The Voices of Teachers
Teachers play an essential role in the lives and academic success of America’s students. More than 40,000 were eager to participate when Scholastic and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sent out a blind questionnaire asking for their views with regard to the nation’s schools and the way we educate students.
Responses came from a wide cross section of educators. Some teach in rural communities, others in large urban districts. They teach all sorts of children, some who are learning English, others who learn in mainstream classrooms, those who have special needs, and many others. Although a diverse group of teachers responded, not surprisingly, many of their concerns were the same.
A comprehensive report, titled Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools, is the result of this gathering of information. While the findings may or may not surprise you, they beg for solutions, and they confirm what many of us know.
The response was overwhelming, confirming what we have always known to be true: that teachers are fully engaged in the hard work of educating our children; that they have strong ideas on how best to raise student achievement; and that they are vocal advocates for students, with thoughtful opinions on education reform, rooted in the realities of the classroom.
In this report, teachers identified five ways that we can address the challenges facing today’s schools and ensure that all students achieve at their highest level as follows:
1. Establish clear standards, common across states: Seventy-four percent of teachers say that clearer standards would make a strong or very strong impact on student achievement.
2. Use multiple measures to evaluate student performance: Ninety-two percent of teachers say ongoing in-classroom assessment is either very important or absolutely essential in measuring student performance, while only 27% say the same of state required standardized tests.
3. Innovate to reach today’s students: Eighty-one percent of teachers say that up-to-date information-based technology that is well integrated into the classroom is absolutely essential or very important in impacting student achievement.
4. Accurately measure teacher performance and provide non-monetary rewards: When asked about teacher retention, nearly all teachers say that non-monetary rewards like supportive leadership and collaborative working environments are the most important factors to retaining good teachers.
5. Bridge school and home to raise student achievement: Teachers know what is necessary to build a sustainable culture of achievement in their schools: the right mix of academic instruction, family support and student engagement.
The recommendations listed above are only the beginning of a long road to raising the bar for teachers, students, and parents as they play their part in the educational process.
Like the teachers who responded to the aforementioned survey, ODYSSEYWARE® is committed to helping students succeed. With innovative learning tools and technology-rich learning environment, our curriculum is designed for today’s digital learners and the teachers that guide them. We want what you want – to give all students the opportunity for academic achievement.
What would you add to list above to improve America’s schools?