Young Teachers Assess Old Views and Traditional Methods: 7 Out of 10 Gen Y Teachers Open to Incentive Pay, but Only 10 Percent Rate Standardized Testing as Successful Measure

Young Teachers Assess Old Views and Traditional Methods: 7 Out of 10 Gen Y
Teachers Open to Incentive Pay, but Only 10 Percent Rate Standardized Testing
as Successful Measure

New Research by Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates Examines Gen Y
Teacher Views

NEW YORK, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new study released today paints
a national picture of Generation Y teachers revealing an openness to incentive
pay. Seventy-one percent of Gen Y teachers are open to rewarding teachers
based on incentive pay, whereas only 10 percent of Gen Y teachers think that
student performance on standardized tests is an "excellent" measure of teacher
success. The nationwide study, Supporting Teacher Talent: The View From
Generation Y, from Public Agenda, a nonprofit research organization, and
Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit education research and consulting
organization, offers a comprehensive and nuanced look at the question of
whether different generations bring different aspirations, concerns, and
perspectives to teaching.

"Traditionally, teachers have strongly opposed differentiating pay based on
student performance, but we found evidence that those attitudes may be
changing among Gen Y teachers," said Jane Coggshall, Ph.D., co-principal
investigator for the Supporting Teacher Talent study. "However, young
teachers, like teachers of all ages, are concerned about using standardized
test scores as the principal criterion."

According to Sabrina Laine, Ph.D., chief program officer for educator quality
at Learning Point Associates, "The study findings send a strong message to
school leaders who need to recognize that to retain our best teachers, it is
imperative to support teacher effectiveness through improved teaching and
learning conditions because teachers, more than anything, want to make a
difference for their students."

The study explores the attitudes of all teachers toward how they wish to be
compensated, examines how they view their unions, and expands on the following
findings:

1. Most Gen Y teachers support incentive pay for teachers who consistently
work harder and put in more time and effort than other teachers. Seventy-one
percent of Gen Y teachers favor giving financial incentives to teachers who
consistently work harder, putting in more time and effort than other teachers,
with 25 percent "strongly" in favor.

2. Gen Y teachers are deeply concerned about using standardized test scores to
measure their performance. Only 10 percent of Gen Y teachers think that how
well students perform on standardized tests is an "excellent" measure of
success as a teacher, and 72 percent of them believe it is unfair to tie
teacher pay to how well students perform when so many things that affect
learning are beyond their control.

Despite openness to incentive pay, it is not Gen Y's first choice as a
strategy for improving teaching. The idea of tying teacher rewards to student
performance ranked last among 12 proposals, including requiring new teachers
to spend more time teaching in classrooms under the supervision of experienced
teachers, requiring teachers to pass tough tests of their knowledge of the
subjects they are teaching, and ensuring that the latest technology is
available in each classroom to aid instruction.

3. Teachers' concerns that unions sometimes protect seriously underperforming
teachers have risen in recent years. Sixty-six percent of all teachers agreed
that unions sometimes fight to protect teachers who should not be in the
classroom, as compared with 48 percent of teachers who agreed with this
statement in 2003.

Supporting Teacher Talent: The View From Generation Y is based on six focus
group interviews conducted throughout the country as well as a national,
random-sample survey of 890 public school teachers conducted in spring and
summer 2009, including an oversample of 241 teachers aged 32 and under. The
work was underwritten by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Joyce
Foundation.

For more details, visit
-- http://www.publicagenda.org/pages/teaching-for-a-living

-- http://www.learningpt.org/expertise/educatorquality/genY/index.php

About Public Agenda
Public Agenda (http://www.publicagenda.org) is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to nonpartisan public policy research. Founded in 1975 by former
U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Daniel Yankelovich, the social
scientist and author, Public Agenda is well respected for its influential
public opinion surveys and balanced citizen education materials. Its mission
is to inject the public's voice into crucial policy debates.

About Learning Point Associates
Learning Point Associates is a nationally recognized, nonprofit education
research and consulting organization with 25 years of experience working with
educators and policymakers to transform education systems and student
learning. Our reputation is built on a solid foundation of designing and
conducting rigorous and relevant education research and evaluations;
developing and delivering tools, services, and resources targeted at pressing
education issues; and analyzing and synthesizing education policy trends and
practices. Our professional staff of 150 continues to grow as our work expands
both nationally and internationally. Our offices are located in Chicago;
Washington, D.C.; Naperville, Illinois; and New York. For more information,
please visit http://www.learningpt.org.

SOURCE Public Agenda

Melissa Feldsher of Public Agenda, +1-212-686-6610, ext. 50,
mfeldsher@publicagenda.org