school curriculum essay

Importance of History Essay

by perry3320

Some people say History is one of the most important school subjects. Other People think that, in today's world, subjects like Science and Technology are more important than History. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Nowadays, many students have to study so many subjects such as Mathematics, Science, History etc at school, especially in secondary school. Some individuals argued that History subject is one of the most essential school subjects while other believed that subjects like Science and Technology are more significant than history. In my opinions, Science and Technology is way important than History. History is one of the factors that pushing the country to be improved. Democracy is one of the main spirits that the western countries contained and believed. However, democracy is the result of the changing of dictatorship era. So many countries had undergone the periods of dictatorship such as Taiwan with no freedom of speech, or freedom of thinking or people even got arrested because of anti-government. Since, these had been mentioned in history subjects and they used to be taught the people of Taiwan that these periods should not be happened again. Nevertheless, the knowledge of History cannot help creating a better living styles in modern world. Innovation is the main spirit in recent world. As the developments of science technology are being advanced day by day, they bring us tons of benefits such as medical. In the past, there were so many side effects after taking different kinds of medicine or undergoing medical treatments. As the developments of medical technology, new medicines and medical therapies have been implemented with fewer side effects and shorter recovery periods. Thus, the innovation of science and technology can bring somethings that History cannot be brought. So, the subject of Science and Technology can enhance a better future. To sum up, I believe society can be improved by Science and Technology. I think all schools should be focused on teaching it. As the populations of the world are aging, we need to develop so many technics to counter the decline of manpower. Therefore, I believe Science and Technology is way important than History subjects in school. Remarks: Can I get 5.5 or 6?

Essay on Studying the Past at School

by Linh Trang (Vietnam)

To some people studying the past has little value in the modern world. Why do you think it is important to learn the past? What will be the effect if children are not taught history? Some people assume that the present is hardly getting involved in the history, so learning about the past is not important. In this essay, I am going to give several reasons for studying this subject along with some problems that could emerge if it is not taught at school. In my opinion, there are two main reasons requiring us to know about history. First of all, when the young are reminded of majestic events in the past, their patriotism can be stimulated. For example, after searching information on history to preparing for a presentation at school, my sister now becomes more proud of her country. Moreover, commemorating the past through lessons enables children to gain a reservoir of knowledge and experiences. If students are not educated in history, there will be some negative effects on themselves as well as the society. Without knowing history, the new generation may gradually become ungrateful and neglectful. Besides, the national security and defense will be put in jeopardy due to children lacking historic comprehension. Specifically, a recent magazine has indicated that a country can not survive without being loved by its people. In conclusion, studying the past plays an important role in nations' existence, as a result, it is crucial for youngsters to learn it. I advocate that the government should take more measures to generalize history to the young in particular and the publicity in general. *** Please provide me with some feedback on my essay about learning history. Thanks.

When to Learn English Essay

by Muhammad (Pakistan)

Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary schools rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? It is argued by some professionals that adolescents should learn an extra language along with the local language of their country in their kindergarten school instead of learning in secondary school.This essay will discuss both advantage and disadvantage and will submit that the benefits are far reaching than the drawbacks. Learning a second dialect in primary school has outstanding prospects in practical life.When a person used to know a second language in their junior school,they would have better opportunities during applying for a job or working with a high standard company.As a matter of fact,nowadays, employers demand extraordinary skilled graduates with creative mind,multilingual and outspoken, and all these qualities are accessed by being a bilingual person.Many researches showed that to learn an extra language helps in developing a creative mind, and these individuals are more creative than monolinguals.Moreover,it is commonly noticed that multi-dialect students have exceptional grades in professional studies.Therefore,I personally believe a multilingual person has widespread advantages in the future besides being in the present too. Nevertheless,primary school goers are in an impressionable age and having an extra course can be tiresome to them.During middle grade studies,a student has to study a number of subjects and if an additional part is also included with the majors,could prove a burden and ultimately failure in the school.For instance,many people feel that inclusion of an unimportant topic has many bad outcomes regarding performance and health too.However,most of the student do not face these type of problems until they have proper guidance and support. In conclusion,learning a second language in primary school has prominent advantages in term of better career prospects, creative thinking and most effectively,excellent results in tertiary school education,while being losing in their exam due to extra subject is taken as a negative notion.However,proper counselling can prevent this effect too.

IELTS Essay: Priority of School Subjects

by vedika patil (india)

Subjects like arts, music and drama are more important than other school subjects and therefore should be give more time in the calendar. Do you agree or disagree? I think in today more focus is put on the sciences. Such subjects are considered superior and to have better job opportunities. but in my opinion other subjects like arts music and drama are also equally important. if learn these subjects, we can perceive things differently. I think these subjects have always been present in human civilization. these subjects help us express better. Of course, we cannot neglect the great inventions of science and how they have made our life easier. but i think there should be more focus on other subjects in timetable. most of the times arts, music and drama are considered as hobbies and occupy negligible time on the timetable. in 21st century there is lot of consideration given to these fields. and people are appreciative of arts. as we all know entertainment industry is one of the biggest industries in the world and profit earning too. students aspiring to be actors and actresses. join the dram clubs to polish their skills. if they have good teachers , it will be is for them to join the field. music is inevitable part of life for some people, and they aspire work in the same field. but they don't receive the sufficient support and information from high school, and therefore are unable to chase their dreams. i think learning others subjects is important as much as learning arts, music and drama is. but for that we need proper guidance and support.

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How to Write Brown’s Open Curriculum Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Shane Niesen and Vinay Bhaskara in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info. 

What’s Covered:

Showcase your academic passions.

• Demonstrate Interdisciplinary Thinking

Approach This as a “Why Brown” Question

Do your research.

The first Brown University supplemental essay asks students to respond to the following prompt: 

Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)

In this article, we discuss how to demonstrate your academic passions and interdisciplinary thinking, how to make this a “why Brown” essay, and the importance of doing your research.

The best way to think of this prompt is as a “why major” essay , which is a commonly used prompt by many colleges. However, keep in mind that this prompt is asking you to put more of an emphasis on subjects that you’re not necessarily going to major in but that interest you. Therefore, the essay should provide a clear insight into your academic passions and how you will pursue them instead of your intended major. 

One strategy when approaching this prompt is to explore topics or hobbies that you enjoy but that are not directly related to your intended career path, as you can use this essay to expand upon these alongside your major. 

Demonstrate Interdisciplinary Thinking 

For Brown University, interdisciplinary thinking is essential, and it is critical to demonstrate this in this essay. You can approach this in two ways. Either you can narrow your essay down to one specific discipline that combines multiple subject areas, or you can write about the common interest that motivates you to pursue multiple subject areas.

Combine Two Subjects into One Discipline

For the first strategy, try combining multiple topics that you are interested in to arrive at a specific discipline, like combining neurology and psychology to get neuropsychology. This may require extra research into the various majors and departments at Brown, and you can even get a little creative in the way that you tie together your interests. One caveat, however, is to not stretch this too much; if you can’t think of one overarching discipline, it may be best to employ another strategy for this essay. 

Find a Common Thread Among Multiple Disciplines

The second strategy is to reflect on various subjects that you are interested in and try to find a common thread or similarity that interests you in those topics. For example, if you are interested in history, economics, psychology, and sociology, the common thread might be understanding how societies function or the relationship between people and markets. You can use this central theme as a way to highlight the different disciplines that interest you and to clearly show the reader what about them is so compelling to you personally.

As you work to demonstrate your interdisciplinary thinking through this essay, remember that this is a short essay with a limit of 200-250 words. We recommend sticking to two subjects maximum and simply mentioning other disciplines rather than discussing them deeply. 

Additionally, it’s okay if you’re divided between two different subjects that are hard to reconcile. If you choose to include topics like this, make sure to give insight into why they are challenging to combine and what draws you to each.

Since Brown’s academic branding is highly focused on the open curriculum, this essay is also like a “Why Brown” essay. In fact, in the past, this prompt used to include a question about “Why Brown?” alongside the language about Brown’s open curriculum. 

Therefore, when writing this essay, try to frame your interests in a way that shows that the open curriculum at Brown is the best way to explore them. Demonstrate that you would be served well by having the opportunities specifically allotted to you by Brown to explore your academic interests and that it would be much harder for you to do so in a core curriculum system.

Before you write, be sure to do your research into academic opportunities and programs related to your interests at Brown. Ultimately, you will want to tie in any relevant academic offerings at the university naturally into your essay. 

For example, if you are interested in biology and geology and plan to write about your fascination with the line between living organisms and the natural world, you will also need to include specific examples as to how you will pursue these interests at Brown.

Something that you might want to bring up are the Departments of Earth, Environments and Planetary Sciences, or DEEPS, which at Brown, is the overarching academic department covering both biology and earth sciences. By doing your research into Brown’s academic offerings and course structure, you’ll be better able to organically explain why you specifically seek to pursue your interests at Brown.

Keep in mind that when including specific opportunities and programs, you should not be artificial. It is important to show that you’ve done the research, but it has to come from the heart, or admissions officers will immediately notice, and you may sound awkward or inauthentic. 

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8 Designing and Assessing Aims, Goals, Objectives (AGO) 

“The continual dialogue and reflection on aims [should come] at a time when economics, advancement in social status, and standardized testing seem to be the purpose of schooling.” — Noddings 2003

Introduction

The benchmarks for teaching and learning are often expressed in the form of a scope (breadth of learning) and sequence (order of learning skills) to be addressed in a particular content  area, beginning with aims, moving to goals, and then objectives.  Aims, goals, and objectives are thought of as hierarchically ordered educational purposes (Noddings, 2008).

Essential Questions

• Why are curriculum coordination and articulation critical elements in the curriculum design process?
• How are aims, goals, and objectives (AGO) defined?
• How can AGO be used in curriculum planning?
• What are the advantages of behavioral objectives?
• What are the strengths of Madeline Hunter’s Lesson Plan Model? What are the drawbacks?

Curriculum Coordination and Articulation

Before Aims, Goals and Objectives can be developed, it is essential that there is a plan for what the curriculum focus will be at a given grade level, and from grade level to grade level.

Curriculum Coordination

Curriculum coordination is the extent of the focus and horizontal connectivity at a given level (or in a course) for a school or district. An example would be five teachers who teach math. For curriculum coordination to happen, the five teachers do not have to teach the same thing at the same time, but the content and scope of what is to be taught should be the same. Teachers should be given the freedom to adapt to the differences in learners, such as using appropriate strategies to meet the students’ needs (English, 2000).

Curriculum Articulation

Curriculum articulation describes the focus and vertical connectivity in a school or school system.  It describes the sequence of learning for students. For articulation to occur, curriculum designers and teachers must know what the curriculum was in the grade below and the grade above. What students know and expected to do in third grade should flow smoothly into what they need to know and be able to do in fourth grade so that they have the knowledge and skills to be successful in fifth grade. For articulation to be successful, the curriculum must be connected vertically, K-12, from elementary school to middle school through high school.

It often happens that coordination can occur at one level, but articulation is lost at the next grade level if there is not communication about the curriculum content and focus at each level.

In my experience as a coordinator of curriculum and instruction, this was a major problem with site-based management. When an individual school was in charge of developing their own curriculum, there were often duplications in content. I observed this at an elementary school where units on the rain forest were taught at every grade level. Major gaps also occurred, as in a middle school where world history/ the eastern hemisphere was not taught at all because the teachers had developed favorite units on the Civil War. This is very problematic for the next levels because students may not have the background knowledge required for the next levels of learning.

One successful plan for developing curriculum coordination and articulation is to create articulation teams; that is teachers at the different grade levels who agree on what should be taught at each level. This can also be guided in part by academic standards.

After the articulation teams have completed their work, coordination teams consisting of teachers at the same level, or those teaching the same courses, decide what content will be taught across the grade level or courses. Their work is foundational for the Aims, Goals and Objectives that follow.

Articulation and Coordination of Curriculum

The following flowchart is a visual representation of how curriculum is articulated between school levels and coordinated across grades, subjects, and courses.

Downloadable version: Chap 8 School System Unit Analysis Graph

Defining Aims, Goals, and Objectives (AGO)

In describing the differences between aims, goals, and objectives, Leslie Owen Wilson in The Second Principle states that:

AGO is not only an easy acronym, it is an easy way to remember the correct progression from larger ideas to smaller instructional components. In everyday English we tend to use these terms interchangeably. Within the educational lexicon of curriculum development, for the past three decades scores of curriculum scholars, planners, and administrators have been trying to standardize terms  so that they refer to very specific curricular components. The following definitions are broadly accepted by groups trying to standardize terms for writing curriculum. They are also attempting to standardize these terms so that they are not confusing to readers and users. (It might be helpful to remember the acronym AGO in order to get the sequence straight.)

Aims provide the general direction of learning and are written in broad terms that encompass more than one grade level. Standards are often used as aims. For example, The Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) are the expectations of what students need to know and be able to do at the end of each grade. They also stand as the values and content organizers of what Colorado sees as the future skills and essential knowledge for our next generation to be more successful. State standards are the basis of the annual state assessment. An example of an aim for students in all grades is “Apply standard English conventions to effectively communicate with written language.”

Goal statements are more specific than aims, and they describe learning expectations for students. An example of goal for sixth-grade writers is “Edit for grammar, usage, correct spelling and clarity to give writing its precision and legitimacy.”

Objectives are specific, measurable competencies that are assessed to determine whether the goal (or part of a goal) had been met. An example of a specific lesson objective is “The student will write an essay on ‘My Favorite Pet’ with no spelling errors.” Please note that the entire goal is not met as a result of this objective, but rather a part of the goal.

Clarifying AGOs

Some confusion has arisen in the U.S.  because the three terms have been collapsed into “standards.” Noddings stresses that the terms are not as important as the underlying structure and how they are related. There have been instances in curriculum development where aims and goals have been eliminated in favor of objectives, which are measurable. This is a mistake because the “vagueness” of aims and goals statements can be useful because it invites “aims talk.”

These “talks” can be very productive because they require curriculum developers, teachers, administrators, and the community to determine whether or not the broad learnings described by the aims reflect the values of the schools and community as well as alignment with the local or state standards. For instance, if an aim of the curriculum is to prepare students to be literate members of a democratic society, this is very broad, and must be “filled out” as goals (Noddings, 2007).  It might follow that a fifth-grade goal would be for students to learn about American history with a goal of “understanding the importance of the Declaration of Independence.”

The next step after establishing goals is to construct objectives to define what “understanding” means. This translates into measurable student objectives, such as, “Describe how the Declaration of Independence lead to the Revolutionary War.” In teaching to this objective, the role of the teacher is to keep the goal and aim in mind and then provide meaningful learning activities to help students meet the objective.

The challenge with the terms aims, goals, and objectives is that there is little consensus on what they mean, except that they all have to do with what students should know and be able to do (Marzano, 2013). For further explanation, details, and examples of AGOs, refer to the Curriculum Development: Aims, Goals and objective purpose in curriculum development Slideshare.

Marzano offers five recommendations to help educators evaluate how their terms align:

Downloadable version: Five Recommendations for Terms Alignment

There is an art to writing good curriculum and clear objectives. Wilson (2020) states that objectives are used in most lessons, and they generally describe the process of writing curriculum using behavioral objectives so that the teacher will know whether or not learning has occurred.  She is quick to point out that there are other types of objectives, such as those in problem-based learning.  Some advantages of behavioral objectives, according to Wilson, are that they are easy to write, and to generally easy to evaluate.

Writing Good Curriculum That Is Teacher Friendly

In addition to the having appropriate aims, goals and objectives, it is important that the end product is teacher friendly and something they want to use. Wilson does an excellent job of describing this in Writing Good Curriculum on The Second Principle.

Madeline Hunter, who was an early advocate of objectives, is well known for her lesson plan model that is very structured. My personal experience with Madeline was when she came to our district and offered this analogy: “Is it better to have a lesson that uses a ‘shotgun’ approach which is lacking a logical sequence that may be haphazard in terms of planning and teaching, or a ‘string of pearls’” which has a logical sequence to the lesson and is planned and explicit? This was an excellent question at a time when site-based management was very popular, and teachers often relied on spur-of-the-moment lessons that were of questionable quality. Hunter’s “String of Pearls” approach is as follows:

Downloadable version: Madeline Hunter’s String of Pearls .

Closure was always my favorite part of the lesson, because I could find out what the students learned, or in some cases, thought they had learned. I also found that students retained the concepts longer if they were able to reiterate what they learned.

One of the reasons Hunter’s Lesson Plan became so popular was because it offered a road map for learning at a time when teachers did not always have a direction.  Her “Direct Instruction” model was welcomed by administrators because they could provide guidance to new teachers.  All these things were well and good, but in many cases, the model was used in a rigid way that I believe Hunter never intended. Hunter was open to adapting lessons and leaving out steps if that was appropriate for the students. As a university instructor, I have often used the Hunter Lesson Plan Model when teaching undergraduate literacy courses and in supervising student teachers. However, it is not the only teaching model, and it is not an appropriate plan for problem-based learning or learning scenarios that require more creative thinking. Not all lessons can be described in behavioral objectives, particularly those that are based on problem-solving or constructivist in nature. It is, however, a good starting point, but it should be only one of many teaching models in a master teacher’s toolbox.

The inclusion aims, goals, and objectives are an important part of curriculum development, but the process should open to including lessons that encourage problem-solving and inquiry that do not require pre-written objectives, but are still specific in terms of the larger learning goals.

Interactive Learning Activity (ILA) 8.1

Download and then use the following Venn diagram to compare Leslie Owen Wilson’s approach to writing curriculum with Hunter’s lesson plan. Which areas overlap? Which areas are unique to the individual approaches? Respond with your findings using the ILA Responses group in the Hypothesis annotation tool.

Venn Diagram

In curriculum planning, aims, goals and objectives are tools used in curriculum development because they provide a hierarchical system for all grade levels/subjects with aims, then goals for specific subjects/grade levels or units, and finally objectives for individual lessons. The Hunter Model is useful for curriculum planning, but it has limits in terms of defining learning in behavioral terms. The next chapter will explore how educators can plan for lessons that encourage problem solving and creative thinking.

Additional Information

The following resources may be helpful in writing teacher-friendly curriculum and designing aims, goals, and objectives:

• Curriculum Studies, Appendix: II—pp. 116-117
• The Second Principle, Writing Curriculum:  Aims, Goals and Objectives
• Designing and Assessing Educational Objectives

Curriculum Essentials: A Journey Copyright © 2021 by Linda J. Button, Ed.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Why you should care (a lot) about a school’s curriculum

by: The GreatSchools Editorial Team | Updated: September 20, 2023

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Do you know the curriculum at your child’s school? If your answer is “no,” you’re not alone. The reality is that most parents know little to nothing about a school’s curriculum. (You’re also forgiven if you don’t quite know what a curriculum is. More on that below.)

Many parents also may not know the importance of a curriculum on the quality and outcome of their child’s education. Adding to the confusion around curricula in American schools? Some schools have them, and others don’t. Among those that have a clearly defined curriculum, some are good and even great, and others not so much.

For starters, there are two basic rules of thumb when it comes to curriculum: 1) Having a curriculum is better than not having one (though there may be a few renegade outliers to this rule); and 2) Having an excellent curriculum is far better than having a mediocre one.

So what’s a curriculum, anyway?

For many, the first thing that springs to mind is a textbook. But a good curriculum should offer more than compendiums of facts and problem sets.

“It’s beyond textbooks,” says Javier Cabra Walteros, chief academic officer of Envision Education , which operates three charter schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. “[It’s] about the promise we give to parents when we say we’re preparing their students for college and the world.”

In other words, a curriculum comprises all the materials and experiences used to teach a student what they need to learn. This means that along with textbooks, a curriculum could include everything from online tutorials from, for example, Khan Academy to field trips to at-home projects to internships and other learning experiences.

A good curriculum should also give teachers a roadmap for grade-level learning goals, based on the standards established by a state’s education department . On average, districts adopt new curricular materials every five to seven years, according to Lauren Weisskirk, chief strategy officer of EdReports.org , an independent nonprofit that reviews curriculum and instructional materials.

A curriculum doesn’t usually include lesson plans. Teachers still need a daily plan to guide how they teach the material. So in practice, this could mean that in a history class studying the Civil Rights Movement, a student will read Martin Luther King’s, “Letter from A Birmingham Jail,” read a relevant chapter from a newly published textbook, and write a paper on the topic. The teacher would still need to plan the day-to-day and minute-to-minute lessons to engage students in this material. In a more innovative classroom, the students might take greater ownership in their learning by collaborating in how and what they learn. They might devise a unique project to show what they’ve learned or help define how they approach the topic.

Why having a good curriculum matters

Decades of research have confirmed that a well-crafted curriculum is a critical factor in a student’s academic success. In particular, research points to significant gains in learning when schools shift from a weak curriculum to a strong one.

There are a range of reasons that a faulty curriculum might undermine learning at a given school. “Drill-and-kill” aka teach-to-the test curricula do little to get students excited about learning. Or the curriculum may not be appropriate for the specific school community, teaching material that is at worst, racist and culturally insensitive, or at best, antiquated and tone deaf to a 21st-century student.

As for schools with no set curriculum at all, the burden for how well a student will learn what they need to learn often falls on individual teachers, requiring them to do extensive content development and research beyond lesson planning.

How to tell if a school has a strong curriculum

Schools and districts should be able to show how their curriculum is aligned to the state standards that students are expected to master in each class and grade level. They should also be able to explain how and what students learn in any subject, be it math, history, English, or biology.

If your child’s school or teachers point to the textbooks they’re using as their “curriculum,” that may be cause for concern. “Simply buying new textbooks won’t fix the problem,” Baltimore City Schools Supt. Sonja Santelises explained in an op-ed about her district’s multiyear efforts to improve their curriculum. “If we want to ensure that all students — no matter what their zip code, family income, or background — get what they need to be successful, we must take a far more thoughtful approach to curriculum: the actual content kids learn in school.”

It’s also important that the curriculum and the materials that accompany it reflect a school’s community. This is something that many districts are attempting to address by adopting a culturally responsive curriculum that allows students of different ethnic or cultural backgrounds to see themselves in what they are learning. Unfortunately, given the existing curriculum, experts say finding a culturally responsive curriculum is anything but easy.

“The vast majority of packaged curriculum isn’t culturally responsive, anti-racist, or pro-Black,” says Cabra Walteros.

Finally, a school should be able to confirm that the school has what it takes to implement the curriculum effectively. Whether it’s novels or test tubes, teachers need training and the tools to successfully breathe life into the curriculum. In the best cases, a curriculum is always evolving, with teachers working together to improve it. At Envision Education , for example, teachers for each subject meet regularly to evolve the curriculum.

Key takeaways

For parents….

Although curriculum decisions are not easy for an individual parent to influence, there are things that parents can do to find out about and advocate for a better curriculum:

• Ask your child (or the school) what curriculum they’re using. Check the copyright year in textbooks and other materials. “If it’s from the 1990s or early 2000s, it’s not aligned to standards,” Weisskirk says.
• Then look them up on EdReports.org , an organization that employs teachers to vet established curriculum. Is the curriculum considered ineffective? Share the link to what you find with the principal and superintendent. You may make them rethink next year’s purchase!
• Tell your principal or superintendent that you want to provide feedback the next time they review the curriculum. When districts are reviewing or adopting new curriculum, they often provide opportunities for parents to participate in the process.

For educators…

If you’re spending a lot of time looking online for material to use in the classroom, you’re not alone. The average teacher spends seven to 12 hours a week searching the Internet for supplemental materials, and that’s not a bad thing. “Curriculum is not a script,” Weisskirk says.

However, it’s important to think through how well the material you bring into the classroom aligns with your curriculum, as well as how relevant it is to your students and the way they ordinarily learn in your class. This infographic from online curriculum developer Edmentum offers one lens through which to evaluate supplemental resources.

For administrators

Since cultural relevance has become an essential part of curriculum review and adoption, the best way to ensure that parents and students feel that curriculum reflects their lives is to ask them — and to cast a wide net. School leaders “should be talking to parents and the community to see what’s important to them,” Weisskirk says. To that end, Guilford County Schools in North Carolina began its work with a 75-person task force in which parents were represented, and Baltimore City Schools held multiple public feedback sessions, including one held on Facebook Live, to gather public input on proposed curriculum changes.

This article is part of our Transforming High School series , a collection of stories, videos, and podcasts exploring the practices that prepare students for success in college and beyond.

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Writing prompts to help students try out related skills in a “low stakes” way.

We publish two writing prompts every school day, and we also have thematic collections of more than 1,000 prompts published in the past. Your students might consider responding to these prompts on our site and using our public forums as a kind of “rehearsal space” for practicing voice and technique.

Daily opportunities to practice writing for an authentic audience.

If a student submits a comment on our site, it will be read by Times editors, who approve each one before it gets published. Submitting a comment also gives students an audience of fellow teenagers from around the world who might read and respond to their work. Each week, we call out our favorite comments and honor dozens of students by name in our Thursday “ Current Events Conversation ” feature.

Guided practice with mentor texts .

Each unit we publish features guided practice lessons, written directly to students, that help them observe, understand and practice the kinds of “craft moves” that make different genres of writing sing. From how to “show not tell” in narratives to how to express critical opinions , quote or paraphrase experts or craft scripts for podcasts , we have used the work of both Times journalists and the teenage winners of our contests to show students techniques they can emulate.

“Annotated by the Author” commentaries from Times writers — and teenagers.

As part of our Mentor Texts series , we’ve been asking Times journalists from desks across the newsroom to annotate their articles to let students in on their writing, research and editing processes, and we’ll be adding more for each unit this year. Whether it’s Science writer Nicholas St. Fleur on tiny tyrannosaurs , Opinion writer Aisha Harris on the cultural canon , or The Times’s comics-industry reporter, George Gene Gustines, on comic books that celebrate pride , the idea is to demystify journalism for teenagers. This year, we’ll be inviting student winners of our contests to annotate their work as well.

A contest that can act as a culminating project .

Over the years we’ve heard from many teachers that our contests serve as final projects in their classes, and this curriculum came about in large part because we want to help teachers “plan backwards” to support those projects.

All contest entries are considered by experts, whether Times journalists, outside educators from partner organizations, or professional practitioners in a related field. Winning means being published on our site, and, perhaps, in the print edition of The New York Times.

Webinars and our new professional learning community (P.L.C.).

For each of the seven units in this curriculum, we host a webinar featuring Learning Network editors as well as teachers who use The Times in their classrooms. Our webinars introduce participants to our many resources and provide practical how-to’s on how to use our prompts, mentor texts and contests in the classroom.

New for this school year, we also invite teachers to join our P.L.C. on teaching writing with The Times , where educators can share resources, strategies and inspiration about teaching with these units.

Below are the seven units we will offer in the 2020-21 school year.

September-October

Unit 1: Documenting Teenage Lives in Extraordinary Times

This special unit acknowledges both the tumultuous events of 2020 and their outsized impact on young people — and invites teenagers to respond creatively. How can they add their voices to our understanding of what this historic year will mean for their generation?

Culminating in our Coming of Age in 2020 contest, the unit helps teenagers document and respond to what it’s been like to live through what one Times article describes as “a year of tragedy, of catastrophe, of upheaval, a year that has inflicted one blow after another, a year that has filled the morgues, emptied the schools, shuttered the workplaces, swelled the unemployment lines and polarized the electorate.”

A series of writing prompts, mentor texts and a step-by-step guide will help them think deeply and analytically about who they are, how this year has impacted them, what they’d like to express as a result, and how they’d like to express it. How might they tell their unique stories in ways that feel meaningful and authentic, whether those stories are serious or funny, big or small, raw or polished?

Though the contest accepts work across genres — via words and images, video and audio — all students will also craft written artist’s statements for each piece they submit. In addition, no matter what genre of work students send in, the unit will use writing as a tool throughout to help students brainstorm, compose and edit. And, of course, this work, whether students send it to us or not, is valuable far beyond the classroom: Historians, archivists and museums recommend that we all document our experiences this year, if only for ourselves.

October-November

Unit 2: The Personal Narrative

While The Times is known for its award-winning journalism, the paper also has a robust tradition of publishing personal essays on topics like love , family , life on campus and navigating anxiety . And on our site, our daily writing prompts have long invited students to tell us their stories, too. Our 2019 collection of 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing is a good place to start, though we add more every week during the school year.

In this unit we draw on many of these resources, plus some of the 1,000-plus personal essays from the Magazine’s long-running Lives column , to help students find their own “short, memorable stories ” and tell them well. Our related mentor-text lessons can help them practice skills like writing with voice , using details to show rather than tell , structuring a narrative arc , dropping the reader into a scene and more. This year, we’ll also be including mentor text guided lessons that use the work of the 2019 student winners.

As a final project, we invite students to send finished stories to our Second Annual Personal Narrative Writing Contest .

DECEMBER-January

Unit 3: The Review

Book reports and literary essays have long been staples of language arts classrooms, but this unit encourages students to learn how to critique art in other genres as well. As we point out, a cultural review is, of course, a form of argumentative essay. Your class might be writing about Lizzo or “ Looking for Alaska ,” but they still have to make claims and support them with evidence. And, just as they must in a literature essay, they have to read (or watch, or listen to) a work closely; analyze it and understand its context; and explain what is meaningful and interesting about it.

In our Mentor Texts series , we feature the work of Times movie , restaurant , book and music critics to help students understand the elements of a successful review. In each one of these guided lessons, we also spotlight the work of teenage contest winners from previous years.

As a culminating project, we invite students to send us their own reviews of a book, movie, restaurant, album, theatrical production, video game, dance performance, TV show, art exhibition or any other kind of work The Times critiques.

January-February

Unit 4: Informational Writing

Informational writing is the style of writing that dominates The New York Times as well as any other traditional newspaper you might read, and in this unit we hope to show students that it can be every bit as engaging and compelling to read and to write as other genres. Via thousands of articles a month — from front-page reporting on politics to news about athletes in Sports, deep data dives in The Upshot, recipes in Cooking, advice columns in Style and long-form investigative pieces in the magazine — Times journalists find ways to experiment with the genre to intrigue and inform their audiences.

This unit invites students to take any STEM-related discovery, process or idea that interests them and write about it in a way that makes it understandable and engaging for a general audience — but all the skills we teach along the way can work for any kind of informational writing. Via our Mentor Texts series, we show them how to hook the reader from the start , use quotes and research , explain why a topic matters and more. This year we’ll be using the work of the 2020 student winners for additional mentor text lessons.

At the end of the unit, we invite teenagers to submit their own writing to our Second Annual STEM writing contest to show us what they’ve learned.

March-April

Unit 5: Argumentative Writing

The demand for evidence-based argumentative writing is now woven into school assignments across the curriculum and grade levels, and you couldn’t ask for better real-world examples than what you can find in The Times Opinion section .

This unit will, like our others, be supported with writing prompts, mentor-text lesson plans, webinars and more. We’ll also focus on the winning teenage writing we’ve received over the six years we’ve run our related contest.

At a time when media literacy is more important than ever, we also hope that our annual Student Editorial Contest can serve as a final project that encourages students to broaden their information diets with a range of reliable sources, and learn from a variety of perspectives on their chosen issue.

To help students working from home, we also have an Argumentative Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning .

Unit 6: Writing for Podcasts

Most of our writing units so far have all asked for essays of one kind or another, but this spring contest invites students to do what journalists at The Times do every day: make multimedia to tell a story, investigate an issue or communicate a concept.

Our annual podcast contest gives students the freedom to talk about anything they want in any form they like. In the past we’ve had winners who’ve done personal narratives, local travelogues, opinion pieces, interviews with community members, local investigative journalism and descriptions of scientific discoveries.

As with all our other units, we have supported this contest with great examples from The Times and around the web, as well as with mentor texts by teenagers that offer guided practice in understanding elements and techniques.

June-August

Unit 7: Independent Reading and Writing

At a time when teachers are looking for ways to offer students more “voice and choice,” this unit, based on our annual summer contest, offers both.

Every year since 2010 we have invited teenagers around the world to add The New York Times to their summer reading lists and, so far, 70,000 have. Every week for 10 weeks, we ask participants to choose something in The Times that has sparked their interest, then tell us why. At the end of the week, judges from the Times newsroom pick favorite responses, and we publish them on our site.

And we’ve used our Mentor Text feature to spotlight the work of past winners , explain why newsroom judges admired their thinking, and provide four steps to helping any student write better reader-responses.

Because this is our most open-ended contest — students can choose whatever they like, and react however they like — it has proved over the years to be a useful place for young writers to hone their voices, practice skills and take risks . Join us!

Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Why Do School Reforms Occur Again and Again?

• School Reform and Restructuring
• Standards-Based Reform

School reforms unfold less like an auto engine piston pumping up and down within a cylinder and more like a large weather front of uncertain origin moving across a region. Reforms, like weather fronts varying by seasons but similar across years, go through phases that become familiar if observers note historical patterns and, in our speeded-up, multi-tasking culture, record what occurs. And most important, school reforms, like weather fronts, recur.

As a historian of schooling, I have noted phases of school reform in the U.S. over the past century that policymakers and practitioners have experienced. While I offer these stages in sequential order, keep in mind that the pace of each phase varies according to the nature of the proposed reform, when it occurs, how much reform talk permeates popular and professional media, which political coalitions push the reforms, and, of crucial importance, widespread acceptance of the reforms by those charged to implement them.

Keep in mind, however, that pandemics, wars, political upheavals, and social movements disrupt the sequence. Moreover, there are over 13,000 school districts in the nation (California has about 1,000). Finally, unlike France, Italy, Spain, China, and Russia, there is no national ministry of education that funds these districts or issues mandates for educators to follow. The point is that in such a decentralized system of schooling, these phases do not mechanically unfold in step-wise progression across the country. Rather they occur in the quasi-random fashion akin to a children’s game of tag.

Given these cautions, here is what I have observed about the origin and spread of school reforms that recur time and again over the past century.

* Social, political, economic, and demographic changes create situations that opinion-elites define as problems . By the 1890s through World War II, the U.S.’s economy grew dramatically and demands for skilled (not unskilled workers) grew. Employers wanted high school graduates who were literate and had skills that could be applied to surging new industries. Or consider that in the the 1970s, Japanese and German products seized large sectors of domestic markets requiring American industry and businesses to restructure their operations to compete internationally.

After World War II, waves of immigrants from Europe, Asia, and Latin America have made the U.S. a culturally diverse nation. The Immigration and Nationality Act (1965) shifted policy from a quota system on different nationalities favoring western Europe to a focus on reuniting families and welcoming skilled immigrants. By the 2020 census, the U.S. had become no longer a largely  white  nation but a multi-racial democracy.

* Policymakers, academics, and opinion-makers such as corporate officials, civic leaders, and foundation presidents talk to one another and the media about these problems . Over time, these demographic and socio-economic changes fueled political opinion elites to find ways that American institutions might politically remedy these emerging problems. National commissions issue reports and a consensus–what  David Tyack  and I have called “policy talk”–begins to grow about what the  real  problems are and which solutions are politically feasible.

Here is where elites frame the problem and very often point to improving schools as a solution (e.g.,  The Nation at Risk , 1983). This process historically is what David Labaree has called “ educationalizing ” national problems (e.g., childhood obesity, racial segregation, poverty).

* Groups and individuals (elite entrepreneurs, political officials, foundation leaders, special interest groups, community organizations, unions, etc.) develop policy proposals and school programs to solve the problem (e.g.,common curriculum standards, more tests and accountability regulations) . Through various mechanisms (e.g., state and federal legislation, district school board decisions, foundation-funded programs), groups and individuals such as corporate leaders, philanthropists, governors, and mayors come to be known as school reformers. State and local school officials, spurred often by media attention, push particular policies that become known as “reforms” (e.g., new reading and math programs, charter schools, small high schools, 1:1 laptops).

* Some of these policies get adopted.  Laws (e.g., the federal No Child Left Behind Act), district school board decisions (e.g., four-day school week, performance pay and anti-obesity programs), foundation-funded projects (e.g., technology integration across academic subjects) become the new wallpaper of reform. Superintendents, principals, and teachers attempt to incorporate these new policies, programs and innovations into routine practice in districts, schools, and classrooms.

* Growing criticism of educators’ seemingly slow, halfhearted efforts or resistance to put reforms into practice appears.  Unexpected outcomes occur (e.g., testing and accountability rules produce narrowed curriculum and teaching to the test; funding for new programs lags and budgets shrink). Reform promoters’ enthusiasm gives way to disappointment, annoyance, and even anger toward educators (e.g., uptick in overt hostility to teachers and their unions, higher turnover among superintendents and principals). Schools and teachers come under attack.

* And then different social, political, economic, and demographic changes create situations that opinion-elites define as problems….  And it is here that another cycle begins.

For readers over the age of 50 who have worked in schools for at least two decades or observed them as students and later as parents may find these phases familiar. If they do, they may also note that these cycles have within them certain commonalities:

*Policy elites mobilize individuals and groups to take action by framing problems, picking solutions, and getting policies adopted;

*Putting policy into practice is utterly dependent upon superintendents, principals, and teachers who played little to no role in framing problems or selecting solutions;

*Most policies, particularly those targeting changes in how teachers teach, are implemented partially and occasionally produce unanticipated consequences in classrooms.

In my opinion, we remain within another cycle of standards-based reforms dating back to  A Nation at Risk  report (1983). Since then a cascade of reform-driven policies slowly rolled out in familiar phases over the nation’s public schools including a Common Core curriculum, expanded parental choice of schools through charter schools, increased testing and accountability protocols. Even after the Covid-19 school closures, the slow growth of remote instruction has become another tool in maintaining standards-based reforms of the past four decades.

Perhaps readers may see these phases of school reform and commonalities differently. Let me know, if you do.

This blog post has been shared by permission from the author. Readers wishing to comment on the content are encouraged to do so via the link to the original post. Find the original post here:

The views expressed by the blogger are not necessarily those of NEPC.

Larry Cuban

Colleges Rates and Requirements

Find the right college for you., core college requirements for competitive acceptance rates.

As you start thinking about which colleges to apply to and how to put together your college applications, don’t forget to familiarize yourself with current admissions requirements and acceptance trends. You may have seen recent headlines about college acceptance rates and how low they were for students who applied to the most selective colleges and universities. It’s important to remember that while admissions requirements for the most competitive schools didn’t change, the number of students applying to these types of institutions has gradually increased. As a result, acceptance rates of colleges, particularly elite universities, decreased. You should also keep in mind that due to the covid-19 pandemic, most institutions saw a spike in applications. This has caused acceptance rates to further decrease.

The headlines shouldn’t deter you from moving ahead with the application process. Although it might feel seem like there’s more competition than ever before, it’s important to remember two things: Acceptance rates vary among colleges, and most colleges accept two-thirds of applicants. Once you understand what college entrance requirements are and how to interpret college admission rates, you'll be better prepared to find the right school for you.

Understand These Key Requirements for College Applications.

Each college uses its own formula when evaluating applicants, and these practices vary from school to school. In addition, many colleges over the last few years have begun instituting "test optional" and "test flexible" policies for the SAT and ACT. Despite these factors, colleges still look for certain key requirements. You can learn more about admissions requirements for individual colleges in College Search .

Standard Core Curriculum and Beyond

All colleges emphasize GPA requirements, but they focus particularly on performance in core subject areas such as mathematics, science, English, and history. Colleges look at your grades, curriculum, and the courses you take as indicators of your ability to be successful in college. To get a better understanding of which colleges might be the best fit for you, research the GPA requirements for colleges you’re interested in. Also look at the range of GPAs accepted at those institutions on the BigFuture College Search tool. Consider taking more advanced coursework such as AP courses if it fits with your career goals and if your school offers them.

Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars are where you can really stand out, especially from others with similar grades. Extra academic activities show off your personal strengths and interests to admissions officers. Ideally, they want to see students who were deeply involved in school activities outside of the classroom and held leadership positions. Learn more about how extracurriculars matter to you and colleges .

Application Essay

For colleges that require it, the application essay can be a very important part of your application and is your pitch to the university. This is your opportunity to show the school of your dreams the unique individual you are, something that may not necessarily be conveyed in your transcript. It indicates how your talents will contribute to their community. Find tips for writing your college essay here.

Standardized Test Scores

Though the trend in some U.S. colleges has been to put less emphasis on SAT scores, make no mistake: They still play an important role in the college admissions process. Test scores are still used by many colleges for course placement and merit aid. High test scores can also help you stand out and strengthen your college application. If you’re not sure if you should submit your scores, talk to your school counselor or the college’s admissions officer for guidance.

Letters of Recommendation

Although not required by all colleges, letters of recommendation can give admissions counselors insight into who you are beyond just your grades and activities. If letters are required by the institutions you’re applying to, the college will let you know who they want letters from. It’s usually a teacher or counselor. Pick someone who knows you well.

Keep on Top of College Application Deadlines.

Application deadlines can sneak up on high school seniors like a tiger in the night. It’s of utmost importance that you double-check your prospective school’s application deadlines and submit everything you need sooner rather than later. Most college application deadlines fall into the following categories:

Understand the College Application Platform.

There are two main types of college applications : The Common Application and the Coalition Application, which allow students to apply to multiple schools using a single application platform. You should check with the institutions you’re interested in applying to see which application platform they prefer.

How Do College Acceptance Rates Work?

A college’s acceptance rate is actually a ratio. It's the total number of applicants in relation to the number of students who were accepted. For example, Harvard received applications from 61,220 students in 2022─the highest-ever number of applicants to the school. Of those, only 1,214 received admission, leading to the school’s lowest-ever acceptance rate of 3.19%.

This illustrates the point earlier that college acceptance rates are on a decline as the number of applicants increases, saturating the pool with more competition than ever before.

Acceptance rates are based on the number of spots available at a college. This is a set number of applicants who can be admitted to that class of graduates, and it's not subject to change based on the volume of applicants. As you can imagine, more competitive schools, such as Ivy League colleges and universities, have fewer spots available and are thus affected more by the number of applicants.

This same logic applies to private and public colleges. Public colleges, which are characteristically larger institutions, will admit greater numbers of students, leading to higher acceptance rates. However, public colleges have also been impacted by a larger number of applicants. When you’re building your college list, it’s advisable to include a balance of reach, match, and safety schools to improve your chances of acceptance.

It's important to keep in mind that college admission rates don’t necessarily reflect the quality of education or the quality of students who apply, and you shouldn’t be discouraged from applying to schools based on these numbers.

What is the Difference Between Admission Yield and Enrollment Rate?

Admission yield is the percentage of students who accepted enrollment into a college after being granted admission. These vary significantly from school to school. For example, the University of California, Berkeley’s yield rate for 2022 was just 40% while the yield rate for Yale was a whopping 83%.

As students apply to greater numbers of colleges and have more options, yield rates decline.

Review the Latest College Acceptance Rate Stats.

Students faced competitive acceptance rates in 2022. Common Application public colleges and universities saw a 24% surge of applicants since 2019-20 and 17% for private institutions. Meanwhile, the acceptance rates continue to decline. For example, Emory University’s acceptance rate fell 8 percentage points between 2020 and 2022.

Students who are eyeing colleges with highly competitive acceptance rates must focus more than ever on the things that will set them apart: exceptional performance beyond the standard core curriculum, strong extracurricular participation, powerful application essays, letters of recommendation, and excellent standardized test scores. However, even with all of these differentiators, it’s important to remember that none of these can guarantee acceptance, especially at selective institutions. Be sure to build a balanced college list that gives you options.

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Regions & Countries

What public k-12 teachers want americans to know about teaching.

Illustrations by Hokyoung Kim

At a time when most teachers are feeling stressed and overwhelmed in their jobs, we asked 2,531 public K-12 teachers this open-ended question:

If there’s one thing you’d want the public to know about teachers, what would it be?

We also asked Americans what they think about teachers to compare with teachers’ perceptions of how the public views them.

Related: What’s It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today?

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to better understand what public K-12 teachers would like Americans to know about their profession. We also wanted to learn how the public thinks about teachers.

For the open-end question, we surveyed 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14, 2023. The teachers surveyed are members of RAND’s American Teacher Panel, a nationally representative panel of public K-12 school teachers recruited through MDR Education. Survey data is weighted to state and national teacher characteristics to account for differences in sampling and response to ensure they are representative of the target population.

Overall, 96% of surveyed teachers provided an answer to the open-ended question. Center researchers developed a coding scheme categorizing the responses, coded all responses, and then grouped them into the six themes explored in the data essay.

For the questions for the general public, we surveyed 5,029 U.S. adults from Nov. 9 to Nov. 16, 2023. The adults surveyed are members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a nationally representative online survey panel. Panel members are randomly recruited through probability-based sampling, and households are provided with access to the Internet and hardware if needed. To ensure that the results of this survey reflect a balanced cross section of the nation, the data is weighted to match the U.S. adult population by gender, age, education, race and ethnicity and other categories.

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, the teacher survey methodology and the general public survey methodology .

Most of the responses to the open-ended question fell into one of these six themes:

Teaching is a hard job

About half of teachers (51%) said they want the public to know that teaching is a difficult job and that teachers are hardworking. Within this share, many mentioned that they have roles and responsibilities in the classroom besides teaching, which makes the job stressful. Many also talked about working long hours, beyond those they’re contracted for.

“Teachers serve multiple roles other than being responsible for teaching curriculum. We are counselors, behavioral specialists and parents for students who need us to fill those roles. We sacrifice a lot to give all of ourselves to the role as teacher.”

– Elementary school teacher

“The amount of extra hours that teachers have to put in beyond the contractual time is ridiculous. Arriving 30 minutes before and leaving an hour after is just the tip of the iceberg. … And as far as ‘having summers off,’ most of August is taken up with preparing materials for the upcoming school year or attending three, four, seven days’ worth of unpaid development training.”

– High school teacher

Teachers care about their students

The next most common theme: 22% of teachers brought up how fulfilling teaching is and how much teachers care about their students. Many gave examples of the hardships of teaching but reaffirmed that they do their job because they love the kids and helping them succeed. 

“We are passionate about what we do. Every child we teach is important to us and we look out for them like they are our own.”

– Middle school teacher

“We are in it for the kids, and the most incredible moments are when children make connections with learning.”

Teachers are undervalued and disrespected

Some 17% of teachers want the public to know that they feel undervalued and disrespected, and that they need more public support. Some mentioned that they are well-educated professionals but are not treated as such. And many teachers in this category responded with a general plea for support from the public, which they don’t feel they’re getting now.

“We feel undervalued. The public and many parents of my students treat me and my peers as if we do not know as much as they do, as if we are uneducated.”

“The public attitudes toward teachers have been degrading, and it is making it impossible for well-qualified teachers to be found. People are simply not wanting to go into the profession because of public sentiments.”

Teachers are underpaid

A similar share of teachers (15%) want the public to know that teachers are underpaid. Many teachers said their salary doesn’t account for the effort and care they put into their students’ education and believe that their pay should reflect this.

“We are sorely underpaid for the amount of hours we work and the education level we have attained.”

Teachers need support and resources from government and administrators

About one-in-ten teachers (9%) said they need more support from the government, their administrators and other key stakeholders. Many mentioned working in understaffed schools, not having enough funding and paying for supplies out of pocket. Some teachers also expressed that they have little control over the curriculum that they teach.

“The world-class education we used to be proud of does not exist because of all the red tape we are constantly navigating. If you want to see real change in the classroom, advocate for smaller class sizes for your child, push your district to cap class sizes at a reasonable level and have real, authentic conversations with your child’s teacher about what is going on in the classroom if you’re curious.”

Teachers need more support from parents

Roughly the same share of teachers (8%) want the public to know that teachers need more support from parents, emphasizing that the parent-teacher relationship is strained. Many view parents as partners in their child’s education and believe that a strong relationship improves kids’ overall social and emotional development.

“Teachers help students to reach their potential. However, that job is near impossible if parents/guardians do not take an active part in their student’s education.”

How the U.S. public views teachers

While the top response from teachers in the open-ended question is that they want the public to know that teaching is a hard job, most Americans already see it that way. Two-thirds of U.S. adults say being a public K-12 teacher is harder than most other jobs, with 33% saying it’s a lot harder.

And about three-quarters of Americans (74%) say teachers should be paid more than they are now, including 39% who say teachers should be paid a lot more.

Americans are about evenly divided on whether the public generally looks up to (32%) or down on (30%) public K-12 teachers. Some 37% say Americans neither look up to or down on public K-12 teachers.

In addition to the open-ended question about what they want the public to know about them, we asked teachers how much they think most Americans trust public K-12 teachers to do their job well. We also asked the public how much they trust teachers. Answers differ considerably.

Nearly half of public K-12 teachers (47%) say most Americans don’t trust teachers much or at all. A third say most Americans trust teachers some, and 18% say the public trusts teachers a great deal or a fair amount.

In contrast, a majority of Americans (57%) say they do trust public K-12 teachers to do their job well a great deal or a fair amount. About a quarter (26%) say they trust teachers some, and 17% say they don’t trust teachers much or at all.

Related: About half of Americans say public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction

How the public’s views differ by party

There are sizable party differences in Americans’ views of teachers. In particular, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to say:

• They trust teachers to do their job well a great deal or a fair amount (70% vs. 44%)
• Teaching is a lot or somewhat harder when compared with most other jobs (77% vs. 59%)
• Teachers should be paid a lot or somewhat more than they are now (86% vs. 63%)

In their own words

Below, we have a selection of quotes that describe what teachers want the public to know about them and their profession.

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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

OUR MINISTER

Dr. Joseph Lozovyy was born into a Christian family in Elektrostal, Moscow Region, and was raised in a pastor’s home. From the age of fifteen, he began actively participating in the music ministry of the Baptist Church in Mytishchi, where his father served as a pastor, and also played in the orchestra of the Central Moscow Baptist Church. From 1989, he participated in various evangelistic events in different cities of Moscow Region and beyond. From 1989 to 1992, as a member of the choir and orchestra “LOGOS,” he participated in evangelistic and charitable concerts, repeatedly performing on the stages of the Moscow State Conservatory, the Bolshoi Theatre, and other concert halls in Russia and abroad. In 1992, his family moved to the United States. In 2007, after completing a full course of spiritual and academic preparation, Joseph moved to Dallas, Texas, to engage in church ministry. In 2008, he founded the Russian Bible Church to preach to the Russian-speaking population living in Dallas, Texas.

– Bachelor of Arts in Music (viola) from the Third Moscow Music School named after Scriabin, Russia (1987-1991)

– Master of Theology (Th.M); Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas (1999-2003);

– Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Hebrew Bible (Books of Samuel): University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (2007).

– Doctoral research (2004-2005) Tübingen, Germany.

– Author of a theological work published in English: Saul, Doeg, Nabal and the “Son of Jesse: Readings in 1 Samuel 16-25, LHBOTS 497 [T&T Clark/Continuum: Bloomsbury Publishing]).

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/saul-doeg-nabal-and-the-son-of-jesse-9780567027535/

Joseph and his wife Violetta and their son Nathanael live in the northern part of Dallas.

Saul, Doeg, Nabal, and the “Son of Jesse”: Readings in 1 Samuel 16-25: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies Joseph Lozovyy T&T Clark (bloomsbury.com)

Joseph, his wife Violetta and their son Nathaniel live in North Dallas, Texas where he continues ministering to Russian-speaking Christians and his independent accademic research.

Published Work

1. bloomsbury:, 2. buy at christian book distributors:, 3. buy on amazon:.