Teachers Are Better at Teaching Some Subjects Than Other Subjects
Teachers get higher marks for teaching basic skills, such as English, Math and Science
than they do for teaching their students more general life skills such as how to get
along with other people or how to be good citizens.
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Eight in ten teachers give their school "A's" or "B's" in terms of preparing their
students in English (82%), Math (78%), and Science (81%), compared to 73%
who give their schools high marks for teaching getting along with others and
68% who give high marks for teaching being a good citizen.
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About two-thirds of parents give schools high marks in terms of preparing their
children in English (68%), Math (68%) and Science (67%), compared to 62%
who give the schools high marks for teaching students about getting along with
each other or being good citizens.
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Among students, 80% rate teachers highly in English, 69% in Math and 70% in
Science, with fewer (63%) giving teachers high marks for preparing them to get
along and be good citizens.
OBSERVATION:
Note that teachers think they are doing better at
preparing their students than parents or students give them credit for doing.
However, previous research from the MetLife Series has found that, overall,
teachers view students' lacking basic skills more seriously than do students. In
The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1996, three-quar-
ters of teachers (74%) reported that deficiency in basic skills is a serious prob-
lem, while half of students (53%) held this opinion.
Also of interest is the finding that parents and teachers are of one mind when it comes
to how well the schools are preparing students in the area of problem solving.
Relatively few parents (55%) or teachers (60%) give the schools high marks in this
area. Students, however, have a more favorable view, with 69% rating the school
highly (Exhibits 1.4 - 1.7).
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