Download Teachers - majorsmatter.net

Teaching in America
Elizabeth A. Self
Doctoral Student
Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College
Department of Teaching and Learning
Language, Literacy, and Culture
Overview
Historical Context
Characteristics of Teachers
Economic Status of Teacher
Working Conditions
Professional Status
Current Issues
Our question for today:
Why is it so difficult to
improve teaching in the
U.S. on a mass scale?
So what do you know?
Schoolteacher (Lortie, 1975)
Sociological study of teachers
“Teaching is unusual in that those who
decide to enter it have had exceptional
opportunity to observe members of the
occupation at work” (p. 65)
Prior conceptions
Historical Context
the abridged version
Pre-industrial period (17th and 18th centuries) - teachers mostly men
Early industrial period (late 19th/early 20th
century)-- more women teachers; moral stewards
and reformers
Mature industrial period (early 20th century) -job market opened for men, who left teaching;
cash-poor school districts hired women, who
accepted low wages because of limited options
Characteristics of Teachers
Typical American teacher is a 42-year-old, White,
married woman with two children, who holds a
graduate degree and has taught about 15 years
Gender -- approximately even in secondary levels, but
disproportionately female in elementary school
Race -- in 2007-08, 82.3% White; African American
teachers more likely to teach in schools with higher
proportions of minority students
Age -- nearly the same for elementary and secondary
levels, public/private, and all ethnicities
Diversifying
the Demographic
Efforts to increase representation of
minorities (Sleeter, 2001; Sleeter & Milner, 2011) -- must
consider
Reliance on standardized tests in teacher
education programs and licensing
Overwhelming Whiteness of TEP
Some efforts to increase number of men
What teachers make
Economic Status
Huge teacher shortages in early 20th century + eligible
people did not want to enter teaching (not a “man’s task”) =
people hired who were inexperienced and untrained
Low teacher pay is linked to teacher dissatisfaction and the
number of new entrants
25% of public school teachers earn incomes from outside
sources
Teacher’s salaries high for women compared to other women
workers but low for men compared to other men workers
Would require a 25% increase in pay for US teachers to be
comparable to teachers globally
Alternative
Teacher Compensation
Signing bonuses, especially for math and science
teachers, and other benefits
Performance- (or behavior-) based -- pay based on being a
“good teacher”
Outcome-based -- “merit pay” or value-added (see Springer et
al., 2010)
National Board Certification and/or bonuses for teachers
to move to high-poverty schools (see Washington state)
Six-figure salaries for teachers -- The Equity Project, NY
($125k plus bonuses)
Working Conditions
Class size increases with budget shortfalls
Average number of hours per week (1997): 46-47
The more low-income students, the less access to
materials
Safety a concern in urban and secondary schools
Level of isolation/collaboration varies and often
determined by school climate
(Henke et al. 1997; Smith et al., 1997)
What teachers have to decide
What to teach (content knowledge) -- more standards,
not necessarily a more standardized curriculum
How to teach it (pedagogy) -- method of instruction;
what best meets the needs of each student?
How to assess it -- quizzes, tests, essay, project,
presentations; tied to pedagogical approach
What and when to reteach
How to engage/motivate -- build intrinsic or extrinsic
rewards; best motivator may vary by student
Let’s plan together
English/Language Arts
RL.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in the text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that
is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
What teachers have to do
Administrative: take attendance, make copies, complete forms for fundraisers
Classroom management: seating charts, passing out and collecting papers,
consequences, discipline
School functions: monitor hallways, lunch room, ISS, study hall; sell tickets at
sporting events; supervise students at assemblies
Professional duties: departmental, grade-level, and faculty meetings; IEP/504
meetings, family nights, parent-teacher conferences
Planning: must consider standards (Common Core), ability levels,
differentiation, motivation/engagement, growth
Instruction: lecture, manage group-work, meet with students one-on-one,
respond to students’ questions/confusion/disengagement/unexpected
interruptions
Assessment: formative and summative, grades, feedback, class-level and school/district-/state-level
Social Class and
School Culture
Race/ethnicity (Howard, 2010; Milner, 2010),
social class (Lareau, 1987) make a difference in
how teachers see their work, students,
students’ families, and colleagues
Students sorted and selected early based on
presumed ability (Rist, 1967; Gouldner, 1978)
Culturally responsive/relevant pedagogy (Gay,
2010; Ladson-Billings, 2011) and a more
diverse teaching demographic needed
Professional Status
Considered by some as a semi- or quasiprofession; deskilled through highly specific tasks
(ie. scripted curriculum)
Some sociologists have used a gender-neutral
approach to studying the professional status of
teachers; others emphasize that teaching is
female-dominated
Look at conditions necessary to teachers’
professional fulfillment (optimistic, empowered,
challenged)
Some Empirical Questions
What is the role of selectivity in recruiting highlyeducated individuals to teaching? (Think TFA or
read Martin Haberman.)
Are the skills of highly effective teachers the same
in differing school contexts? If so, what would
motivate them to move to high-need schools? If
not, how should teacher education respond to this
variation in necessary skill sets?
How will the changing national and student
demographic affect the necessary knowledge base
for teachers?
So what’s your answer?
Why is it so difficult to
improve teaching in the
U.S. on a mass scale?