Miscommunication ?

Consider the following data from the newest edition of MetLife Survey of the American Teacher:

Only 42% of teachers believe that students feel responsible and accountable for their own education. [reminds me of the perception much of the general public and policymakers have about teachers]. Yet 96% of students surveyed believe they have responsibility to pay attention and do the work it takes to succeed.

Only half of students (53%) strongly agree that all of the teachers in their school want them to succeed, with fewer secondary school students than elementary school students holding this view (44% vs. 66%).

 

I take small comfort in the wording of that survey result – students don't believe that all the teachers in their school want them to succeed.

Whatever most of us may be saying to students, the message they are getting is that we (teachers) really don't think much of them or expect much from them. The data doesn't parse out whether those views are consistent across race, geographic, gender, or other lines, but is it coincidental that this chasm between teachers and students appears to be growing as the student population becomes more diverse than the teacher corps?

 

Or, are we so distracted with test preparation and scores that we have failed to communicate to our students what really matters and how much they matter?

 

Comments

[Nancy Flanagan]

That statistic jumped out at me, too--and I interpreted in the same way. If 2/3 of elementary schoolkids think all teachers want them to succeed, and the other third are remembering a bad experience, or thinking about what other kids say on the playground--that's about right. And in high school, if five of your six teachers are good, you're having a spectacular year.

[Claus]

Shocking statistics indeed. There may also be a vicious cycle here. As students feel less supported, they detach more from their studies, and teacher interpret that detachment as lack of responsibility. They, in turn, seem less connected to those students.

Ron Ferguson at Harvard has done a lot of research on this very area. Teachers who can combine "high demand" and "high support" for their students do very well. And those who understand cultural contexts--and the damage done by cultural assumptions--do better.

[TeachMoore]

I agree, Claus, there does appear to be a very vicious cycle working. Thanks for the reference to the Ferguson work.

These findings also speak to the need for greater collaboration among teachers of the same students; something my other TLN colleagues have commented on in this same survey; especially Anthony Cody over at TM - Living in Dialogue.