Class Discussion:
Notes From the Focus Groups
Raw numbers don't always tell the whole story, even in a public opinion survey. Public Agenda conducted focus groups around the country with new teachers and college graduates who chose not to teach. We found a few topics raised in the focus groups worth noting:
Making a Distinction: Training vs. Tests
In focus groups, it was clear that new teachers believe some teacher preparation coursework is essential before they step in front of a class. Almost all had formal teacher training, and most scoff at those who underestimate the challenges of teaching. "I think there should be more requirements, not less," one New York City teacher said. "Especially at the earlier ages, kids are changing physically and emotionally. If you're not prepared, you could cause some damage. I had some professors who are brilliant, but that doesn't mean that they could teach."
However, most derided the standardized tests they had to take as part of the certification process — in contrast to many policy makers who are currently pushing for more testing. "It tested my memory of how well I could recite stuff about Piaget, about Dewey," said another New York teacher. "Some of this stuff I have forgotten already, and none of it is stuff you need to be a good teacher."
Many of the teachers interviewed in the focus groups also had less than flattering things to say about the National Teachers Exam (NTE). "I had to take four parts of the NTE," recalled a young Maryland teacher. "You take a knowledge part, which is anything, you take a listening test, which is a joke. You take a methods test, which is a joke. Then they ask you questions like 'A kid comes to you and he's thinking about killing himself. What do you do — do you talk to a counselor?' I spent four years in college so I could take this test?"
The Guide on the Side
Different Drummers, a 1997 Public Agenda study of 900 education professors — the teachers of teachers — made clear that these professors believe that an educator's primary duty is to turn students into "active learners" who know how to learn, rather than just delivering facts to a classroom. Professors are also likely to believe that discipline problems probably result from a failure to engage students.
New teachers have clearly absorbed this part of the philosophy of teaching, believing the proper role of teachers is to "be the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage" — a phrase often heard in the focus groups with new teachers. About three in four (78 percent) new teachers say they see themselves as facilitators of learning who enable their students to learn on their own, and only 19 percent say their role is to be conveyors of knowledge who enlighten their students with what they know. Most (87 percent) of the school administrators surveyed also believe teachers should see themselves as facilitators of learning.
The vast majority (70 percent) of new teachers say their training program did a good or excellent job of making sure they knew how to teach effectively. But even as teacher education programs focus on how to foster a love of learning, new teachers report they often find themselves unprepared for one reality they must face — what to do when they are unable to reach some kids who are low achieving. Nearly six in ten (59 percent) say that upon entering the profession, they were often at a loss when trying to help students who were doing poorly. The frustration of simply not being able to get through to some kids, to help them make progress, appears to take a toll on teachers.
Stand Behind Me
The new teachers we interviewed in focus groups often returned to the issue of leadership: when their principals were strong and fair leaders, the school environment flourished; when they fell short, everyone felt it. As we found in the opinion survey, ask teachers to choose, and schools with higher salaries lose out to schools where administrators give them strong backing. A New Jersey teacher knew exactly what she meant by administrative support: "For example, when you come head-to-head with a parent, and you gave a grade to a student they feel they didn't deserve and the parent comes to you and wants that grade changed. I want the administration to stand behind me and say, 'This is my classroom policy, this is my grading policy, the criteria were not met, and that's why this grade was given.' Stand behind me."
Urban Teacher Shortages
Perhaps to the surprise of experts predicting major teacher shortages, most school administrators told Public Agenda researchers that the problems they are facing at this time are in specific areas and are manageable.
But not surprisingly, urban educators are feeling the crunch more than those in suburban or rural districts. More than twice as many urban administrators (26 percent urban compared with 11 percent suburban) say they are facing a widespread shortage, and a large majority (78 percent) say they have had to go through extra effort to recruit in recent years. Urban administrators (83 percent) are also more likely to say they are facing a shortage of minority teachers, a concern of administrators in many school districts.
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