Why do teachers teach? What resources do teachers need to best meet the needs of their students? Do teachers find their evaluations helpful? How is technology changing the way teachers collaborate?
These are the issues that we set out to explore in Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on Teaching in an Era of Change. This report is the third in a series from Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is designed to bring the voices of America’s public school teachers to the forefront of the conversation on education. It reflects the views of more than 20,000 of America’s PreK–12 public school teachers from all 50 states, and touches on important issues related to their profession, such as the rewards and challenges of teaching, the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, teacher observations, evaluations and feedback, and how teachers collaborate within and beyond school walls with both peers and students’ families. We also offer state-specific data for all states, with the exception of Alaska, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia (due to sample size).
Throughout the day, we’ll be revealing data from Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on Teaching in an Era of Change on the Scholastic Teachers Facebook page and from @ScholasticTeach, and tonight at 7pm ET, Scholastic’s Chief Academic Officer, Francie Alexander, will join us for a live Twitter chat to discuss the findings of the report. We encourage you to follow (and join!) the conversation online using #TeacherVoices.
In the meantime, here are just a few of the findings that the Primary Sources report reveals:
- Teachers Bring Passion and Commitment to Their Challenging Work. Overwhelmingly passionate and committed, nearly all teachers (98%) agree that teaching is more than a profession; it is how they make a difference in the world. Though 82% of teachers report that constantly changing demands are a significant challenge, 88% agree that the rewards of teaching outweigh the challenges, and 89% say they are satisfied or very satisfied in their jobs.
- Teachers Are Enthusiastic About the Implementation of the Common Core, Even as They Acknowledge Challenges Ahead. As you may recall from the preview of the Common Core data results back in October, teachers are optimistic about the potential the Common Core holds but see the challenges that come with implementation. While the percentage of teachers in Common Core adoption states who feel prepared to teach to the standards (75%) has grown since 2011, there is still a call for resources. To help the students in their classrooms meet the Common Core, teachers feel that the most important resources are instructional materials are age-appropriate, leveled and high-interest.
- Teachers Find Evaluations Most Helpful When They Include Actionable Feedback and Multiple Measures of Teacher and Student Performance. Teachers are lifelong learners who continually look to grow in their practice. Most teachers (78%) say they find their professional evaluations somewhat, very or extremely helpful, and they tell us that actionable feedback is critical. Of the teachers who don’t find evaluations very or extremely helpful, 42% say they want more feedback.
- Teachers Seek to Collaborate In and Outside of School to Best Serve Students. Teachers tell us that lack of time to collaborate with their peers is a challenge (51%) and we see they are seeking new ways to share with their colleagues thanks to technology. For example, 91% say they use websites to find or share lesson plans or other classroom content. Regarding collaboration with parents, almost all teachers (98%) believe the best thing parents can do to help their child succeed in school is to avoid absences, followed closely by setting high expectations for their child and working in partnership with teachers when their child has challenges.
We invite you to visit www.scholastic.com/primarysources to explore the data in-depth and to download the full report, and to share your thoughts online using #TeacherVoices.
