Towards Creating a Feedback Loop: Assessing Perceptions of Teacher Preparedness and Beliefs About Student Learning Amongst Math Teachers, University Faculty, and School District Administrators
2. Claims Examined
One of the goals of MSPs is to build partnerships between K-12 and higher education
institutions. Generally, state departments of education and other accreditation
agencies such as NCATE require some sort of partnership between universities and K-12
institutions, if for no other reason than the relationships essential for the placement of
student teachers. However, upon closer examination, those partnerships do not appear
have the characteristics of a feedback loop, which one might reasonably imagine should be
an element of a true partnership.
The initial phase of this study examined
three related claims:
- That there is congruence between the content math and science teachers receive in their university preparation programs and the content they need to have as STEM in-service teachers measured by perceptions of preparedness from different constituencies
- That there is congruence regarding beliefs about student learning (defined in a number of different ways) between science and math teachers, the university faculty who prepared them to be teachers, and the school administrators who hire and supervise them.
- That the sharing of research findings about these issues with university faculty, teacher graduates, and school administrators would have a positive effect on their desire and ability to create a feedback loop for these issues.
