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Methodology and Sponsors
A Sense of Calling is based on three telephone surveys: one of 664 public school and 250 private school K-12 teachers who have taught for five years or less; one of 511 public school superintendents and principals; and one of 802 college graduates under the age of 30. The surveys were preceded by six focus groups conducted in sites across the country, as well as by 25 interviews with experts and practitioners in the education field.
The Survey of New Teachers
The interviews with new teachers were conducted between February 8 and March 31, 2000, and averaged 33 minutes in length.
Telephone interviews were conducted with 664 K-12 public school teachers across the country who have been in the profession for five years or less. The sample was generated in this way: A random sample of public school teachers identified as having taught at their current school for five years or less was drawn. Screening questions excluded those who had been teaching for more than five years. The sample was drawn proportionate to the universe of all teachers by urbanicity (urban/suburban/rural school districts) and grade level taught (elementary/middle/high school). The margin of error for the 664 public school teachers is plus or minus four percentage points; it is higher when comparing percentages across subgroups.
Additional telephone interviews were conducted with 250 K-12 private school teachers who have been in the profession for five years or less: 125 with independent private school teachers and 125 with Catholic parochial school teachers. The same sampling and screening procedures used for public school teachers were used for this sample. The margin of error for the 250 private school teachers is plus or minus six percentage points.
The Survey of Superintendents and Principals
Telephone interviews were conducted with 511 superintendents and principals across the country who work in K-12 public school districts: 253 with superintendents and 258 with principals. The interviews were conducted between February 3 and March 2, 2000, and averaged 30 minutes in length.
The random sample of superintendents was drawn from a comprehensive list of U.S. public school superintendents. Superintendents in school districts with 2,500 or more students were oversampled to ensure that they would be sufficiently represented in the sample. Eighty percent of the students in the country attend schools in districts of this size, and 72% of the superintendents in the sample are from these districts. The random sample of principals was drawn from a comprehensive list of U.S. public school principals, proportionate to the universe of principals by urbanicity and type of school (elementary/middle/high school). The margin of error for the 511 superintendents and principals is plus or minus four percentage points.
The Survey of College Graduates Under 30
Telephone interviews were conducted with 802 adults under the age of 30 who had at least a four-year college degree and who were not teachers. The interviews were conducted between February 21 and March 13, 2000, and averaged 20 minutes in length.
The sample of college graduates was generated in this way: First, 312 college graduates under 30 were gathered through a standard, random-digit-dialing technique, whereby every household in the continental United States, including those with unlisted numbers, had an equal chance of being contacted. Screening questions ensured that only those who met the requisite age and education requirements were included in the final sample. The margin of error for the random sample of 312 college graduates is plus or minus six percentage points. An additional 490 respondents, culled from a targeted list of adults under 30 compiled and maintained by Survey Sampling, Inc., were screened and then interviewed. This is a self-selected, non-random sample and no margin of error is reported. A comparison of the results of the random sample (n=312) and the targeted sample (n=490) revealed no substantive differences in responses between the two groups.
As in all surveys, question-order effects and other non-sampling sources of error can sometimes influence results. Steps were taken to minimize these, including extensive pre-testing of the three questionnaires through in-person and telephone interviews.
The survey instruments were designed by Public Agenda, which is solely responsible for all analysis and interpretation of the results. The samples of teachers, superintendents and principals were provided by Market Data Retrieval, Inc.; the random and targeted samples of college graduates were provided by Survey Sampling, Inc. The three surveys were fielded by Robinson and Muenster Associates, Inc. of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Qualitative Research
Focus groups allow for an in-depth, qualitative exploration of the dynamics underlying attitudes toward complex issues. Insights from these groups were crucial to the design of the surveys. To give voice to the attitudes captured in the survey, quotes were drawn from the focus groups and from follow-up interviews with survey respondents.
Six focus groups were conducted: three with public school teachers under the age of 30; one with private and parochial school teachers under 30; and two with young professionals under 30. The focus groups took place in Old Bridge, NJ; Cleveland, OH; Potomac, MD; and Westchester, NY. All focus groups were moderated by Public Agenda senior staff.
Public Agenda also interviewed 25 education experts and practitioners to obtain grounding in the current substantive issues surrounding the training, recruiting, retention, quality and working conditions of new teachers. Interviews were conducted with public, private and parochial school teachers, superintendents and principals; academic researchers; and public officials and policymakers, among others. Background research for this study also included a review of the current literature and previous surveys.
Sponsors
Funding for this project was provided by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and the Open Society Institute.
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