Opportunities to Learn in America's Elementary Classrooms

Abstract

Observations in 737 5 th -grade classrooms reveal high amounts of basic skills instruction in reading and math as whole-group or individual-seatwork, delivered with mediocre instructional quality. Cooperative learning, technology, social studies or science are rare. Observed opportunities show little association with features of teachers or schools. Across 1 st , 3 rd and 5 th grades, classroom quality is low if children are poor or are low on achievement; for others quality is inconsistent across grades. The promise of legislative mandates for high quality educational programs will depend on more accurate assessments of teaching and must address inequity in access to high-quality educational experiences.America's students have been tested regularly for many years, with results being used to close schools, fire principals, award merits, and focus professional development and curriculum reform. Nevertheless, little attention is paid to measuring what teachers do to foster learning--the quantity and quality of classroom instruction. Nearly all state certification standards for "highly-qualified-teachers" focus only on degree status, not teaching performance (1,2). Despite evidence that teachers' instructional practices and relationships with students account for a significant portion of the "added value" for achievement of attending school (3,4,5), few studies observationally chronicle actual classroom experiences for large samples of students and teachers. Indeed, no research to date documents children's observed classroom experiences over time.Here we describe results from a longitudinal study tracking the nature and quality of elementary-school classroom experiences for more than 1,000 American children recruited at birth from 10 U.S. sites and enrolled in more than 2,500 classrooms distributed across more than 1,000 elementary schools and 400 school districts. Our investigation is the closest approximation to an epidemiological study of opportunities to learn in American classrooms, with the caveat that the sample was not constructed as nationally representative. Virtually all of the teachers observed were credentialed by their state and meet current standards for highly qualified elementary-school teachers (1).

Frequency, Duration, and Time Devoted to Elementary Science Instruction and the Association with Science Achievement and Science Interest

“…The results reported in Pianta et al (2007) are consistent with earlier work by Good (1983). In a review about the progress of classroom research, the data associated with time usage in elementary schools indicates that approximately 50-60% of the elementary school day is used for instructional purposes.…”

“…One study found that science activities occupied 11% of the time in a fifth grade classroom. When compared to the 17% of time allotted to instructing students on managing materials and time, this figure is even more alarming (Pianta et al, 2007).…”

“…This assumption may not be valid. Pianta et al (2007) found that only 11% of the time in a fifth grade classroom was allotted for science activities. Given that 17% of the time in fifth grade was set-aside for instructing students on managing materials and time, 11% for science is both appalling and alarming.…”

“…Pianta et al (2007) found that when compared to the 17% of time allotted to instructing students on managing materials and time, this figure is even more alarming. This epidemiological study investigated the elementary school classroom experiences of 2,500…”

“…students from approximately 1,000 classrooms across a multitude of schools and school districts (Pianta, Belsky, Houts, & Morrison 2007). The focus of the study was on teacher behaviors, student activities, and the instructional setting across multiple time-intervals during the school day.…”