The Peter D. Hart Research Associates survey included responses from a representative national sample of 1,075 K-12 teachers who are AFT members. The polls reveal that, despite greater demands being placed on them, teachers and principals strongly back efforts to hold students to rigorous academic standards and see beneficial changes in their schools thanks to standards-based reform. The longer teachers work with the standards agenda, the better they like it. Almost three-quarters of teachers who worked with standards for at least six years say these efforts have had a positive impact on their school, compared to 62 percent of the teachers who had used standards for less time. Even in the poorest schools, teachers' support for standards-based reform is strong.
Educators believe that standards-based reform is making a difference in their schools.
Only 8 percent say that very little has changed. Areas for improvement Teachers surveyed were also adamant about steps that could be taken to make standards-based reform more effective. In fact, about seven out of 10 teachers, and two-thirds of principals, say states and schools need to improve the way they implement standards. Some 36 percent of teachers say that standards are being implemented too quickly. And even educators supportive of high standards express concern that tests tied to those standards remain too narrowly focused and require preparation that diverts student attention from mastering rich academic content.