The following is an excerpt of the annual survey of teacher's opinions on teaching and learning. Read it and use it to impact the quality of education for all students.
MAJOR FINDINGS
I. Factors Associated With Student Success
Students who receive higher grades are happier in school, at home and in their community. Although students are happier at home than they are at school or in the community, happiness at home is not universal.
Slightly more than half of students (55%) describe their home and family life as extremely or very happy. Boys are more likely than girls to be extremely or very happy at home (60% vs. 50%).
Four in ten students (37%) describe life in their neighborhood as extremely or very happy.
One-third of students (33%) describe their school life as extremely or very
happy.
Students who get As in school are more likely than those who get Ds and Fs to describe their life at home (58% vs. 31%), in the neighborhood (39% vs. 23%), and at school (40% vs. 10%) as extremely or very happy.
Students who receive higher grades eat breakfast more frequently and are not as distracted by hunger during class. Many students do not eat breakfast regularly or have lunch periods at the right time for them, and sizable minorities of teachers and students believe that students frequently are too hungry to be able to concentrate in class.
Students who get As in school are more likely than those who get Ds and Fs to eat breakfast four or more days a week (56% vs. 39%).
Students who get As are less likely than those who get Ds and Fs to very often or often be too hungry to pay attention in class (13% vs. 22%).
Four in ten students (39%) only eat breakfast two days a week or less.
One-third of students (34%) feel that their lunch period is not scheduled at the right time.
Three in ten teachers (29%) believe that their students lunch periods are not at the right time.
Three in ten teachers (30%) report that their students very often or often have difficulty concentrating, and one in ten teachers (10%) attribute students frequent concentration problems to hunger.
One in eight students (16%) very often or often are too hungry to be able to
concentrate in class.
Lack of sleep associated with lack of school advancement.
Students who get Ds and Fs are more likely than those who get As to sleep less than seven hours on a school night (43% vs. 33%).
Students who get Ds and Fs are more likely than those who get As to fall asleep during class (27% vs. 10%).
Participation in activities is part of students busy schedules, and is seen by teachers and students as important to school success."
On a typical school day, seven in ten students (71%) spend time participating in activities such as clubs, sports, music, art or other groups or programs. Those who participate in such activities usually spend 2 hours doing them on a typical school day.
Students are also typically spending 7 hours in school, 2 hours hanging out with friends and 1.5 hours doing homework or studying.
One-third of students (35%) do work for pay on a typical school day.
Seven in ten teachers (72%) believe that participation in activities helps students do well in school.
Half of students who do activities (48%) believe that participating in them helps them do well in school.
Students who get As in school are more likely than those who get Ds and Fs to participate in sports (56% vs. 26%), dance and music programs (30% vs. 8%) and drama programs (15% vs. 3%).
"A" students are much more likely than "D" and "F" students to both read for fun at least a few times a week (46% vs. 17%), and wish they had more time to read for fun (41% vs. 25%).
II. Teachers Experience and Relationships With Students
Students and teachers see room for improvement in student-teacher communication.
Four in ten teachers (44%) strongly agree that teachers in their school think
about students as individuals, and not as part of some group.
Four in ten teachers (42%) strongly agree that they are able to teach to their
students individual strengths and weaknesses.
One-quarter of teachers (24%) strongly agree that they know whats going on in their students lives outside of school.
Two in ten teachers (22%) report that they very often have one-on-one conversations with students about their interests and talents.
Fifteen percent of teachers report that they speak very often with students about their worries.
Teachers in schools with more than two-thirds minority students are less likely than those with few minority students to report that teachers in their school:
Know a lot about the surrounding community (34% vs. 56%);
Think of students as individuals (34% vs. 49%);
Respect all students (23% vs. 37%); and
Are interested in whats best for all students (46% vs. 54%).
Teachers in schools with more than two-thirds low-income students are less likely than those with few low-income students to believe that their school is preparing students extremely well (an "A") for the following:
To go to college (19% vs. 37%);
Get a good job (7% vs. 20%); and
Know how to learn (13% vs. 23%).
New teachers report more challenges than more experienced teachers regarding students classroom behavior.
Teachers with five or fewer years of experience are more likely than those with more than 25 years of experience to report having students very often or often experience the following:
Have difficulty concentrating (38% vs. 23%);
Daydream (33% vs. 18%);
Be irritable or in bad moods (27% vs. 14%);
Fall asleep in class (22% vs. 12%); and
Be too hungry to concentrate (16% vs. 7%).
III. Teenagers Want and Need More Sleep
One-third of secondary students get less than seven hours of sleep on a typical school night.
Teens typically sleep seven hours on a school night 1.5 hours less than the recommended amount of sleep for teens, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
One in eight (12%) sleep less than six hours on a school night.
Two-thirds of students think they do not get enough sleep.
Senior high students are more likely than junior high students to feel sleep-deprived (73% vs. 57%).
Girls are more likely than boys to feel sleep-deprived (71% vs. 57%).
Students who feel they get enough sleep typically sleep eight hours a night.
Those who feel sleep-deprived typically sleep seven hours a night.
Students who feel sleep-deprived have more problems concentrating in class.
Sleep-deprived students are more likely than others to experience the following:
Feel tired in class (64% vs. 34%);
Daydream in class (48% vs. 31%);
Have difficulty paying attention in class (34% vs. 16%); and
Fall asleep during class (15% vs. 7%).
Students who feel sleep-deprived more often skip class or school.
Students who feel they do not get enough sleep are more likely than those who feel they get enough sleep to skip class because of the following reasons:
School was boring (43% vs. 28%);
They had family responsibilities (36% vs. 26%);
They did not complete an assignment (35% vs. 21%); and
They did not feel ready to take a test (29% vs. 16%).
IV. Many Students Consider Dropping Out of School and Dont Consult Their Teachers About Their Options
One in five secondary school students has considered dropping out of school nearly twice teachers estimates.
One in five 7th 12th graders (20%) have thought about dropping out of school.
Six in ten students who get Ds & Fs (57%) have considered dropping out.
On average, teachers believe that 12.7% of their students have considered dropping out.
Eight in ten students who have considered dropping out (82%) have not talked to a teacher about their plans.
Students mainly consider dropping out because they are not engaged by the school.
Students are most likely to cite the following reasons for considering dropping out:
School was boring (76%); and
They were not learning enough (42%).
Students who think about leaving school permanently have already begun skipping school occasionally.
Students who have considered dropping out have skipped class or school for the following reasons:
School was boring (63%);
They did not complete an assignment (47%); and
They did not feel ready to take a test (43%).
V. Reading for Fun and for School
Four in ten students read for fun at least a few times a week more than three times as many as visit a library that often.
Four in ten students (38%) read for fun at least a few times a week.
One in nine students (11%) visit a library at least a few times a week.
Half of students (49%) visit a library a few times a year or never.
Many students wish they had more time for reading for fun.
Four in ten students (37%) wish they had more time for reading for fun.
Older students are less likely than younger students to be reading for fun at least a few times a week (35% vs. 40%) and more likely than younger students to wish they had more time for reading for fun (41% vs. 33%).
However, girls are more likely than boys to wish they had more time for pleasure reading (44% vs. 30%). Girls are also more likely than boys to already read for fun at least a few times a week (40% vs. 35%).
Few students believe that their reading level prevents them from completing their work, but teachers disagree.
Only six percent of students strongly agree that they dont read as well as they need to do their schoolwork.
Teachers estimate that, on average, 30% of their students read below grade level.
Teachers in schools with more than two-thirds low-income or minority students report that 50% of their students read below grade level.
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