What Supports Do Teachers Need to Help Students Meet Common Core State Standards for Mathematics? Findings from the American Teacher and American School Leader Panels
This report examines teacher and school leader perceptions about readiness and professional development (PD) needs related to mathematics state standards. It presents the self-reported responses from teachers, and supplements teacher reports with principals’ perspectives where relevant. Most of the results focus on either the full sample of respondents or on those who indicated that they were expected to address state mathematics standards in their instruction. The findings draw on data from the February 2015 survey of the American Teacher Panel (ATP) and the American School Leader Panel (ASLP). The findings are meant to provide a starting point for a longitudinal effort to track teachers’ opinions and experience as they become more familiar with the new standards.
In this RAND Corporation report, most mathematics teachers reported familiarity with the Common Core standards. The content on this topic provides helpful insight on how prepared teachers felt they were to help their students meet the standards, along with what opportunities for professional learning (e.g., workshops, training, coaching, or other similar opportunities) helped addressed topics relevant to standards implementation. The content is communicated in an easy to read format with tables and figures that provide graphic representations of the findings. The report concludes with a section noting specific suggestions and implications for state and district policy makers.