Teachers鈥� views on how instructional effectiveness should be measured, as well as how it could be improved, are not well-aligned with current education policy initiatives, according to a new survey report.
The survey, conducted by and , found that the most popular indicator of instructional effectiveness among classroom educators is student engagement in coursework, with 92 percent of public school teachers surveyed rating it as a 鈥済ood鈥� or 鈥渆xcellent鈥� measure.
By contrast, only 56 percent of teachers rated student performance on standardized tests as a good or excellent teacher-effectiveness indicator, making it the least popular option. Teachers with less than five years experience were more likely than experienced teachers to be opposed to this approach.
Other indicator options included how much students are learning in comparison with students in other schools (with 72 percent good or excellent rating) and feedback from principals or administrators (71 percent). No single indicator was rated as 鈥渆xcellent鈥� by a majority of the teachers surveyed.
Read the complete report, part of Learning Point Associates and Public Agenda鈥檚 鈥淩etaining Teacher Talent鈥� series.
The study, titled is intended to inform education-policy discussions by bringing greater attention to teachers鈥� own views. A number of recent policy efforts, prominently including the federal government鈥檚 Race to the Top competition, have sought to tie teacher evaluation and compensation more closely to measures of teacher effectiveness, with a particular emphasis on student test-score results.
The study suggests that policymakers need to do a better job of including teachers in debates and 鈥渂uilding legitimacy鈥� for planned reforms.
Addressing Discipline and Class Sizes
In addition to effectiveness measures, the researchers looked at teachers鈥� views on initiatives to improve instructional effectiveness. Of the approaches given, the teachers surveyed gave the highest percentages of 鈥渧ery effective鈥� ratings to removing students with severe discipline problems from the classroom (68 percent), reducing classes by about five students (66 percent), and preparing teachers to adapt or vary instruction in a diverse classroom (61 percent).
The lowest 鈥渧ery effective鈥� ratings went to tying teacher compensation to student performance (eight percent) and eliminating teacher tenure (nine percent).
In related findings, the study found that teachers who see themselves as effective were more likely to have smaller class sizes and fewer students with special needs than other teachers. 鈥淪elf-perceived effective teachers鈥� were also more likely to be positive about their working conditions and the instructional feedback they receive from their principals.
Education policy efforts in the past year have 鈥渇ocused on teacher evaluation and teacher preparation as well as alternative ways to compensate and reward teachers,鈥� the report concludes. 鈥淭hese reform ideas are not the most popular from teachers鈥� perspectives.鈥�
That disconnect, the report suggests, 鈥渕ay be problematic when it comes to [policy] implementation.鈥�
