Tag Archives: teacher opinion

Teachers and Common Core: An Ambivalent Relationship

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Common Core State Standards Initiative | HomeAs Common Core implementation deadlines approach, new surveys suggest that teachers are open to using Common Core but may not be prepared to do so.

Three and a half years after the launch of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, schools nationwide continue working to implement the new standards in English/language arts and mathematics, which have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia. The move toward more uniform standards and expectations has often been described as a sea change in American education that could dramatically transform teaching and learning at all grade levels. School-based educators-especially teachers-will play a critical role in making the vision of common standards a reality in the classroom.

Yet, concerns about teacher readiness for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are raised by a new study from the EPE Research Center, the research arm of Editorial Projects in Education, the nonprofit organization that publishes Education Week. The study, Findings from a National Survey of Teacher Perspectives on the Common Core,  finds that just one in five teachers feels they are very prepared to teach the common standards to their students as a whole. Confidence levels drop by half when teachers were asked about their readiness to address the needs of particular student groups, including English language learners and students with disabilities. Still fewer teachers—just five percent—believe their students are ready to master the demands of the Common Core.

This study explores a range of issues crucial to the successful implementation of the new standards, including: awareness of the common core; information sources; the focus, format, and quality of training; teacher and school preparedness; the perceived impact of the CCSS; and areas where additional training and resources are needed. Support for the report was provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which also underwrites coverage of deeper learning in Education Week.

Other major findings from the report:

  • Most teachers report some basic awareness of the common standards, although their level of familiarity is typically not deep.
  • Teachers most often get information about the CCSS from their schools’ administrators and their state departments of education.
  • Most teachers have received some professional development related to the CCSS, although it usually lasted only a few days or less.
  • Most often, training has focused on the English/language arts and mathematics standards and has taken place in seminars and other formal settings.
  • Few teachers feel their textbooks and curricular materials are very well aligned with the CCSS.
  • The majority of teachers believe that the quality of the CCSS is at least as high as that of their states’ prior standards.
  • Teachers also generally agree that the new common standards will have a positive impact on their instruction.

Another study, conducted by the consortium of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Scholastic, and the Harrison Group, found similarly mixed results. Primary Sources 2012: America’s Teachers on the Teaching Profession features voices of teachers reflecting on the Common Core:

• “I’m ready for common standards, but I need adequate supplies and technology if I’m going to make them work for my students.” (Elementary teacher)

• “Let’s adopt the common core and stick with it for at least 10 years. How can we see progress if we keep changing our plans?” (High school teacher)

• “I don’t like the common core. Teachers need the freedom to teach children individually to build critical-thinking skills, creative problem-solving skills, and passionate interests.” (Middle school teacher)

To read Primary Sources: 2012 – America’s Teachers on the Teaching Profession, visit: http://www.scholastic.com/primarysources/pdfs/Gates2012_full.pdf

To read Findings from a National Survey of Teacher Perspectives on the Common Core, visit: http://www.edweek.org/media/epe_survey_teacher_perspctives_common_core_2013.pdf

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How satisfied are educators with their jobs?

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MetLife_FoundationAccording to a MetLife survey, educators’ levels of satisfaction have dropped appreciably in recent years, but others see the change as a result of poor surveying techniques.

“According to the survey, principal and teacher job satisfaction is declining. The responsibilities school leaders face have become increasing complex, and the biggest challenges leaders face are beyond the capacity of schools alone to address.”  The survey can be found here: https://www.metlife.com/metlife-foundation/what-we-do/student-achievement/survey-american-teacher.html?WT.mc_id=vu1101 and a detailed summary of the findings can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/21/u-s-teachers-job-satisfaction-craters-report/

In addition, the Alliance for Excellent Education has posted a recorded webinar  entitled, “The Metlife Survey of the American Teacher: Challenges for School Leadership”. The webinar “capture[s] the viewpoints and experiences of teachers and principals working to implement the Common Core State Standards, transform curriculum and instructional practice, address the individual needs of diverse learners, and ensure all students are college and career ready in an environment of continued strained resources.” The link for the webinar is here: http://www.all4ed.org/webinars

However, Andrew Rotherham of Bellwether Education sees it quite differently. He argues that the reason for the decline in teacher satisfaction has much more to do with the fact that the survey question was changed this time around:

“Metlife asks about job satisfaction in different ways in different years. In 2008 and 2009 they asked teachers, ‘How satisfied would you say you are with teaching as a career?’ The survey didn’t ask about satisfaction in 2010, but in 2011 and 2012 teachers were asked, ‘How satisfied would you say you are with your job as a teacher in the public schools?’”

“Veteran pollster and polling expert Mark Blumenthal, who is now the polling editor for The Huffington Post, says they are different questions and that ‘presenting the two questions on a single trend line is questionable.’”

“He’s being polite, too. What Metlife did would be akin to asking a soldier on a tough deployment how he likes his job vs. asking him how he likes his career in the armed forces — and claiming that it was the same question.”

Rotherham’s full views on the report can be found here: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/02/25/poll_finds_teacher_satisfaction_but_reports_skew_results_117148.html

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Teachers and Principals Get Engaged

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Roughly 180 teachers, principals, and education advocates met at the US Department of Education’s (ED) headquarters last week to make connections and engage in conversations about how educators will lead the transformation of their profession.

Educators drilled down on a number of topics and made recommendations for the next steps in the RESPECT Project.  One suggestion was that the federal government help districts and unions work together to develop more roles for teacher leaders inside schools; another was that ED be more involved in raising the bar on teacher preparation programs, including alternative certification programs.

A recurring theme was the power of educators to drive their own profession. “Teachers as leaders needs to be a linchpin of our efforts, not a bullet point,” said Ann Byrd of the Center for Teaching Quality.  Other groups in the meeting argued that teachers should be allowed to apply directly for federal grants to implement innovative practices at their schools.

Another common thread was the public’s poor perception of the value of teaching and school leadership.  It was suggested that ED work on “rebranding the profession,” such as through an advertising campaign, so that parents and taxpayers will support reform and place a higher value on the work teachers do.

To learn more about the RESPECT Project and the most recent meeting, please visit http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/08/teachers-and-principals-get-engaged/

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Teachers “Trending Toward Reform”

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Over the past decade, teachers have seen changes in both their conditions of employment-from pay to retirement benefits-and their practice. Far too often, these policies have been made by people who talk about teachers, rather than talking to them.
Last fall, Education Sector surveyed a nationally representative random sample of more than 1,100 K-12 public school teachers. The results of that survey are published in the newly released Trending Toward Reform: Teachers Speak on Unions and the Future of the Profession. The authors look at teacher attitudes on a variety of teacher-centered reforms, including new approaches to evaluation, pay, and tenure, and the role of unions in pushing for or against these reforms.
The report shows how teachers’ thinking has evolved on some reform issues. It repeats questions from Education Sectors’ 2007 survey Waiting to Be Won Over and a 2003 Public Agenda survey on these same issues. The findings show continued strong support for teachers unions–81 percent of teachers say that without a union, they’d be vulnerable to school politics or administrators who abuse their power. But teachers also want unions to be involved in more than just “bread and butter issues.” They want unions to put more focus on reform.

Other key findings include:

  • Teachers think evaluations are improving. In 2011, 78 percent said their most recent evaluation was done carefully and taken seriously by their school administration.
  • Three out of four teachers–76 percent–say that the criteria used in their evaluation were fair.
  • Teachers are warming to the idea that assessing student knowledge growth may be a good way to measure teacher effectiveness, with 54 percent of 2011 teachers agreeing. This compares with 49 percent in 2007.
  • Teachers are still opposed to including student test scores as one component of differentiated pay, with just 35 percent supporting that idea.
  • Teachers do support differentiated pay for teachers who work in tough neighborhoods with low-performing schools (83 percent support). Teachers also support differentiated pay for teachers who have earned National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification or for those who teach hard-to-fill subjects.

To read the full report, please visit http://www.educationsector.org/publications/trending-toward-reform-teachers-speak-unions-and-future-profession

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How to Push for Reform Without Alienating Teachers

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In a recent article for The Education Gadfly, Michael J. Petrilli offers his take on how we should proceed with education reform, particularly as it concerns teachers.  Excerpts from his article are below:

For all of its victories over the last couple of years, including Scott Walker’s on Tuesday night, the school reform movement finds itself in a pickle. To succeed in creating world-class schools and raising student achievement, it needs education’s front line workers—a.k.a. teachers—to feel motivated, empowered, and inspired. And yet, according to the recent MetLife survey and anecdotal reports, many teachers are down in the dumps.[...]

The message we reformers are sending isn’t all peace, love, and happiness, and that’s probably having an impact, and not for the better.

We think many teachers are dumb (look at those SAT scores!); greedy (look at those gold-plated healthcare and pension plans!); racist (look at those achievement gaps!); lazy (look at those summers off!); ill-prepared (look at those crappy ed schools!); uncaring (look at all that bullying!); unnecessary (look at what computers can do!); and incompetent (look at those low value-added scores!). Or at least that’s how many teachers hear it, I suspect. We love teachers—we just hate everything about them.  [...]

So what’s the other option? How can we continue to make the case for reform without alienating teachers, without turning them into the enemy, the problem, the object of our disdain?

One way is to put teachers in charge of their own schools. That’s the argument Ted Kolderie and his colleagues at EducationEvolving have been making.  If we want teachers to feel respected and motivated, we should treat them as true professionals. Let them call the shots. Set the budget. Hire new teachers. Deal with management concerns. In all likelihood, these teacher-leaders will come to some of the same conclusions as reformers.  [...]

Another way is to champion reforms that teachers do support. For instance, make it easier for educators to discipline unruly students, or to use “ability grouping” in their classrooms instead of mandating the nearly-impossible strategy of “differentiating instruction.”  In other words, remove the obstacles (often ideological in nature) that are getting in the way of teachers achieving success in their classrooms. [...]

Another possibility: find smart ways to give teachers a “voice” that doesn’t entail subjugating them to union bosses.[...]

None of these are perfect solutions. As long as reformers are talking about curtailing teachers’ benefits, or making their jobs less secure, or evaluating their instructional practices, there is going to be some anger and resentment. And talk about those reforms we must. Let’s just try to make some effort to heed teachers’ concerns, and inspire them to excellence, too.

To read the full article, please visit http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/flypaper/2012/how-to-push-for-reform-without-alienating-teachers.html

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Duncan: Ask the Teachers

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In a recent op-ed piece for the Huffington Post, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discusses his views on how to improve the teaching profession by sharing conversations he’s had with educators across the country.  He captures a sentiment common among educators:  they “love teaching though they wouldn’t mind a little more respect for their challenging work and a little less blame for America’s educational shortcomings.”

The op-ed was written in conjunction with the Department’s announcement of a new initiative, “Strengthening and Elevating the Teaching Profession” (I blogged about it here).  He reminds us that regardless of the measures taken to strengthen and elevate the teaching profession, teacher’s must be listened to, or the attempts at reform are “doomed.”

He summarizes some of the common themes teachers participating in the RESPECT Project concurred on:  the lack of preparation for the classroom, lack of mentoring and support, and high-stakes testing and the results of which provide the bulk of most measures of teacher effectiveness.  Compensation is not generally an issue for teachers, but Duncan argues that teachers are severely undercompensated compared to other professions.

The thing he has found most teachers to be enthusiastic about are “career pathways,” which have differentiated roles that do not require excellent teachers to leave the classroom, but compensate them for their excellence.  However, what the teachers in the RESPECT Project have continually lamented is the lack of time—time for collaboration, lesson planning, professional learning, and for working with small groups of students.  “Unfortunately,” Duncan observes, “we shoehorn schooling into a too-short school day and year.”

Duncan ends with a call to make teaching not just one of America’s most important professions, but also one of the most valued.  “America’s teachers are hungry for comprehensive reform to their profession and they are ready to lead the change.  Indeed, they are the only ones who can.”

To read the full article, please visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arne-duncan/ask-the-teachers_b_1490642.html

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May Webinars

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Education Week is hosting several webinars in the coming weeks that address the Common Core and the preparations of people who work with children in after-school or recreational programs.  See full descriptions and registration information below.

From Paper to Practice: Implementing the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts

May 1, 2012 @ 2:00 pm EST

The Common Core State Standards in English/language arts make new demands on both students and teachers. They ask that students become masters at “close reading” of text, build their argumentation skills, and be able to marshal evidence to defend their positions. Teachers learn how to lead students in that work, with new kinds of questions, new types of readings, and new ways of thinking about literacy. Teachers in two districts in Kentucky are on the leading edge of working with new instructional tools designed for the standards. Join us for a compelling discussion with two educators overseeing the implementation in these districts.

Presenters:

• Gary McCormick, secondary school literacy consultant, Kenton County Schools, Ky.
• Regina Pelfrey, elementary school instructional coach, Erlanger-Elsmere Schools, Ky.

Moderator:
• Catherine Gewertz, assistant editor, Education Week

Register for this webinar now.

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Should Out-of-School Staff Be Trained Like Teachers?

May 14, 2012 @ 3:00pm EST

Since many out-of-school programs face limited funding and their staff members tend to be young, part-time workers who rarely commit to the job for long, providing high-quality, cost-effective professional development can be a challenge. While emerging research points to positive effects after-school programs have on students’ academic performance, debate is stirring over what core competencies these workers should possess. Some members of the after-school community believe staff need to be seen by others, and themselves, as professionals who require defined skills—with some competencies overlapping those of classroom teachers and others unique to after-school workers. Yet increasing numbers of professional-development efforts in the out-of-school realm resemble those used to improve the quality of classroom teachers. How can professional development for staff members be provided that increases their effectiveness while maintaining their distinctiveness from the traditional teacher? Join two experts on the out-of-school community as they discuss the latest ideas on providing professional development for staff members.

Presenters:

• Nancy Peter, director, Out-of-School Time Resource Center, Philadelphia
• Charles Smith, Ph.D., executive director, David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, vice president for research, Forum for Youth Investment, Ypsilanti, Mich.

Moderator:
• Nora Fleming, staff writer, Education Week

Register for this webinar now.

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Implementing the Common Core Math Standards

May 16, 2012 @ 2:00pm EST

Across the nation, big shifts are afoot as 45 states and thousands of school districts gear up to implement the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. The new standards introduce some concepts earlier for students, push aside other topics altogether to achieve greater depth, and ask students to engage in a set of eight “mathematics practices” to show their understanding, from making sense of problems to reasoning abstractly and constructing viable arguments. We’re joined by math experts in two school districts, one urban and one suburban, to share their strategies and early experiences in preparing schools for the new standards.

Presenters:

• Kay Sammons, elementary math coordinator, Howard County School District, Md.
• Matt McLeod, math coordinator, Chicago School District

Moderator:
• Erik Robelen, assistant editor, Education Week

Register for this webinar now.

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The following webinar took place earlier this month, but I attended and thought the discussion was very good—so I’m sharing it here.  You can download the materials and view a recording of the webinar (see links below).

What Can Be Done To Improve Teacher Satisfaction?

This webinar took place on April 19, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET

With schools throughout the country facing leaner budgets, the threat of layoffs, and increasingly demanding accountability measures, teachers are experiencing new and varied workplace pressures. And according to the 28th annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, released in March, these pressures may be taking a toll. The percentage of teachers who are “very satisfied” with their jobs has dropped from 59 percent in 2009 to 44 percent, bringing teacher job satisfaction to its lowest point in more than two decades. And in another indication of declining morale, 29 percent of teachers say they are likely to leave the teaching profession within the next five years—up from 17 percent in 2009. In this webinar, Dana Markow, vice president of youth and education research for Harris Interactive, will outline the survey’s findings, with particular focus on those related to teacher morale. Susan Moore Johnson, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, will discuss the many factors that influence teacher satisfaction and offer suggestions for supporting and retaining effective teachers.

Presenters:

• Dana Markow, Ph.D., vice president of youth and education research for Harris Interactive
• Susan Moore Johnson, Jerome T. Murphy professor in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Moderator:
• Liana Heitin, associate editor, Education Week Teacher and Teacher PD Sourcebook

View the on-demand webinar now.

Download the PowerPoint presentation.

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10,000 Teachers Share Views on Teaching Profession

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Scholastic Inc. (NASDAQ: SCHL) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on the Teaching Profession, the second landmark report presenting the results of a national survey of more than 10,000 public school teachers in grades pre-K to 12. The survey is a follow-up to the original Primary Sources report released in 2010, which continues to be noted as the largest-ever national survey of America’s teachers.

The 2012 Primary Sources report reveals teachers’ thoughtful, nuanced views on both their daily practice and critical issues at the heart of education reform.  Key findings reveal:

 
–Challenges facing students are significant and growing: 46% of veteran teachers say they are seeing fewer students prepared for challenging work than when they began teaching in their current schools. 56% are seeing more students living in poverty, and 49% are seeing more students coming to school hungry.

–Teachers welcome and are eager for more frequent evaluation of their practice from school leaders, peers and even students.  Plus, they welcome feedback from a variety of sources.

–Teachers are open to tenure reform: 80% percent of teachers agree that tenure should be regularly reevaluated, and on average, teachers say that consideration for receiving tenure should happen after 5.4 years of teaching.

–Teachers work an average of 10 hours, 40 minutes per workday, three hours and 20 minutes longer than the average required teacher workday nationwide.

–Standardized tests do not reflect student skill: Only 45% of teachers say their students take these tests seriously and perform on them to the best of their ability.

–Family involvement is the highest ranked factor for improving student achievement with 98% of teachers in agreement that it has a strong or very strong impact on student academic success.   At the same time, 47% of veteran teachers report lower parental participation in their schools.

-The majority of teachers are satisfied in their jobs: 89% percent of teachers are either very satisfied (42%) or satisfied (47%) in their jobs and only 16% of teachers plan on leaving teaching. MetLife Foundation’s recent survey of 1,000 teachers had similar findings; however, their tracking data indicates that the percentage of “very satisfied” is lower than in previous years.

Due to the size and scope of the study, Primary Sources allows for analysis of teachers’ views by grade taught, geography, income-level, years of experience and more. In addition, the questionnaire tracked teachers’ answers to several questions from the original Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools.

To download the full report and answer a subset of the survey questions, please visit www.scholastic.com/primarysources.

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MetLife Survey of the American Teacher

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The 2012 “Survey of the American Teacher” was released last week; its results reflect the current turmoil in the American economy, state budgets, and education reform. The survey found that teachers’ job satisfaction has decreased 15 points since 2009 (the first year of the survey).  Only 44 percent of teachers reported feeling “very satisfied” with their job, the lowest rate in two decades.

More teachers are feeling their jobs are insecure, moving from 8% in 2006 to 34% this year.  Over the past two years, 29% of teachers have said they are considering leaving the field, an increase of 12 percentile points.  “Teachers have come to the point where they’re getting older and getting pushed to retire.  It makes me think twice about my work plans.  I don’t want to be in a work environment that just gets worse and worse,” says Christine Yarzabek, a first-grade teacher from Pennsylvania.

“The results are not at all surprising given the context within which teachers have been working for the last couple of years,” said Kevin Welner, a University of Colorado, Boulder education professor. “Teacher bashing has been so undermining of the profession that it’s sapping the appeal out of the career choice.”

The evident unhappiness of many of the nation’s teachers has raised another important question: How will they vote this election year?  The Obama administration has had a tumultuous relationship with teachers and their unions, and seems to be trying to soften some of the past criticisms they have leveled at the profession.  The two largest teachers’ unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, have endorsed President Obama, but this doesn’t seem to have cemented teacher support behind him.

Additionally, the survey also seeks the opinions of parents and students.  Thirty-nine percent of parents, and 43% of teachers, have indicated they are pessimistic that student achievement will improve in the next five years.  Also, most parents say their communities treat teachers as professionals, and half believe teacher pay is unfair.  Sixty-three percent of teachers have reported their class sizes have increased in the last year, and two-thirds report that more of their students are requiring social support services.

To read the full report, please visit http://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/contributions/foundation/american-teacher/MetLife-Teacher-Survey-2011.pdf

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Speak Up!

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The Speak Up 2012 Survey for America’s Future Teachers starts next week!  The survey, hosted by Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit, will be hosting this special online survey beginning March 12 and running through May 11, 2012.  The survey is for students in teacher preparation programs (including career-changers in alternative certification programs) to get their views on their career choice and share their ideas about how to leverage technology with learning.

The themes for this year’s questions include a focus on technology for teaching and learning (digital content, games, online content, distance learning, etc.), digital citizenship, the role of technology in professional development, math instruction, and STEM career preparation.

The national report with the survey findings will be released in the fall of 2012 in a special Congressional Briefing at the Capitol.  The results will be shared with policymakers, research organizations and the media, so take advantage of this opportunity to “soap box!”

To learn more, please visit http://tomorrow.org/SU4HigherEd/index.html

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