A Framework for Graduated Teacher Autonomy: Linking Teacher Proficiency With Autonomy

Abstract

Teachers’ autonomy contributes to their development and retention decisions. While proficient teachers would benefit from more autonomy, developing teachers often require more structure and guidance. This article reviews the literature surrounding autonomy and proposes an argument for a Graduated Teacher Autonomy framework: a theoretical tool matching teacher proficiency to autonomy. This dynamic framework has the potential to support the needs of all teachers and could improve teacher satisfaction, retention, development, and administrator–teacher relations.