HSE-9 Exploring Elementary Teachers' Implementation Journey with Reading Programs
Abstract
Research indicates that elementary teachers are often required to implement new reading programs as a result of federal and state requirements. However, when districts do not provide professional development, teachers tend to rely on methods they are most familiar with, which means the mandated reading programs do not get implemented with fidelity. In order to determine how many reading programs elementary teachers had been trained on since they started teaching, I administered a nationwide survey via Facebook. Of the participants (N=63), the majority had been teaching for 5-9 years. I gathered data on whether teachers felt adequately prepared to implement new reading programs when they were adopted by their districts, and if they had to supplement comprehensive programs with their own instructional methods. I also asked teachers if there was one particular program they considered to be most effective. The results of my survey indicated that 38% of teachers did not receive training on new reading programs that their districts required them to implement, and 67% of teachers only “sometimes” felt adequately prepared to implement the program. There were teachers who had been teaching between 10-14 years who had to implement up to 9 new reading programs. One teacher had only been teaching 5-9 years and had implemented 7 new programs. Nearly all of the teachers had to pull supplemental instructional resources to assist with the implementation of the reading programs. Overall, there was vast disagreement among the teachers on which programs they found effective and which programs they found ineffective.
Keywords
Reading Programs, Elementary Education, Professional Development
HSE-9 Exploring Elementary Teachers' Implementation Journey with Reading Programs
University Readiness Center Greatroom
Research indicates that elementary teachers are often required to implement new reading programs as a result of federal and state requirements. However, when districts do not provide professional development, teachers tend to rely on methods they are most familiar with, which means the mandated reading programs do not get implemented with fidelity. In order to determine how many reading programs elementary teachers had been trained on since they started teaching, I administered a nationwide survey via Facebook. Of the participants (N=63), the majority had been teaching for 5-9 years. I gathered data on whether teachers felt adequately prepared to implement new reading programs when they were adopted by their districts, and if they had to supplement comprehensive programs with their own instructional methods. I also asked teachers if there was one particular program they considered to be most effective. The results of my survey indicated that 38% of teachers did not receive training on new reading programs that their districts required them to implement, and 67% of teachers only “sometimes” felt adequately prepared to implement the program. There were teachers who had been teaching between 10-14 years who had to implement up to 9 new reading programs. One teacher had only been teaching 5-9 years and had implemented 7 new programs. Nearly all of the teachers had to pull supplemental instructional resources to assist with the implementation of the reading programs. Overall, there was vast disagreement among the teachers on which programs they found effective and which programs they found ineffective.