ERIC ED504814: The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1996. Students Voice Their Opinions On: Their Education, Teachers and Schools. Part II

108 Pages·1996·1.3 MB·English

by  ERIC

1996
Students Voice Their Opinions on:
Their Education, Teachers and Schools
Part II
o
MetLife

The Metropolitan Life Survey of
The American Teacher
1996
Students Voice Their Opinions on:
Their Education, Teachers and Schools
Part II
Conducted for
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
by
Louis HalTis and Associates, Inc.
Project Directors:
Robert Leitman, Er:ecutlve Vice President
Katherine Binns, Senior Vice President
Alan Steinberg, Research Director
LOUIS HARRIS AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
III Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10003
[phone]
Fieldwork: December 19, 1995 to Februmy 2, 1996

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION .................................................. . 1
Survey Method ................................................. . 2
Notes on Reading Tables ......................................... . 2
Public Release of Survey Findings .................................. . 2
Project Responsibility and Acknowledgements ......................... . 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................... . 3
Major Findings ................................................. . 5
I. Quahty of Education ...................................... . 5
II. Repoli Card of Teachers .................................... . 6
III. School Resources and Conunumty SUPPOli .................... . 7
IV. Use of Technology and Other Means to Enhance Learning ......... . 8
V. RepOli Card of Guidance Counselors ......................... . 9
CHAPTER 1: QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND TEACHERS .............. . 11
Overall Quality of Teachers ...................................... . 15
RepOli Card of Teachers ......................................... . 19
CHAPTER 2: REPORT CARD ON SCHOOL RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY
SUPPORT ....................................................... . 27
Overcrowded Classrooms and Lack of School Resources ................ . 27
Up-To-Date Equipment and Textbooks ............................. . 32
Use of Computers and Other Means to Enhance Learning ............... . 35
Parental and Community Support .................................. . 38
CHAPTER 3: REPORT CARD OF GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ............ . 41
CHAPTER 4: STUDENTS' INTERESTS IN A CAREER IN EDUCATION .... . 45
APPENDIX A: CLEANING DATA FOR THE REPORT ................... . 49
Accounting for Missing Data ..................................... . 51
Filters and Consistency Checks ................................... . 51
Decision Rules for Enoneous Multiple Responses ..................... . 52
APPENDIX B: METHODOLOGy .................................... . 53
An Overview ................................................. . 55
Creating a School Sample ........................................ . 55
Weightmg the Data ............................................. . 56
Reliability of Survey Percentages .................................. . 60
The Interviewing Process ........................................ . 63
Gaining the Principal's Consent and Selecting a Class ............... . 63
Maximizing Response Rates .................................. . 63
Maintaining a Representative Sample ........................... . 63
Interviewing the Students ..................................... . 64
Questionnaire Development ...................................... . 64
Cleaning the Data .............................................. . 65
Potential Sampling EnOl' ........................................ . 65
(CONTINUED)
TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
PAGE
APPENDIX C: HARRIS SCHOLASTIC SAMPLE DESIGN METHODOLOGY .. 67
Introduction .................................................. . 69
Basic Sampling Design .......................................... . 69
Sample Efficiency ............................................. . 70
APPENDIX D: THE QUESTIONNAIRE ............................... . 73
11
INDEX OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
CHAPTER I: QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND TEACHERS
1-1 QUALITY OF EDUCATION BY SCHOOL LOCATION AND STUDENT
COURSE GRADES ......................................... 12
1-2 STUDENTS LACKING BASIC SKILLS ........................... 13
1-3 LACK OF BASIC SKILLS AMONG PEERS ........................ 14
1-4 QUALITY OF TEACHERS BY LOCATION AND RACElETHNICITY ...... 16
1-5 QUALITY OF TEACHERS BY SCHOOL LEVEL AND GENDER ......... 16
1-6 QUALITY OF TEACHERS BY COURSE GRADE .................... 17
1-7 OVERALL QUALITY OF TEACHERS: A STUDENT VS. TEACHER
PERSPECTIVE ............................................ 18
1-8 RATING OF TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS BY LOCATION AND
RACElETHNICITY ......................................... 21
1-9 REPORT CARD OF TEACHERS ................................ 22
1-10 RATINGS OF TEACHERS BY STUDENT COURSE GRADES ........... 23
1-11 RATINGS OF SELECTED TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS BY
ACADEMIC STATUS ........................................ 24
1-12 TRUEIFALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT TEACHERS ................... 25
1-13 TRUEIFALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT TEACHERS BY SCHOOL
LOCATION AND RACEIETHNICITY ............................ 25
CHAPTER 2: REPORT CARD ON SCHOOL
RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT
2-1 RATINGS OF SCHOOL RESOURCES ............................ 28
2-2 RATINGS OF SCHOOL RESOURCES BY LOCATION AND
RACElETHNICITY ......................................... 29
2-3 SCHOOL RESOURCES PROBLEMS AND HOW THEY ARE
CHANGING ............................. ,................ 29
2-4 SCHOOL RESOURCES PROBLEMS AND HOW THEY ARE
CHANGING BY LOCATION AND RACEIETHNICITY ................ 30
(CONTINUED)
iii
INDEX OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
2-5 RATINGS OF SCHOOL RESOURCES BY SCHOOL LEVEL AND
GENDER ................................................ 31
2-6 SCHOOL RESOURCES PROBLEMS THAT ARE GETIING BEITER ...... 31
2-7 RATINGS OF SCHOOL RESOURCES BY COURSE GRADES ........... 32
2-8 WHETHER OR NOT EQUIPMENT IS UP-TO-DATE .................. 33
2-9 WHETHER OR NOT EQUIPMENT IS UP-TO-DATE BY STUDENTS'
COURSE GRADES ......................................... 33
2-10 WHETHER OR NOT TEXTBOOKS ARE UP-TO-DATE ................ 34
2-11 WHETHER OR NOT TEXTBOOKS ARE UP-TO-DATE BY STUDENTS'
COURSE GRADES ......................................... 34
2-12 USE OF COMPUTERS TO HELP STUDENTS LEARN BY LOCATION
AND RACEIETHNICITY ..................................... 36
2-13 HOW WELL TEACHERS TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT COMPUTERS 36
2-14 LEARNING EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM BY
LOCATION AND RACElETHNICITY ............................ 37
2-15 LEARNING EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM BY SCHOOL
LEVEL AND GENDER ....................................... 37
2-16 CHOICE OF CLASSES ....................................... 38
2-17 PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT BY LOCATION AND RACFl
ETHNICITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
2-18 PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT BY STUDENTS' COURSE
GRADES ................................................. 39
CHAPTER 3: REPORT CARD OF GUIDANCE COUNSELORS
3-1 RATINGS OF GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ........................ 42
3-2 REPORT CARD OF GUIDANCE COUNSELORS .................... 43
3-3 RATINGS OF GUIDANCE COUNSELORS BY LOCATION AND RACE
AND ETHNICITY .......................................... 44
(CONTINUED)
iv
INDEX OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
CHAPTER 4: STUDENTS' INTERESTS
IN A CAREER IN EDUCATION
4-1 INTERESTIN BECOMING A TEACHER .......................... 46
4-2 EVER TALKED TO TEACHERS ABOUT TEACHING AS A CAREER ...... 46
4-3 EVER BEEN TOLD THEY WOULD MAKE A GOOD TEACHER .......... 47
APPENDIX B: METHODOLOGY
B-1 A COMPARISON OF WEIGHTED AND UNWEIGHTED SAMPLES ....... 57
B-2 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE BY LOCATION (WEIGHTED TOTAL
SAMPLE) ................................................ 58
B-3 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE BY LOCATION (UNWEIGHTED DATA) ...... 59
B-4 APPROXIMATE SAMPLING TOLERANCES (AT 95% CONFIDENCE)
TO USE IN EVALUATING PERCENTAGE RESULTS APPEARING IN
THIS REPORT ............................................ 61
B-5 APPROXIMATE SAMPLING TOLERANCES (AT 95% CONFIDENCE)
TO USE IN EVALUATING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO
PERCENTAGE RESULTS APPEARING IN THIS REPORT ............. 62
B-6 A COMPARISON OF SCHOOLS WHO CONSENTED AND THOSE WHO
COMPLETED THE INTERVIEW ................................ 64
APPENDIX C: HARRIS SCHOLASTIC
SAMPLE DESIGN METHODOLOGY
C-1 HARRIS SCHOLASTIC SAMPLES
SAMPLING ERRORS FOR SINGLE PERCENTAGES
PERCENTAGES FROM SAMPLE ............................... 71
C-2 HARRIS SCHOLASTIC SAMPLES
SAMPLING ERROR FOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SUBCLASS
PERCENTAGES, PROPORTION NEAREST 50% .................... 72
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