Home | News & Research | Research | A Sense of Calling: Who Teaches and Why
"A
Sense of Calling: Who Teaches and Why,"
Public Agenda; sponsored by the Thomas B. Fordham
Foundation and the Open Society Institute.
-
Date of Study:
-
2000
-
Basis of Study:
-
Public Agenda's survey of new teachers finds them a dedicated, enthusiastic bunch. Principals and superintendents say the new crop is as good or better than in previous years. And while attrition may seem like a problem in the profession, even more college grads who have gone into other fields say they will likely change careers at some point. Don't miss what teachers say about whether money motivates them or not.
-
Focus of Study:
-
Public Agenda's survey focused on three groups: new teachers, school administrators, and recent college graduates who chose careers other than teaching. They were asked questions addressing six major concerns about the teaching profession:
- Are New Teachers Demoralized and Uncommitted?
- Are Talented Young People Avoiding the Profession?
- Is Money the Problem?
- Is Certification the Problem?
- Is Teacher Preparation the Problem?
- Do Working Conditions Undermine Teacher Performance?
-
Conclusions:
-
- Are New Teachers Demoralized and Uncommitted? Despite headlines depicting new teachers as disillusioned, findings from this study show that the overwhelming majority of new teachers say that teaching is work they love to do.
- Are Talented Young People Avoiding the Profession? Most college graduates under the age of 30 hold teaching in high esteem and can see a variety of benefits to a teaching career.
- Is Money the Problem? Large majorities of both administrators and new teachers say teachers are underpaid. But new teachers do not believe money is the magic bullet that is guaranteed to improve teacher quality — they rate several other measures, such as reducing class size, as more effective.
- Is Certification the Problem? Most educators — administrators and new teachers — believe that current certification requirements guarantee only a minimum of skills.
- Is Teacher Preparation the Problem? The teachers and school administrators surveyed generally give education schools and teacher training programs good overall ratings. But new teachers believe they could have used far more preparation for the challenges of running real-world classrooms, such as maintaining discipline and helping students who are doing poorly.
- Do Working Conditions Undermine Teacher Performance? New teachers are divided on which has more of an effect on student achievement — teacher quality or other factors such as parental involvement and socioeconomic circumstances.
©2001 Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited. All
rights reserved.