NOT DINOSAURS AFTER ALL

NOT DINOSAURS AFTER ALL
by Anne C. Lewis for America Tomorrow

Teachers complain frequently about the education they receive, saying it doesn't prepare them for the realities of the classroom. Their college profs, according to many studies of teacher opinions, just aren't "with it."

Well, college profs don't think the public is as "with it" as it should be. A new report from the very reputable opinion-polling group, Public Agenda, finds that eight of 10 teachers of teachers believe the public's approach toward learning is outmoded.

Professors in schools of education downplay the importance of maintaining discipline in classrooms. Only 37% think it is as "absolutely essential" quality for a teacher. Almost two-thirds of the professors believe that a teacher with a disruptive class has failed to make lessons engaging enough.

New teachers struggling to gain control of classrooms may scoff at this reply because the college profs admit to not being in touch with classrooms today. Seventeen percent had never been a K-12 classroom teacher. Of the remainder, half have not been a K-12 teacher in the past 16 years.

The public's concern with discipline and the basics is misplaced, according to most professors in teacher education programs. Their priorities would set much higher expectations for teachers. They consider it "absolutely essential" for teachers to be lifelong learners, to teach students to be active learners and to have high expectations of all their students. A majority do not believe academic sanctions such as flunking or retention motivate students to learn.

More than two-thirds of the professors believe too many public school systems are top-heavy bureaucracies and that the decline in public confidence in public education is a result of negative press coverage. More than half think the criticisms of public schools are politically motivated and come from "right-wing groups who want to undermine public education."

("Different Drummers: How Teachers of Teachers View Public Education," Public Agenda, 6 East 39th St., New York, NY 10016-0112; summary online: http://www.publicagenda.org)