap between policy and classroom realities exacerbated by the pandemic. Originality/value Examining the assumptions within policy documents is work that is essential to addressing the policy and practice gap and ultimately improving the policymaking process to include teachers’ voices, increase student learning and improve public education. To this end, this study focuses on the images of teachers and teaching within policy documents that the SEA released throughout the pandemic. By parsing out these images, this work intends to assess how policy frames teachers and the work of teaching – a task that is critical to better aligning policy with teachers’ experiences and ultimately decreasing attrition rates, increasing teacher satisfaction and improving student achievement.