teachers

An Open Letter To President-Elect Obama And The 111th Congress

Francie Grace — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:10:55 -0500

Congratulations on your victory, we look forward to being served by you. You have all worked hard to earn the trust of the people and garner their votes. Soon you will be convening in Washington to craft policy that will improve and preserve democracy in our country.

There are many challenges ahead of you: curing a sick economy, managing two wars overseas, helping Americans keep their homes, to name a few, and we here at Education Insights know that this will keep you busy for quite some time.

However we must add to your long and daunting "to do" list the task of improving the educational system in our country. Every sector from Pre-K to college needs improvement, so while you are thinking hard between sessions, we would like to give you our own modest assignment to tackle before you ascend Capitol Hill or take office at the White House.

Public Agenda is in the unique position of being equipped to provide you not only with a list of ideas but also with a healthy dose of public thought.

You no doubt heard much of the public's thoughts during your campaign, but we have carefully gathered public opinion on a variety of issues and would like to share our resources with you.

Teachers

The Obama Administration has made it clear that getting good teachers into schools is a top priority. The ranks of teachers need to be filled, and the teachers need to be better trained and mentored. Our report "Stand By Me: What Teachers Really Think about Unions, Merit Pay and Other Professional Matters," offers a chance to get a look at what teachers themselves think, and their views are more textured and complex than many assume.

For example, most teachers support standardized testing, high school exit exams, and using testing as a basis for promotion. At the same time, most are concerned about the amount of testing and the danger that too much "teaching to the test" can stifle real learning. Similarly, teachers support higher academic standards, and very few want to return to policies of the past such as social promotion. Yet, most want standards set by educators, and not by state or local elected officials.

Lawmakers are legitimately concerned about the need to remove ineffective teachers who "are just going through the motions," and they may be tempted to focus mainly on eliminating tenure or reducing the influence of teachers' unions. But the views of rank and file teachers suggest a more complex situation. Most teachers say that without unions, their working conditions and salaries would be worse, and they might be vulnerable to unfair charges from parents or students. Yet, nearly half say unions sometimes protect teachers who shouldn't be in the classroom, and most acknowledge that receiving tenure is no guarantee that teachers have proved their effectiveness in the classroom.

"Stand By Me" also offers insights helpful to those trying to insure that new teachers start off on the right foot. Teachers believe the rookies among them need more training on how to handle discipline problems. The newbies themselves see reducing class size and requiring high school teachers to major in their subject as very effective ways to improve teacher quality.

Our latest series of teacher reports deals even more closely with new teachers. "Lessons Learned: New Teachers Talk About Their Jobs, Challenges and Long Range Plans," (see each part of the series, Issue I, Issue II and Issue III) offers a great deal of insight into how new teachers are trained, how they fare in their first year, and the distinctive challenges of middle and high school teachers.

New teachers are upfront about revealing they need more preparation, especially when it comes to dealing with more diverse classrooms and working with special needs students. New high-school and middle-school teachers are more likely to say they have problems with student discipline and are not getting support from the administration. Finally, new teachers from premier alternative programs such as Teach For America or Troops-To-Teachers are more idealistic than their traditional path counterparts, but often say they could use more preparation and support than they currently receive.

A Mission of the Heart: What Does It Take to Transform a School, which focuses on principals in high-needs schools, also provides food for thought. Most principals we interviewed fell into one of two distinct categories: they were either "transformers," with an explicit vision of what their school might be like and a specific plan for moving it forward, or they were "copers," just struggling to avoid being overwhelmed and make it through the day without the situation getting worse. It's a crucial and intriguing difference, and it could be an important key to transforming troubled schools.

Higher Education

Current economic woes threaten higher education in a variety of ways.

As Wall Street's woes increased, the size of many college and university endowments decreased, due to the declining value of many investments. Donors are also not immune to stock market fluctuations and economic problems and have less money to give schools. Students and their families are furthermore less likely to be able to afford college in a trying economy, and lenders are cagier about loaning money.

Unfortunately, studies here at Public Agenda suggest the picture was getting grim for the college-bound even before the bad news of the last few months. Our report, "Squeeze Play: How Parents and the Public Look at Higher Education Today," is required reading for legislators interested in a snapshot of public views on higher education.

Most people feel that a college education is virtually a right, something that should be provided to qualified students regardless of cost. Less than half of Americans believe that someone can succeed without a college education, and they believe that employers are less likely to hire individuals with a degree.

People still tend to believe that college offers a solid education but more than ever, they think qualified students don't have the opportunity. It is important to take action to reverse this sentiment which has been growing steadily for the past decade. Moreover, significant numbers of Americans question whether higher education is becoming too much like a business with diminishing focus on education itself.

Solving the challenges facing higher education today will require the participation of many stakeholders, not least among them the leaders of colleges and universities. In our report, "The Iron Triangle: College Presidents Talk About Costs, Access, and Quality," we find that university presidents for the most part see cost, quality and access as locked into an unbreakable reciprocal relationship.

In their view, the improvements that many Americans want to see, such as more opportunity for qualified students to go to school, cannot be made without resources. . College presidents believe that to increase access and decrease costs would mean sacrificing quality. They would like to see more government investment in higher education and improvements in K-12.

A stalemate among stakeholders appears all but certain unless steps are taken to encourage a more candid and probing dialogue about what it's going to take to build the kind of higher education system to U.S. needs for the future.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education (STEM)

Technology is king in our information economy, but the STEM fields may face a dwindling talent pool unless efforts to educate and recruit more young learners to the scientific ranks aren't stepped up. Our report, "Reality Check: Are Parents and Students Ready for More Math and Science?", takes a close look at the thoughts of parents on this subject. We also got a more focused look at the issue in the Midwest with a report called "Important But Not For Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk about Math, Science and Technology Education."

Reality Check reveals that while math and science are on parents' radar as important topics, more than half of parents interviewed believe that math and science education in their own child's school is fine as it is, with nearly 7 in 10 parents of high school students saying this. Perhaps this is a misconception that lawmakers should address. Students themselves aren't that keen on math and computer skills, just half of them believe that strong math and science skills are absolutely essential.

Public Agenda has also taken a close look at the Hispanic population's relationship with Math and Science. In our report, "Out Before the Game Begins," we spoke with prominent leaders in science, business, and public service about what will be needed to help Hispanics - the nation's fastest growing population group - get involved in science, math, and engineering, as their presence will be greatly needed there.

The leaders we spoke with had many helpful insights and emphasized that many young Hispanics are poorly served by the education system, lack of strong English-language-learning program and a lack of important role models in the STEM fields. Combined, these hurdles make it difficult to encourage them to pursue science education.

In a partner report to "Out Before The Game Begins," Public Agenda analyzed and compiled our recent opinion survey findings presented it in "A Matter of Trust: Ten Key Insights from Recent Public Opinion Research on Attitudes About Education Among Hispanic Parents, Students and Young Adults." In this report, we found that Hispanic parents are more trusting of teachers and administrators and value college education even more than non-Hispanic parents. However, many believe the schools their children attend suffer from by a lack of resources and social problems such as violence in schools and high dropout rates.

Public Engagement

Finally, in tough times like these, it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to afford all the things we might want, such as new facilities, new technology, or big pay raises for teachers. But this doesn’t mean we can’t do anything.

One of the greatest contributions new leadership can make is to create and support opportunities for the public to get involved through well-designed and moderated opportunities for citizen engagement and problem-solving.

In the summer of 2007, Public Agenda convened a meeting of foundation representatives and leaders of community-based organizations, to explore the relationship between philanthropy, community engagement and civic health, especially with respect to the specific case of education.

At the meeting, leaders addressed using a citizen-centered approach as a model to follow. Participants argued that it would be difficult for a school to remain unhealthy in a healthy community and likewise a healthy school would not last long in an unhealthy community. So while our economy may not be healthy, our communities don’t need to follow suit.

Another important insight that came from this meeting is that participants spoke about the potential for leaders to effect meaningful change.

We'll leave you with what we hope is an inspiring quote from that conference - - words we believe are a call to action for the leaders who have stepped forward at this time when we are facing so many critical challenges:

"Very few figures have the power to capture the imagination of citizens and really mobilize the public. Therefore it's important to capitalize on those moments when powerful leaders step up and say they want to engage citizens."

The Red Tape Jungle

Francie Grace — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:59:15 -0500

What can be done about excess bureaucracy in the schools? Public Agenda's Jean Johnson is among the experts discussing the issue in an online forum hosted by NewTalk.org. Forum participant Jane Hannaway of the Urban Institute notes bureaucracy is supposed to make things run more smoothly but trouble results when rules become more important than the goal of student achievement. Other participants include Marco Petruzzi of Green Dot Public Schools, who points out that many policies sprang from a "kernel of thoughtfulness" but now sap the spirit of common sense.

Anti-Defamation League: Making Diversity Count

Jenny Choi — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:52:31 -0400

Making Diversity Count is a self-paced, online course for middle and secondary school teachers to explore issues of bias and prejudice, as they learn from education and civil rights experts. Developed by the Anti-Defamation League's "A World of Difference" Institute, MDC provides educators with resources and lesson plans to create inclusive classrooms, prevent bias and manage name-calling and bullying. They receive interdisciplinary classroom curricula and a certificate for use in applying for CEU credit.

Reading Between the Lines of the Latest ACT Results

Jenny Choi — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:12:31 -0400

New ACT results were released today, indicating a slight drop in scores for the 2008 graduating class (details of the results can be found here). But ACT officials were quick to point out that a record number of students took the test this year. They argue that, while the proportion of test-takers who demonstrated college readiness may have stayed the same, the actual number who are prepared for college increased in 2008. Still, the numbers themselves are undeniably grim, with just 22 percent meeting a benchmark score for college readiness in all the four subjects: English, math, reading and science. In math, 43 percent met the ACT's benchmark in college readiness, and just 28 percent met the benchmark in science.

Our research has shown that different parties have widely differing perspectives on the issue of college preparedness. A majority of parents (69 percent) in our Reality Check report said they believe their child will have the skills needed to succeed in college. But most parents also think that their child's education is not only better (61 percent) but that the material they are learning is harder (65 percent) than in their own experience. Some of our earlier research, however, showed jarring discrepancies between college professors and public school teachers. Nearly seven in 10 college professors said a high school dlploma is not a guarantee that a student has learned the basics, compared to 22 percent of public school teachers.

First Lady Defends 'No Child' Testing

Jenny Choi — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:01:04 -0400

USA Today reports that First Lady Laura Bush spoke last week in defense of 'No Child Left Behind,' the education reform legislation that has been plagued by criticism since it became law in 2002. Speaking with a group of teachers recently selected by the Department of Education to be Teaching Ambassadors, Mrs. Bush said she believes that 'No Child' will become a significant part of her husband's legacy. But the centerpiece of her argument was that annual testing, as required by the law, is an effective measure of performance and improvement and "what lets us know that we're not just shuffling kids through school, and that poor kids aren't being the ones who make it to the fifth grade and can't read, or make it to the ninth grade and drop out."

In our own research on testing and the host of issues surrounding the 'No Child' requirements, we found that , in fact, teachers on the frontlines are the most critical of the law. Seven in 10 teachers saying the law is causing problems in their district, according to our Reality Check research on standards and testing. Compare that with 22 percent of principals and 9 percent of superintendents who say meeting the law's requirements is their most pressing problem.

On the other hand, the public does favor standardized testing to measure academic performance -- as long as it's not the only benchmark. This "necessary, but not sufficient" attitude is consistent across a number of indicators among all groups surveyed by Public Agenda: parents and students, as well as teachers and administrators.

Still, it's important to point out that while most Americans have heard of 'No Child Left Behind' and majorities say it will improve education, nearly seven in 10 say they don’t know enough to form an opinion. A double-digit "don’t know" response is considered by survey researchers to be a classic warning sign that an issue may not be well understood and public attitudes may not be stable. Find out more about what to consider when you read poll results.

Lessons Learned, Issue No. 3: New Teachers Talk About Their Jobs, Challenges and Long-Range Plans

Mon, 26 May 2008 20:00:23 -0400

The third in our Lessons Learned series of reports on new teachers finds two specific areas in which teacher training may be lacking: preparedness for the diversity of the contemporary American classroom and teaching students with special needs.

Seventy-six percent of first-year teachers told researchers that teaching an ethnically diverse student body was covered in their training, but only 39 percent said that training helps them a lot in the classroom. The survey covered twelve areas of teacher training ranging from direct instruction to their study of history, philosophy, and policy debates in public education.

Lessons Learned is produced by Public Agenda and the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.

Public Agenda Newsletter. Spring 2008 (PDF)

David White — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:07:20 -0400

America is Facing Up to its Fiscal Challenges; Center for Advances in Public Engagement Off to a Flying Start; Math and Science Education:What's Right with Kansas (and Missouri)?; Walking a Mile: A First Step Toward Mutual Understanding between American Indians and Non-American Indians; Public Agenda's Global Warming Choicework Guide; Issues in Polling: Knowing Our Worth; New Washington Office Strengthens Public Voice; What Do New Teachers Need to Succeed?; Doing the Math on College Costs; Confidence of Foreign Policy Index: A Loss of Faith; Education Leadership Style: Are You a Transformer or a Coper?; Policy Breakfast Series: Morning Coffee with Admiral Bobby Innman and Congressman Charles Rangel

Testing: One Measure Among Many?

Jenny Choi — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:11:38 -0400

Americans broadly favor testing to measure academic performance, as long as it’s not the only benchmark. For instance, most Americans (84 percent) say standardized tests should be used to identify students who need extra help, but far fewer (55 percent) say the scores should decide whether a student gets promoted or graduates. In Public Agenda’s Reality Check 2002, most teachers and parents said it’s wrong to rely on the results of a single test to decide whether a student advances. And majorities of both groups, teachers in particular, believe there is too much emphasis on standardized test scores. Other polls show the majority of Americans oppose using test results as the sole factor in determining whether a school should get federal funds. And half of Americans say class work and homework, rather than test scores, are the best measures of academic achievement. Among the nation’s educators, the majority of teachers and principals have some concerns about standardized testing, but they say the schools ultimately need some kind of standard assessment.

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Nora Benavidez — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:09:44 -0400

Most teachers and parents say it's wrong to use the results of just one test to decide if a student advances and majorities say

Nora Benavidez — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:50:06 -0400

Americans broadly favor standardized tests to assess students and teachers and ensure academic standards

Nora Benavidez — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:28:49 -0400

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Teachers are more likely than superintendents and principals to view tenure as necessary protection

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When asked to choose, teachers are more likely to say reducing class size would be a better way to improve...

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Nora Benavidez — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:21:08 -0400