Teachers' Need for More Technology Help

While novice teachers may have grown up using technology as "digital natives," two new studies discussed find they still may need support in using education technology in the classroom. One researcher found that teacher training on technology did not always align with the skills new teachers need on the job, which became evident during student teaching. Preservice teachers also have difficulty choosing appropriate technology for their classroom
Karr, K. (2017).  A phenomological study of first-career millennial novice elementary school teachers' use of technology. Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University.
https://ae-uploads.uoregon.edu/ISTE/ISTE2019/PROGRAM_SESSION_MODEL/HANDOUTS/112190345/fulltextdocumentISTE2019.pdf
Webber, K. (2019). Are preservice teachers prepared for their technology integrated future classrooms? Paper presented at ISTE conference, June, Philadelphia.
https://ae-uploads.uoregon.edu/ISTE/ISTE2019/PROGRAM_SESSION_MODEL/HANDOUTS/112136796/ArePreserviceTeachersPreparedforTheirTechnologyIntegratedFutureClassrooms_KWEBBER.pdf

Teachers unprepared to work with students having disabilities

Only 30% of general-education teachers feel "strongly" that they can successfully support students with learning disabilities, according to a recent survey by  About one-third of teachers surveyed said they have not received professional development on teaching students with special needs.
Forward together: Helping educators unlock the power students who learn differently. (2019).
National Center for Learning Disabilities and Understood.org.
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Forward-Together_NCLD-report.pdf


The findings square with the conclusions of a survey conducted earlier this year. That survey found that special education teachers are concerned about the ability of general education teachers and supervisors to work with students who have disabilities. Of the special education teachers who participated in the 's survey, fewer than 15 percent thought their general education colleagues were highly prepared to work with students with disabilities. Both sets of teachers felt they weren't given ample time to plan with peers and had questions about their ability to co-teach with colleagues.
Survey: Ground-Level Perspectives on Special Education. (2019). Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/02/27/survey-offers-front-line-view-into-special-education.html

The two surveys do highlight a key difference in how special education and general education teachers view IEPs: the special education teachers see the individualized education plans as essential documents that play a large role in determining student and teacher success; their general education colleagues are more likely view IEPs as mere paperwork. Of the general education teachers who participated in the National Center for Learning Disabilities and Understood survey, just 56 percent of teachers believed IEPs provide value to students, and just 38 percent believe IEPs improve their teaching.

Report Offers Lessons Learned from Education Systems Abroad

A new report from the outlines five highly effective lessons learned from education systems that develop and support teachers and leaders in Finland, Ontario, and Singapore. These jurisdictions, comparable in population to mid-sized U.S. states, have attained among the highest and most equitable performance in the world on international assessments. The lessons feature a systemic approach; strong teacher recruitment and preparation; attractive teaching conditions; continuous support for teacher learning; and proactive leadership development. The examples also show how these policies can be implemented in different contexts.

Alliance for Excellent Education and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education, 2011, PDF link here

Teacher preparation study

Teacher's certification method doesn't affect student scores
Students of educators who attend college teacher-training programs and those instructed by teachers certified through other means score no differently on standard reading and math exams, according to a new study that tracked 2,600 students in six states. "When students are placed with teachers with alternative routes versus traditional routes [for certification], there's no harm in terms of student achievement," said Jill Constantine, who directed the study for Mathematica Policy Research.
Mathematica Policy Research. (2009). An Evaluation of Teachers Trained Through Different Routes to Certification. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Education
http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/education/teacherstrained09.pdf

Teacher training impact report

Poor professional development fails students
U.S. schools need to improve teacher training to raise the effectiveness of the entire educational system, according to a new report from researchers at Stanford University. "We're way behind other countries that are high-achieving in terms of the time and intensive opportunity for deep learning they provide," said co-author Linda Darling-Hammond.. "We still see teachers engage in really short one- and two-day workshops rather than ongoing, sustained support that we now have evidence changes practices and increases student achievement."

Wei, R., et al. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession. Palo Alto, CA: School Redesign Network.
http://www.srnleads.org/resources/publications/pdf/nsdc_profdev_tech_report.pdf

math studies

U.S. Middle-Grades Teachers Found Ill-Prepared in Math
Aspiring middle school teachers in the United States take fewer math courses and are less knowledgeable in the subject than their counterparts in South Korea, Taiwan, and other countries. That gap in teacher preparation, coupled with curricular differences, could help explain achievement disparities between American students and their peers in other industrialized nations. The teacher-candidates from the United States and Mexico also reported that their undergraduate programs covered less content in advanced math, analysis, and algebra than the other countries’. The American teacher-candidates were also less equipped for the practical aspects of teaching math to middle school students than their counterparts in all but Germany.
Moreover, teachers who pursue certification specific to middle school education, as opposed to elementary or secondary programs, are the least primed of all.
Schmidt, W. (2007). Mathematics teaching in the 21st century. East Lansing: Michigan State University.
http://usteds.msu.edu/related_research.asp

Math and science learning linked
Another international study looks in part at the intersection between math achievement and science learning, which experts say suggests the broader importance of good math instruction.
American Institutes for Research. (2007). Lessons learned from U.S. international science performance. Washington, DC: Author.
http://www.air.org/news/documents/lessons.learned.in.science.pdf

Math teaching training needed
In its preliminary recommendations, the National Mathematics Avisory Panel highlighted the need for “systematically improving teacher-preparation programs, as well as professional-development strategies for teachers already in the field.”
National Mathematics Advisory Panel. (2007). Preliminary report. Washington, DC: Author.
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/index.html