• Understanding and Feeling Equipped to Apply High Standards
• Implementing Education Reform Activities
• Involving Parents in Student Learning
• Attending Professional Development Activities
• Getting Information or Assistance With Reform Strategies
• References

The data provided here represent findings from one of two related studies about reform efforts in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools. This study asked teachers about their individual efforts toward education reform, while the other study asked principals about school-wide efforts. Principals' responses are presented in a separate report (Celebuski and Farris 1998).

Almost all elementary and secondary public school teachers reported having some understanding of the concept of new higher standards for student achievement, and almost all felt at least somewhat equipped to set or apply new higher standards (figure A). However, 42 percent reported understanding the concept very well, and 35 percent reported feeling very well equipped to set or apply new higher standards for their students.

The survey asked teachers to report the extent to which they were implementing seven specific activities associated with education reform (table A). Two of these activities were frequently cited by teachers as being incorporated into their classes to a great extent: using instructional strategies aligned with high standards (56 percent) and assisting all students to achieve to high standards (52 percent). Elementary school teachers (61 percent) were more likely than middle school teachers (49 percent) and high school teachers (44 percent) to report assisting all students to achieve to high standards to a great extent.

The smallest percentage of teachers (7 percent; table A) reported incorporating innovative technologies such as the Internet and telecommunications-supported instruction to a great extent. Teachers were, however, likely to report a need for more information about this activity. Thus, 79 percent of teachers identified innovative technologies as one of the three areas for which they most needed information.

The survey asked teachers to report their use of the seven reform activities in four core subject areas: English-language arts, history-social studies, mathematics, and science. In all four subject areas, teachers reported the use of innovative technologies least often, when compared with the use of other reform activities (less than 30 percent). There were some significant differences by subject areas in teachers' reports of the use of authentic student assessments, such as portfolios, that measure performance against high standards. According to teachers, authentic student assessments were more likely to be used in English-language arts (64 percent) than in mathematics (51 percent), science (42 percent), and history-social studies (38 percent).

For new standards to be fully applied, they must be incorporated into the curriculum for all students, including those with special needs. Fifty-six percent of teachers reported having students with limited English proficiency enrolled in their classes, and 79 percent reported having students with disabilities. Thirty-three percent of such teachers reported applying, to a great extent, the same high standards of performance used for other students to students with limited English proficiency, as did 28 percent for students with disabilities.

About one-fourth of all teachers reported that they provided information or advice to parents to a great extent to help them create supportive learning environments at home, and a similar proportion of teachers said they shared responsibility with parents for the academic performance of their children to a great extent (28 percent and 26 percent, respectively).

Elementary school teachers were more likely to report engaging parents in parental involvement activities, to a great extent, than middle and high school teachers. For example, while 46 percent of elementary school teachers reported providing information or advice to parents to a great extent to help create a more supportive learning environment at home, 20 percent of middle school teachers and 10 percent of high school teachers did so. Similarly, 17 percent of elementary school teachers reported involving parents in classroom activities to a great extent, compared with 5 percent of middle school teachers and 3 percent of high school teachers. Finally, 35 percent of elementary school teachers reported sharing responsibility with parents for the academic performance of their children to a great extent, compared with 25 and 15 percent, respectively, of middle and high school teachers.

Because education reform requires continued professional growth among teachers, the survey asked teachers about their professional development activities. Ninety-four percent of teachers reported attending an average of 42 hours of professional development activities such as professional meetings, inservice workshops, and conferences during the period September 1, 1994, through August 31, 1995.

Fifty-six percent of public school teachers participating in professional development reported attending activities in which information on high standards was a major focus. Teachers who reported that they implemented larger numbers of reform activities in their classrooms were more likely to report attending professional development activities with a major focus on higher standards. Among teachers who reported implementing three or more reform activities to a great extent, 65 percent reported attending professional development activities that had a major focus on higher standards. Among teachers who reported that they had not implemented any reform activities to a great extent, 39 percent reported attending such activities.

At least 90 percent of teachers reported using other teachers, inservice training, school administrators, institutes or workshops, and the school district to help them understand or use comprehensive reform strategies.*Among teachers who used various sources of information, one-third or more reported that other teachers (39 percent), inservice training (37 percent), and institutes or workshops (38 percent) were very effective resources. U.S. Department of Education resources were considered very effective sources of information on comprehensive reform strategies by 4 to 11 percent of teachers consulting these sources.