As the conversation around the Common Core evolves, the views of teachers are more important than ever. If you’ve been wondering what public school teachers think about the standards, the views of 20,000 are available as part of a preview of the third edition of Primary Sources, the landmark series of survey reports dedicated to sharing the viewpoints of teachers.
What did the results tell us? Overall, teachers are positive while recognizing the hard work that is implementation. Seventy-three percent of teachers who teach math, ELA, science and/or social studies agree that they are enthusiastic about Common Core implementation in their classrooms. However, the same percentage tells us that they believe implementation is going to be challenging.
In conversations, teachers have told us that they appreciate the consistency and that all students will be challenged in the same way. For specific skills, 77% believe the standards will have a positive impact on their students’ ability to think critically and use reasoning skills.
When it comes to challenges, teachers are honest in their concerns for their students. When asked about special populations in their classrooms, they told us they are most concerned for their students who are currently working two or more grades below grade-level, followed by special education students. To help them support these students, as well as students working on grade-level and English Language Learners, teachers say their number one need is age-appropriate, leveled instructional materials.
There is so much more to learn from these teachers. To learn more about Primary Sources, a project of Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and this Common Core data, visit www.scholastic.com/primarysources.
Teachers, do you see your experiences and opinions reflected in this data?
