Teaching Profession Report Roundup

Study Finds Educator Training Lacking

By Stephen Sawchuk — January 07, 2014 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Most teacher colleges appear to spend at least some instructional time on classroom-management techniques, but it’s often incomplete, not based on research, or divorced from the student-teaching experience.

That’s the gist of a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based advocacy group.

For the report, the NCTQ examined syllabi and other materials from 122 programs across 79 institutions in 33 states, mostly collected through open-records requests. Analysts reviewed the research on classroom management and arrived at five components that the council said should be taught in every program:

  • Rules for classroom behavior that are modeled and applied;
  • Routines on how to act when working in groups, turning in homework, and so forth;
  • Praise for students’ good behavior;
  • Consequences for misbehavior; and
  • Student engagement through the use of interesting lessons with ample opportunities for participation.

Overall, programs spent an average of about eight class periods—or 40 percent of a single course—on classroom management. Only 17 percent of the programs studied addressed all five of the components. The review also contends that while the programs included assignments on classroom management, they often didn’t give students a chance to practice the techniques. NCTQ officials found few connections between coursework and what teacher-candidates were evaluated on during student-teaching.

The group chalks the apparent mismatch up to a collision between academic freedom and a vague curriculum.

Teacher-college officials faulted the project for relying on a small sample and a narrow definition of classroom management.

A version of this article appeared in the January 08, 2014 edition of Education Week as Study Finds Educator Training Lacking

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession The State of Teaching 'You Don't Know Teacher Tired': Educators Sound Off on Misconceptions
Hear what teachers featured in EdWeek's The State of Teaching Project say makes their jobs more difficult.
Frank Rivera teaches 7th grade ELA at Chaparral Star Academy in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 15, 2023.
Frank Rivera teaches 7th grade ELA at Chaparral Star Academy in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 15, 2023.
Montinique Monroe for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Why I’m Happy Being ‘Just a Teacher’
Not every teacher is an aspiring administrator. That’s a good thing.
Amanda Myers
3 min read
Abstract vector illustration depicting the process of teaching and learning.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Teaching Profession What the Research Says Do Teachers Really Earn More After Leaving the Classroom? Not Necessarily
Nearly a decade after leaving a big urban district, many teachers have yet to recoup income, a study finds.
4 min read
Illustration of woman and steps made of cash.
Getty
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Here's What Keeps Teachers on the Job
Hear why these teachers stay in the job, despite its challenges and lower pay.
Fourth graders do a warm up dance at the beginning of Helen Chan's math class at South Loop Elementary School on November 15, 2023, in Chicago.
Fourth graders do a warm-up dance at the beginning of Helen Chan's math class at South Loop Elementary School on Nov. 15, 2023, in Chicago.
Jamie Kelter Davis for Education Week