TRENDS ANALYSIS

REPORTEDU 723 Contemporary Issues in Education

Franciscan University

By – Jennifer Behr

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

~ Malcolm X

INTRODUCTION

Trends help us identify areas in education that do or soon will have an impact on society.

We can spot trends through our intuition, things we hear or read about, evidence that becomes more clear, or through a systematic analysis of what is mentioned in the media.

This project will identify some of those trends and take you through an analysis of each one, and their impact on education.

43RD ANNUAL PHI DELTA KAPPA/GALLUP POLL

The 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll highlights what Americans say about public schools.

The following areas are addressed:

Teaching as a career Recruiting and retaining great teachers Unions Salaries Layoffs Quality teaching School choice, charters, and vouchers Digital learning and technology Biggest problem facing education Preparing students for the future

TRENDS

Recruiting and Retaining Great Teachers

Biggest Problem Facing Education

Preparing Students for the Future

TRENDS ANALYSIS REPORT

My Trends Analysis Report will include –

An analysis of each of the three previously mentioned trends.

The impact of each trend on education in general.

The impact of each trend on PA Cyber specifically.

Potential threats for PA Cyber.

Potential opportunities for PA Cyber.

Recommendations for PA Cyber, including a course of action and a timeline for implementing that course of action.

RECRUITING AND RETAINING GREAT TEACHERS

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll –

Three out of four Americans support recruiting high-achieving high school students to become teachers.

The same percentage also would encourage the brightest person they know to become a teacher.

About half felt that becoming a math or science teacher was just as important as becoming a scientist.

However, two of three Americans believe teaching comes more from a natural, innate talent rather than from college training on how to teach.

“The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth.’ “

~ Dan Rather

RECRUITING AND RETAINING GREAT TEACHERS

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Delta Poll –

Two of three Americans would like a child of theirs to become a public school teacher.

Almost three of four Americans have trust and confidence in public school teachers.

Three of four American believe teachers should have flexibility to teach in the ways they think best rather than being required to follow a specific curriculum.

HOWEVER …..

Americans are concerned their public schools are having difficulty getting good teachers.

Americans say they hear more bad stories than good stories about teachers.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Teaching is a highly-respected profession.

Value is being added to specific areas that will impact our future, including teaching math and science.

Public schools are gaining ground, but there is clearly work to be done.

Teachers should be able to use their own devices to teach students.

IMPACT ON EDUCATION

Recruitment - preparing our teachers in different ways – alternative routes.

programs developed in response to labor market needs

coursework which allows participants to enroll in an abbreviated program before becoming a teacher, then completing coursework while teaching full-time

programs can be successful in recruiting and attracting a new pool of teachers, including male teachers

IMPACT ON EDUCATION (CONT.)

Recruitment – appealing to Generation Y teachers.

utilization of technology in the recruitment process

school website

application process

social networking

IMPACT ON EDUCATION (CONT.)

Retention

supportive school leadership

parental engagement

adequate resources for public education

supportive and trustworthy colleagues

opportunities for growth within the school

continuing education

IMPACT ON PA CYBER

In terms of Recruitment……

PA Cyber utilizes technology and on-line sources to recruit teachers.

PA Cyber utilizes more traditional approaches to recruitment, including contact with local colleges and job fairs.

PA Cyber relies on employees and the community to spread the word about employment opportunities and the fact that we are a great place to work – voted two years in a row as one of the Best Places to Work.

IMPACT ON PA CYBER

In terms of Retention……

PA Cyber has implemented programs that appeal to employees, including the Wellness Program, continuing education programs, co-teaching and mentoring programs.

PA Cyber has a unique working environment that is inviting, fun, relaxed, and personal.

PA Cyber has an approachable administration that creates bonds with its employees.

POTENTIAL THREATS FOR PA CYBER In terms of Recruitment …….we need

to continue the process. If we stop, we will fail to reach the teachers we need to.

PA Cyber needs to continue to be cutting edge, creating opportunities for prospective teachers to view our accomplishments and buy-into our mission.

PA Cyber needs to utilize technology and on-line sources in the recruitment process, yet still maintain contact with local colleges through job fairs and classroom meetings.

PA Cyber needs to continue to utilize word-of-mouth and employee recommendation in the recruitment process.

POTENTIAL THREATS FOR PA CYBER

In terms of Retention……issues and concerns from employees need to take center stage. If PA Cyber falls behind in these areas, retention of great teachers will surely falter.

PA Cyber needs to address employee concerns, especially related to salary and equity in compensation for comparable positions.

PA Cyber needs to continue to focus on areas employees are drawn to and provide new and continuing opportunities for success.

POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PA CYBER

Recruitment – PA Cyber is in a unique position that allows for easy recruitment on-line and directly throughout the community.

Retention – PA Cyber has created a specialized learning and working environment that provides success and on-going opportunities for all of its employees.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Course of Action –

PA Cyber needs to make recruitment and retention a priority. Our school was designed on technology and we need to continue efforts to provide cutting edge opportunities for recruiting new employees and retaining the ones we have.

We need to maintain favorable communication within the community and continue to earn our place in the educational community.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Timeline –

Great teachers are few and far between. In order to recruit and retain such teachers, PA Cyber needs to utilize current measures in place in these areas, as well as remain up-to-date on outside sources that are effective tools in recruiting effective teachers and retaining them.

As new measures or techniques become available, PA Cyber needs to move forward in the areas of recruitment and retention. There are measures in place currently, but this trend needs to be on-going, and revisited on a regular basis, through regular administrative and/or Board meetings.

BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING EDUCATION

Question?

“What do you think the biggest problems that the public schools in your community must deal with?”

Additionally, Americans were asked to assign grades, from A to Fail, in response to questions concerning their local schools, the nation’s schools, and the school their oldest child attends.

Americans were also asked to grade Barack Obama, and give their perception on his support of public schools.

“The main failure of education is that it has not prepared people to comprehend matters concerning human destiny.”

~ Norman Cousins

BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING EDUCATION

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll –

44% of Americans indicated school funding, or lack thereof, is the biggest problem facing education.

Also included were overcrowded schools, lack of discipline, and lack of parental support.

Together, though, these only totaled 11%.

The percentage of A’s and B’s Americans gave local schools is at an all-time high of 51%.

The percentage of Americans giving their local schools an A is the highest on record at 14%.

BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING EDUCATION

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll –

American’s perception of the nation’s schools continues to decline – only 17% assigned a grade of A or B.

The percentage of D’s and Fails is increasing.

WHY such a disparity? Americans said they overwhelmingly based their responses about their local schools and immediate community on their personal knowledge of the schools.

Some believed they assigned low grades for the nation’s schools based on negative media information.

BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING EDUCATION

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll –

79% of parents assigned grades of A or B to the school their oldest child attends.

69% of Americans gave teachers grades of an A or B – up 19% from a percentage of only 50% back in 1984.

54% of Americans also scored principals and other administrators with an A or B.

President Barrack Obama’s performance has improved according to Americans as 41% of Americans gave him a score of A or B in his support of public schools.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

School funding needs to be addressed.

Public schools and education needs to be more positively portrayed in the media.

There needs to be a national awareness type movement in our country in an attempt to unite Americans in support of our educational system.

IMPACT ON EDUCATION

Many public schools are suffering due to lack of funding, especially urban and rural school districts.

Despite the challenges, public schools around the country are gaining ground.

Unless the media coverage of our nation’s schools is turned around, it is likely American’s will continue to view our education system as a failing process.

Public Schools need to be creative with their funding.

IMPACT ON PA CYBER

The potential for funding to be cut for PA Cyber is increasing as more and more school districts fight for the limited funds they have.

The community and media play an intricate role in the overall perception of schools, making their role in the public’s perception of PA Cyber very important.

POTENTIAL THREATS FOR PA CYBER

If funding is cut, PA Cyber will face many struggles and programs may need to be cut.

If the community believes the role of PA Cyber in education is faltering, they could potentially play a role in its demise.

If the media chooses to present PA Cyber in a negative light, the strengths of PA Cyber could be placed in jeopardy.

If families/students are unhappy with the education they are receiving at PA Cyber, they could impact future enrollment.

POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PA CYBER

PA Cyber has strong support within the community and is gaining momentum with each passing year.

Family and student support appears to be strong as PA Cyber’s enrollment continues to grow and families continue to recommend the program to other families.

PA Cyber has the potential to continue to be the largest, best, most effective Cyber Charter School in the country.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Course of Action –

PA Cyber needs to address any and all concerns brought about by Americans in the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll. Each and every area needs to be explored, compared to their current educational environment, and then they need to directly curtail anything which may negatively impact their school.

PA Cyber needs to keep its focus on hiring qualified educators which will support a successful learning environment for its students.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Timeline

There is no time to waste when it comes to addressing the biggest issues facing education today.

PA Cyber needs to have an immediate plan of action that will keep our school cutting edge and at the same time go above and beyond to meet the needs of our families and students.

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll –

Americans consider a high school graduate more ready for the world than a high school dropout.

Two of every three respondents know someone who has earned a GED, certifying their high school-level academic knowledge and skills.

Three out of every four consider the GED a path to greater readiness for the future.

“If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.”

~ Winston Churchill

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll –

College graduates are considered most ready for the world of work……BUT not all Americans believe that a college degree is sufficient for readiness.

Parents with school-aged children are hopeful about the education futures of their children……. BUT less hopeful that their children will land a good job one day.

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE

Findings of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll –

Regarding educations practices and conditions that might promote readiness, most parents agree that …..

schools are safe education is relevant teachers encourage students to do what they do best teachers recognize and praise students for good

schoolwork

BUT ….. Parents believe they’re more generous with praise and recognition than their children’s teachers.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

We need to make sure our students are making it to their high school graduation – and beyond.

We need to go beyond the college diploma when it comes to preparing our students for the workplace.

We need to create a secure present and future for our students in terms of successful opportunities for them once they make it out into the workplace.

We need to continue to promote relevant educational opportunities in and out of the classroom and always provide learning that will help students succeed in the future.

IMPACT ON EDUCATION

Education in general needs to make some dramatic changes to incorporate the needs of today’s students.

Public Schools need to make graduation for all students a priority.

Opportunities beyond the classroom need to be made readily available to all students – made universal among schools, districts, communities, and states.

IMPACT ON PA CYBER

PA Cyber needs to remain cutting edge in all program areas.

PA Cyber must incorporate methods and opportunities for students to grow and learn outside of the classroom.

PA Cyber needs to play its role in helping to create and maintain a working future for our students.

POTENTIAL THREATS FOR PA CYBER

If PA Cyber does not remain cutting edge in all areas of its programming, the chance for the competition to take over will be high.

As a Cyber Charter School, PA Cyber is more under the microscope than a typical public school, making it even more necessary for them to raise the bar for students and have students graduate and become productive members of society.

POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PA CYBER

PA Cyber has the opportunity to prove to the community, state, and the country that they truly are the school of the future.

PA Cyber has the opportunity to take their students into the future which is being demonstrated currently with the development of the STEM Program.

PA Cyber’s cutting edge technology and programming will continue to create new opportunities for their school and its students.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Course of Action – the future is not ceasing to emerge, which means PA Cyber needs to act now in preparing our students for the future. We need to have in place programs and opportunities, in and out of the classroom, for our students to prepare for the unknown which lies ahead in the future.

Timeline – This trend is upon us now and PA Cyber is and should continue to work on preparing our students for the future.

CONCLUSION

Whatever we do, we need to always try and be sure that the action we take, regarding these and other trends, is not just a one-shot deal.

In a world moving at rocket speed, the quest to redefine our schools and refresh our thinking is an ongoing process.

RESOURCES

Highlights of the 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll. What Americans said about the public schools, as retrieved from http://www.pdkintl.org/poll/docs/pdkpoll43_2011.pdf

Grossman, P., & Loeb, S. (2010). Learning from multiple routes. Educational Leadership.

Behrstock-Sherratt, E., & Coggshall, J. (2010). Realizing the promise of generation y. Educational Leadership,

Marx, G. (2006). Sixteen trends: their profound impact on our future. Alexandria, VA: Educational Research Service.

“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.”

~ John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) Thirty-fifth President of the USA