The Gates Foundation teamed up with Scholastic Inc, and Harris Interactive to conduct a survey of 40,000 teachers nationwide.
Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools is the name of the survey.
I would have to say that I am not surprised by what I’ve read so far:
Just 22 percent said they thought evaluations by principals were a very accurate measure of their work.
Forty percent said students entered their classroom below grade level.
30 percent said monetary rewards for teachers had no impact on increasing students’ academic achievement.
When asked about keeping good teachers, the leading
choice was “supportive leadership” followed by higher salaries.
Under 50 percent said higher salaries are absolutely essential for
keeping good teachers, and only 8 percent said they thought pay for
performance is vital.
While 92 percent of teachers said tests given in class are essential or
very important in measuring student achievement, just 27 percent said
the same about state standardized tests.
If you want to download the slide presentation, click here.
If you want to view the full report without appendices, click here.
It’s a big survey and I haven’t yet had the time to digest it. I plan to report a bit more in detail over the next few days. In the meantime, here’s the press release:
40,000 Teachers Give Their Views on Education Reform in “Primary Sources”
Leadership, Clear Standards Common Across States in Survey by
Scholastic Inc. and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
New York, March 3, 2010 — Scholastic Inc. and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today released Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools,
a landmark report presenting the results of a national survey of more
than 40,000 public school teachers in grades pre-K to 12. The survey
reveals that, while teachers have high expectations for their students,
they overwhelmingly agree that too many students are leaving unprepared
for success beyond high school. Primary Sources reveals teachers’
thoughtful, nuanced views on issues at the heart of education reform –
from performance pay and standardized tests to academic standards and
teacher evaluation. Teacher responses reveal five powerful solutions to
raise student achievement.
“Teachers are a critical part of preparing our children for the
future, and their voices are an essential addition to the national
debate on education,” said Margery Mayer, Executive Vice President and
President, Scholastic Education. “At Scholastic, we work daily with
teachers and we know that they have powerful ideas on how best to
tackle the challenges facing our schools. Since teachers are the
frontline of delivering education in the classroom, the reform movement
will not succeed without their active support. Primary Sources is a
step in ensuring that teachers’ voices are a part of this important
conversation.”
Due to the size and scope of the study, Primary Sources,
which was conducted by Harris Interactive, allows for analysis of
teachers’ views by grade taught, urbanicity, income-level, years of
experience and more. The report also provides an in-depth look at
state-by-state data, revealing significant differences in teacher views
from one state to another.
“Primary Sources tells us that teachers see a need for
stronger curriculum that relates to the real world, clear academic
standards from grade to grade and reliable data on student learning,”
said Vicki L. Phillips, Director of Education, College Ready, at the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The survey tells us that what’s
good for students and student achievement is good for teachers too–in
fact, it’s what they want.”
The survey, which was conducted by phone and on the web from
mid-March to mid-June 2009, identifies five solutions to address the
challenges facing schools today and to help ensure that all students
achieve at their highest levels:
- Establish Clear Standards, Common Across States
- Use Multiple Measures to Evaluate Student Performance
- Innovate to Reach Today’s Students
- Accurately Measure Teacher Performance and Provide Non-Monetary Rewards
- Bridge School & Home to Raise Student Achievement
Within these solution areas, the survey findings debunk several
commonly held myths about teachers’ views. The survey found that:
- While higher salaries are important, teachers say they are less important than a supportive leader.
Fewer than half of teachers (45%) say higher salaries are absolutely
essential for retaining good teachers. More teachers say it is
absolutely essential to have supportive leadership (68%), time to
collaborate (54%), and quality curriculum (49%). - Teachers aren’t opposed to standardized tests as one way to measure student performance.
More than 80 percent of teachers say district-required tests are at
least a somewhat important measure of student performance (84%).
Overall, teachers value multiple measures, including formative
assessments, performance on class assignments and class participation
along with standardized tests. - Tenure doesn’t make a good teacher. Only 10
percent of teachers say that tenure is a very accurate measure of
teacher performance while 42 percent say it is not at all accurate.
Student engagement and year over year progress of students are by far
viewed as the most accurate indicators of teacher performance measures
(60% and 55%, respectively, rate as very accurate) but are not
frequently used to evaluate teachers. - Textbooks aren’t the answer. Only 12 percent of
teachers say traditional textbooks help improve student academic
achievement and a mere 6 percent say textbooks engage students in
learning. Teachers overwhelmingly say (81%) that up-to-date
information-based technology is very important or absolutely essential
to improve student achievement. - A teacher’s job doesn’t end at 3 p.m. Seven in ten
teachers attend their students’ after school and weekend events. More
than half (51%) of elementary school teachers are willing to have
parent teacher conferences at students’ homes — indicating their
understanding of time-strapped parents and their belief in the
importance of helping every child have a strong home-school connection.
The importance of bringing teacher voices to conversations around education reform was underscored in the most recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher in which two-thirds of teachers said they felt teachers were not adequately heard in the debate on education.
Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools is
the beginning of an ongoing dialogue with America’s teachers. To
download the full report and view a presentation of the findings,
please visit www.scholastic.com/primarysources.
###
Methodology Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools
was conducted by telephone and online methods within the United States
between March 10 to June 18, 2009 among 40,490 preK-12 public school
classroom teachers. Figures were weighted where necessary for gender,
years of teaching experience, school level, region and urbanicity to
bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for any
attitudinal/behavioral biases inherent in the sample of those who
responded in each mode (telephone or online).
About Scholastic Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ:
SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s
books and a leader in educational technology and children’s media.
Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and
products for use in school and at home, including children’s books,
magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television
programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its
products and services through a variety of channels, including
proprietary school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs, retail
stores, schools, libraries, television networks and the Company’s
Internet Site, www.scholastic.com.
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy,
productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving
people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of
hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure
that all people-:especially those with the fewest resources-have access
to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in
Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and
Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda
Gates and Warren Buffett.
About Harris Interactive Harris Interactive is one
of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging
research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight
into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for
pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise
in a wide range of industries and serves clients in over 215 countries
and territories. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
Contact:
| Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Media Relations 1-206-709-3400 media@gatesfoundation.org |
Scholastic Sarah Trabucchi 1-212-343-6424 strabucchi@scholastic.com |