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The Cluster School teachers: A study in adult development
Abstract
During the 1960's and 1970's, because of wide-spread dissatisfaction with traditional public schooling, there was a dramatic increase in the number of alternative schools in the United States. One such school, the Cluster School (1974-1980), a democratically-run, high school program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the site for the first systematic application of Lawrence Kohlberg's theories of "just community" and "moral reasoning development." This thesis is a case study of ten teachers (including the author) who worked in the Cluster School. Using information collected through in-depth interviews with the teachers, it examines such matters as the formative moral influences in their lives, and the reasons why they joined the School. It then explores the ways in which being members of Cluster's "adult community," which included Kohlberg, influenced their own development. The thesis contends that, among other reasons, the teachers were attracted to the School because they had come from backgrounds where moral questions were accorded importance, and that once there, they created a supportive environment which promoted adult growth. The Introduction defines the thesis and its methodology, and includes a discussion of the author's role as a participant observer in the study. Chapter 2 discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the School, defines the School's governance structure and gives an overview of the School's history. Chapter 3 presents the biographies of the teachers, each of which is followed by a summary of the salient points found in the biography. Chapter 4 addresses six recurring themes which emerge from the teacher interviews and suggests their interrelatedness to one another. Chapter 5 compares the moral atmosphere of Cluster's host school with that of Cluster, and concludes that the teachers, although somewhat inadvertently, created for themselves a supportive community which encouraged their own growth and development. The chapter closes with recommendations for staff development.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Teacher education|Developmental psychology|Education history|Biographies
Recommended Citation
Mooney, Brian John, "The Cluster School teachers: A study in adult development" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9219469.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9219469