Who will listen to the teachers?
Scholastic and the Gates Foundation just released an opinion survey of more than 40,000 public school teachers, called “Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools.” Some interesting findings:
—Only 38 percent of high school teachers believe that three-quarters of the students in their classes could be successful at even a two-year college.
—Almost half of teachers say they are willing to have parent-teacher conferences in their students’ homes. But how many actually have? I bet that number is closer to 1 percent, if that high.
—Only 27 percent of teachers said that state standardized tests are essential or very important to measuring students’ academic achievement, while 92 percent said so about ongoing assessment during class. They gave more credit even to data from software programs than to state test results.
—As for accurate measures of their own performance, they rate nearly everything higher than the results of standardized tests—though “student growth” ranks highly, and it is
—Only 38 percent of high school teachers believe that three-quarters of the students in their classes could be successful at even a two-year college.
—Almost half of teachers say they are willing to have parent-teacher conferences in their students’ homes. But how many actually have? I bet that number is closer to 1 percent, if that high.
—Only 27 percent of teachers said that state standardized tests are essential or very important to measuring students’ academic achievement, while 92 percent said so about ongoing assessment during class. They gave more credit even to data from software programs than to state test results.
—As for accurate measures of their own performance, they rate nearly everything higher than the results of standardized tests—though “student growth” ranks highly, and it is
Read this: NYT magazine on teacher quality.
Don’t miss Elizabeth Green’s forthcoming New York Times Magazine cover story, “Building a Better Teacher.” Infused into the piece is Elizabeth’s great sense for, and specifics about, what the teacher quality research does and does not say. The reason she does a more thorough and critical job of this than most recent magazine pieces on the topic is not just because Elizabeth is talented but because she is an education reporter. She is careful that every example, every word, accurately reflects the depth of knowledge that experience has given her and that she has gained from picking the brains time and again of all the big thinkers on this topic.
I don’t mean to sound dramatic about it, and you could accuse me of sucking up, given that Elizabeth sits on the EWA board. But really: It is terrific to see a piece that is sure to be influential written by someone who has truly done the tough legwork, over years, to make sure she really knows what she is talking about.
Who knows if Doug Lemov and Deborah Ball hold the answers? Regardless, this level of
I don’t mean to sound dramatic about it, and you could accuse me of sucking up, given that Elizabeth sits on the EWA board. But really: It is terrific to see a piece that is sure to be influential written by someone who has truly done the tough legwork, over years, to make sure she really knows what she is talking about.
Who knows if Doug Lemov and Deborah Ball hold the answers? Regardless, this level of