Change is hard鈥攑articularly for teachers, who are generally taking dozens of students along for the ride.
Yet the majority of teachers say they鈥檝e faced major changes鈥攔elated to what and how they teach, as well as how they鈥檙e evaluated鈥攐ver the last couple of years in their schools and districts, according to a recent survey by the 澳门跑狗论坛 Research Center.
And while there鈥檚 agreement that the upheaval has been a bit much, teachers have tended to stay positive about the reforms they鈥檙e experiencing.
The change 鈥渇eels thick and fast,鈥� said Alisa Myles, a reading specialist at Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School in Morrisville, Pa., who answered the survey. 鈥淏ut I鈥檒l tell you, teachers are so resilient. Teachers are incredible. They keep up with it because they have to.鈥�
The 澳门跑狗论坛 Research Center administered its online survey to a nationally representative sample of more than 500 K-12 teachers in September. (The margin of error for the results is plus or minus 4 percent.)
Nearly all respondents鈥�86 percent鈥攕aid they had experienced new changes or reforms in the past two school years.
The teachers surveyed were most likely to say they鈥檇 had changes to their teacher-evaluation systems. Other common areas for reform were curriculum, professional development, and state testing.
Teachers were much less likely to say they鈥檇 experienced changes to personalized learning, graduation requirements, or school choice options in their districts.
Weariness Setting In
There are signs teachers are starting to feel reform fatigue: More than half of teachers (58 percent) surveyed said they鈥檝e experienced 鈥渨ay too much鈥� or 鈥渢oo much鈥� change in the last couple of years.
鈥淲e are a little overwhelmed,鈥� said Patty Hill, a veteran math teacher at Kealing Middle School in Austin, Texas. She said her school system 鈥渃hanged all our bookkeeping systems at the same time they changed our appraisal [i.e., evaluation] system. At the same time they want us to do project-based learning. It鈥檚 all happening at once.鈥�
But about a third of respondents said the amount of reform was 鈥渏ust about right.鈥�
Most teachers (84 percent) agreed that as soon as they get a handle on a new reform, it changes.
James Clifford, a family and consumer sciences teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Southington, Conn., said he recently helped write a new curriculum for his school, which was a positive change. But the frequent modifications to the schedule for special classes鈥攚hich dictate, for instance, whether he sees students every few days all year or every day for a few weeks鈥攁re more bewildering.
鈥淚鈥檝e got a new schedule every year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really not a big deal to change schedules, but I鈥檓 old enough as a professional to say, 鈥榃ow, why is scheduling so hard?鈥欌��
When asked what kind of effect a notable classroom reform has had on their instruction, 39 percent said it was positive. Another 36 percent said the effect was neutral. Only about a quarter said classroom reform has had a negative impact on their instruction.
Additionally, more than half of teachers (58 percent) said education reform has helped them change their practice so that students learn better.
鈥淚 actually like most of the changes [to the district evaluation system] because it鈥檚 trying to get teachers to make their classes more student-driven,鈥� said Hill, the Austin teacher. 鈥淸Evaluators] are looking for student engagement, student buy-in, differentiation鈥攁ll the things we鈥檝e been supposed to be doing all along.鈥�
The majority of teachers (68 percent) also said that 鈥渘ew鈥� education reforms or changes aren鈥檛 really new鈥攖hat they鈥檝e all been tried before.
鈥淭he idea of grit鈥攕tick-to-it, high expectations鈥擨鈥檝e seen different iterations of that exact same thing every year that I鈥檝e been here,鈥� said Hill. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a new name for it, but it鈥檚 the same thing.鈥�
When asked where the reforms originated, 36 percent of respondents said they were state-based, and 41 percent cited their districts. Nineteen percent said the change only involved their school. Fewer than 5 percent of respondents pointed to the federal government.
