For example, the program sponsors Family Math Nights in which parents and students learn math concepts together. A disconnect exists between how parents, teachers and the public view public schools and what teachers of teachers think about education, according to a new survey released by the New York-based Public Agenda. In previous surveys, teachers, parents and the public found maintaining discipline and order in the classroom essential. But the disconnect between what the professors want and what most parents, teaches, business leaders and students say they need is often staggering. The survey also revealed that teachers of teachers value process over content.
Professors also promote a greater reliance on tools and less on teaching specific facts.
Teachers of teachers agree with the public that American students should be challenged more in school, but the professors are somewhat reluctant to endorse testing as the way to instill higher standards. Nearly half would require grade schools students to pass a test showing mastery of higher standards before they are promoted to junior high. All children in America will start school ready to learn. The high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent. The Nation's teaching force will have access to programs for the continued improvement of their professional skills and the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to instruct and prepare all American students for the next century.