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Civic Report
No. 28 September 2002
What Do Teachers Teach? A Survey of America’s Fourth and Eighth Grade Teachers, continued
MULTI-CULTURALIST APPROACHES TO TEACHING
When teaching eighth grade students in particular, teachers may have numerous opportunities to adopt and implement “multi-culturalist” approaches to teaching—i.e. approaches that tend to emphasize how so many different races and ethnicities have contributed to the American “way of life.” Some reformers argue that multi-culturalist teaching strategies contribute to a well balanced education; others counter that undue emphasis on such multi-culturalist issues tends to detract from the teaching of basic skills and knowledge that may or may not be influenced by those perspectives.
Certainly these multi-culturalist perspectives have influenced the way that eighth grade students learn about literature in English classes. Rather than simply teaching the classics in a traditional format, many teachers today strive to help students apply the literature to their own experiences, as well as to real world problems. More eighth grade English teachers (46%) indicated that they think it is more important for students to use their personal experience to interpret what they read, than it is to help them understand and explain what the author is saying in his own terms (41%). And the vast majority of eighth grade teachers surveyed (96%) think it is either somewhat or very important for students to discuss how the things they read apply to contemporary social issues.
Scientific principles are also increasingly taught through the prism of global perspectives. Although 69% of the eighth grade science teachers indicated that their primary interest was in having students understand fundamental scientific principles and processes, fully 23% maintained that their primary interest was to emphasize the role science plays in contemporary political debates.
Finally, barely 6 in 10 of the eighth grade history teachers surveyed (61% ) accept as closer to their own the understanding that American civilization is based principally on the legacy of Western civilization; by contrast, more than one third (36%) believe American civilization actually represents a fusion of Western, African, and Native American cultures to form “a unique cultural blend.” How the latter belief manifests itself in the classroom, of course, remains to be seen.
TEACHER PERSPECTIVES ON CURRENT ISSUES IN EDUCATION POLICY
Today’s teachers work on the front line in helping to educate our nation’s youth. Their experiences working with students from all backgrounds makes them an invaluable source of potential information for educational reformers wrestling with current problems of our nation’s educational systems. Too often their critical perspectives are overlooked. Thus in this study, the Manhattan Institute sought to solicit teacher opinions concerning many of the important educational debates currently being waged today.
Teacher Control over Curricula, Methods, and Standards
Ever since public education was first introduced in the United States, teachers and school officials have battled over who should determine what methods of teaching should be employed, and what subjects should be a part of the school-age curriculum.
As it stands today, fourth grade teachers perceive that they have little control in determining the topics and themes covered in their classes, at least in comparison to the perceptions eighth grade teachers have about their own level of control. On a scale from 0 (no control) to 10 (complete control), 47% of the fourth grade teachers surveyed rated their level of control at 5 or less, compared to just 37% of eighth grade teachers who rated their level of control in the same way. Teachers at urban schools were especially despondent about the degree to which they control such matters, with exactly 6 in 10 rating their level of control over topics and themes as 5 or less, compared to just 40% of the teachers at rural schools.
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“How much control would you say you have in determining the topics and themes you will cover in class during the school year?”
(0 means no control and 10 means complete control)
Percentage rating their level of control at 6 higher
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Certainly teacher control over themes and topics may be influenced heavily by the nature of the subject being taught, especially with regard to eighth grade classrooms. Nearly half of the eighth grade math teachers (48%) and science teachers (49%) rated their level of control over topics and themes covered in class at 5 or less (out of 10), providing a clear indication that those groups perceive school officials enjoy considerable control over such matters. By contrast, just one third of eighth grade history teachers (33%) and just 17% of eighth grade English teachers felt the same way. In fact, an overwhelming majority (80%) of eighth grade history teachers rated their level of control over topics and themes at 6 or higher (Indeed, one quarter of the history teachers rated their level of control as “complete”).
By way of comparison, teachers across the board perceive they have much greater control in determining the teaching methods they use during the school year. Fully, 94% of fourth grade teachers and 96% of eighth grade teachers rated the level of control they have over methods as 6 or greater (out of 10). Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of the eighth grade teachers surveyed and nearly half (48%) of fourth grade teachers believe they have “complete control” over the teaching methods they use.
Interestingly, teachers across the board say they are satisfied with their state’s academic standards. In all, 80% of fourth grade teachers and 77% of eighth grade teachers agree that the academic standards for students in their respective states are generally consistent with the educational goals, content and standards that they believe are desirable. 4 in 10 teachers across the board strongly agree that statewide standards are consistent with their own goals.
Still, such general acceptance of statewide or community standards does not always translate into a willingness on the part of teachers to jettison their own relativistic approach to teaching from the educational process. Less than 7 in 10 teachers surveyed agreed that a teacher’s role is to help students learn the things that the state or community has decided students should know, a lower percentage than was indicated by those who praised those same standards.
The Role of Parents in the Educational Process
Today’s teachers increasingly look elsewhere—particularly to parents—for critical support in the effective education of students. Among teachers themselves, parental involvement is perceived as having many advantages and few downsides. In all, 81% of fourth grade teachers and 74% of eighth grade teachers said that on average, parents are an asset to them as teachers. Indeed, parents are welcome by most every subset of teachers surveyed.
Among fourth grade teachers, for example, approximately 9 in 10 teachers from suburban schools (89%), and from schools drawing on middle incomes populations (90%) or high-income populations (93%) felt that parents were an asset to the process. Fourth grade teachers from schools drawing primarily on minority populations felt less strongly, but still 70% of that group said parents were an asset. The same patterns occurred among eighth grade teachers. Teachers from suburban schools (79%) and rural schools (76%) felt more strongly than teachers from urban schools (63%) that parents were an asset. Almost two-thirds (64%) of eighth grade teachers from predominantly minority schools felt that way, a drop of more than 10 percent.
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“Would you say on average the parents of your students are an asset or a liability?” (Question 7A only)
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Not only do all these groups consider parents an asset, but many of the teachers surveyed considered them the single greatest factor in determining student achievement. From a list that included the student, teachers, peers and parents, 35% of fourth grade teachers and 36% of eighth grade teachers named parents as having the greatest effect on a student’s level of achievement in school, tops in each case. (19% of fourth grade teachers and 11% of eighth grade teachers volunteered that it was in fact a combination of influences that prevailed).
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“Who has the greatest effect on a student’s level of achievement in school generally—the student, the student’s teachers, the student’s peers, or the student’s parents?”
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Social Promotion
Parents have been especially influential in encouraging another development in recent years: the social promotion of students who are academically failing. But if parents and administrators are sometimes likely to favor moving students from grade to grade in order to keep them with others in their own age group, teachers remain overwhelmingly hostile to the development. In all, 57% of fourth grade teachers and 61% of eighth grade teachers favor ending social promotion in their schools, even if that means significantly more students will be held back. (By contrast, approximately one-fifth of both groups oppose such a change). Fourth grade teachers from urban schools (71%) and lower income schools (69%) are especially likely to favor ending the practice of social promotion. (Indeed, only 15% of fourth grade teachers from those two groups oppose bringing an end to the practice).
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“How many of your students would you say DO NOT learn what they should in school because of social or economic conditions outside of school?”
Combined percentage of teachers who answered “about half,” “most” or “all.”
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The above-mentioned groups’ more vehement opposition to social promotion is interesting given the impact that economic conditions outside of school (often worse in urban and lower income neighborhoods) often have on the learning capacity of students. Overall, 26% of fourth grade teachers and an amazing 37% of eighth grade teachers believe that at least half of their students do not learn what they should in school because of the economic conditions surrounding them. Fourth grade teachers at lower income schools (54%) appear even more certain that at least half of their students are also affected in the same manner.
Finally, the impact of economic conditions on classrooms in predominantly minority neighborhoods cannot be understated. In all, 47% of fourth grade teachers at minority schools and 53% of eighth grade teachers at minority schools report that at least half of their students have been affected by economic conditions outside the schools.
School Discipline
A final issue in educational reform considered by the current study is school discipline. Regardless of grade level, most teachers believe that their ability to control unruly behavior in the classroom is essential. Specifically, 46% of fourth grade teachers and 41% of eighth grade teachers estimated that disruptive students who require disciplinary attention either “sometimes” or “always” causes student learning to suffer. Among fourth grade instructors, those from predominantly minority schools (58%) are especially likely to experience such disruptions at least some of the time. Among eighth grade teachers, those from minority schools (51%), urban schools (58%) and lower-income schools (55%) are all more likely to complain that such disruptions occur either “sometimes” or “always.”
Do school policies play a role in maintaining classroom order? If they do, that role is mostly a positive one. An overwhelming 92% of fourth grade teachers and 88% of eighth grade teachers think that their school’s policies give them enough authority to effectively maintain order in the classroom. Only 8% and 11% of those groups, respectively, disagreed with that finding. Although such a feeling among teachers is apparently widespread, some mild dissent from this view is indicated within certain subgroups. For example, twice as many fourth grade teachers from minority schools (16%) and from lower-income schools (17%) disagreed that their schools’ policies gave enough authority, as compared to the percentage of fourth grade teachers overall who said the same.
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“Does your school’s policy give you enough authority to effectively keep order in your classroom?”
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APPENDIX A: PROFILE OF TEACHERS AND RESPECTIVE SCHOOLS
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SCHOOL PROFILE (expressed in percentages)
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Fourth Grade Teachers
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Eighth Grade Teachers
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Total
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Math
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English
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Total
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Math
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English
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Science
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History
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Community Socio-Economic Status
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High income and education
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14%
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15%
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15%
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12%
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13%
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10%
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12%
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12%
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Middle income and education
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50
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50
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49
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55
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51
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56
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54
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57
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Low income and education
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34
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34
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34
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31
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32
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31
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32
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28
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Percentage Minority Composition
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0-15%
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57
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58
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57
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52
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49
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57
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50
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50
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16-30%
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16
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15
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16
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17
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20
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14
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19
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19
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31-50%
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26
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25
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25
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31
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30
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30
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32
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31
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Minority Enrollment *
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African-American
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48
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45
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Hispanic
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41
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44
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Asian
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7
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8
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American Indian
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3
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1
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Years Teaching At Current School
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1-10 years
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49
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49
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49
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51
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53
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54
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54
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43
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11-20 years
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32
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32
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32
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29
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30
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30
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27
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31
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21-30 years
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15
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15
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14
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14
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13
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12
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16
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16
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31 or more years
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4
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4
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4
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6
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5
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4
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4
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10
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*Minority enrollment in schools with 26% or more minority students.
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TEACHER PROFILE (expressed in percentages)
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Fourth Grade Teachers
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Eighth Grade Teachers
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Total
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Math
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English
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Total
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Math
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English
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Science
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History
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Highest Degree Attained
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Bachelors
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45%
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46%
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45%
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37%
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40%
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37%
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37%
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35%
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Masters
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55
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54
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55
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62
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60
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61
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62
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62
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Doctorate
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-
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-
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-
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1
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-
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1
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1
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1
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Total Years Teaching
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1-10 years
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24
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24
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23
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28
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29
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31
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27
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25
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11-20 years
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33
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34
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33
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29
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28
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26
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33
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25
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21-30 years
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33
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33
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34
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31
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32
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32
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31
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33
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31 or more years
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10
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10
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10
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12
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11
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10
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9
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17
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Age
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35 and under
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11
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12
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11
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15
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17
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17
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12
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13
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36-40
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8
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8
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8
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10
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12
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8
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9
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7
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41-45
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12
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13
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11
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12
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12
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12
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15
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11
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46-50
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24
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24
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25
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19
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22
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14
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21
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19
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51-55
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29
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29
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30
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26
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24
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28
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28
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28
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56+
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15
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14
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15
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18
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14
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21
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15
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21
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APPENDIX B: METHODOLOGY
In order to better understand the methods teachers deploy in the classroom, The Manhattan Institute commissioned two surveys of teachers throughout the United States. The questionnaire was developed jointly by Henry Olsen at the Manhattan Institute and Christopher Barnes from the University of Connecticut, with assistance from Chester E. Finn, Jr. of the Hoover Institution and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Mary Beth Klee of K12 Inc. (history questions), Lawrence S. Lerner of the California State University, Long Beach (science questions), Ralph Raimi of the University of Rochester (math questions), and Sandra Stotsky of the Massachusetts Department of Education (English questions).
Interviews were conducted by The Center for Survey Research in Storrs, Connecticut, using a Computer Assisted Telephone (CATI) system. Professional survey interviewers trained in standard protocols for administering survey instruments conduct all CSRA surveys. Interviewers assigned to this survey participated in special training conducted by senior project staff. The draft survey questionnaire and field protocols received thorough testing prior to the start of the formal interviewing period. Interviews were extensively monitored to ensure CSRA standards for quality were continually met.
Fourth Grade Survey
The fourth grade survey was conducted January 18 through February 2, 2002. A total of 403 interviews were conducted with fourth grade teachers who taught math or English. In the case of fourth grade, most teachers taught both subjects; therefore they were randomly assigned to a subject area. Among those surveyed, 91% teach math and 93% teach English.
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Section Completes
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Subject Overlap
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Math
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203
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365
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English
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200
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375
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The sample frame for this survey consists of all fourth grade teachers listed in a proprietary database of known schoolteachers. Survey Sampling, Inc., of Fairfield, Connecticut, provided the sample. Schoolteachers were randomly selected from the database for the survey. All sampled teachers received short screening interviews to determine eligibility for the survey. The sample error associated with a survey of this size is +/- 5%, meaning that there is less than one chance in twenty that the results of a survey of this size would differ by more than 5% in either direction from the results which would be obtained if all members of the sample frame had been selected. The sample error is larger for sub-groups. CSRA also attempted to minimize other possible sources of error in this survey.
Eighth Grade Survey
The eighth grade survey was conducted January 26, 2002 through February 9, 2002. A total of 806 interviews were conducted. Teachers were asked if they taught in a specific subject area: math, science, history/social studies and English. If a teacher taught in more than one area they were randomly assigned to a subject areas. Teachers who did not teach in any of these subjects were terminated.
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Section Completes
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Subject Overlap
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Math
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200
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228
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English
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206
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224
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Science
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200
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212
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History/Social Studies
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200
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223
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The sample frame for this survey consists of all eighth grade teachers listed in a proprietary database of known schoolteachers. Survey Sampling, Inc., of Fairfield, Connecticut, provided the sample. Schoolteachers were randomly selected from the database for the survey. All sampled teachers received short screening interviews to determine eligibility for the survey. The sample error associated with a survey of this size is +/- 3%, meaning that there is less than one chance in twenty that the results of a survey of this size would differ by more than 3% in either direction from the results which would be obtained if all members of the sample frame had been selected. The sample error is larger for sub-groups. CSRA also attempted to minimize other possible sources of error in this survey.
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