Preparing Children and Youth for Civic Life in the Era of Truth Decay: Insights from the American Teacher Panel

Preparing Children and Youth for Civic Life in the Era of Truth Decay: Insights from the American Teacher Panel. RAND Corporation. Laura S. Hamilton, Julia H. Kaufman, Lynn Hu. December 7, 2020.

Public schools that serve students in kindergarten through grade 12 are responsible for not only promoting students’ readiness for college and careers but also educating students to engage civically and contribute to their communities and country as adults. Civic education refers broadly to the process through which schools and other institutions help students develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will prepare them for civic life. Researchers conducted a nationally representative survey of elementary (kindergarten through 5th grade) and secondary (6th through 12th grade) teachers offering social studies in U.S. public schools. Results from this survey demonstrate how social studies teachers in U.S. public schools promote students’ civic learning, teachers’ beliefs about the importance of civic-related topics and skills, and which conditions they perceive as supporting or hindering civic education. This report, which is part of the Truth Decay initiative, extends analyses presented in other reports in the series. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 166 pages].

Teachers’ Civics Instructional Materials: Civic Development in the Era of Truth Decay

Teachers’ Civics Instructional Materials: Civic Development in the Era of Truth Decay. RAND Corporation. Julia H. Kaufman, Laura S. Hamilton, Lynn Hu. July 13, 2020.

Public schools that serve kindergarteners through 12th graders can play a key role in combating Truth Decay by supporting students’ civic development and engagement. Teachers’ instructional materials provide one window into civic education in schools. Research in mathematics and English language arts (ELA) for students in kindergarten through 12th grade suggests that teachers use and modify instructional materials in diverse ways and they often create their own materials. Researchers have also documented how teachers’ use of instructional materials in mathematics and ELA is connected to the instructional practices in which teachers report engaging their students, and multiple studies have connected the use of particular math and ELA curricula with increases in student achievement. However, little is known about the use of educational content for such subjects as social studies—particularly regarding the content that teachers rely on to provide instruction in civics-related topics, which has implications for students’ civic development. As part of RAND’s Truth Decay initiative, this Data Note unpacks ways in which social studies teachers across the United States reported using instructional materials in their classrooms to teach civics. These data are intended to inform policymakers, researchers, and educators on potential ways to support civics teaching and learning. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 8 pages].

Digital Instructional Materials: What Are Teachers Using and What Barriers Exist?

Digital Instructional Materials: What Are Teachers Using and What Barriers Exist? RAND Corporation. Katie Tosh et al. April 16, 2020.

This Data Note adds new insights from English language arts (ELA), math, and science teachers on their use of digital materials. Drawing on data from the spring 2019 American Instructional Resources Survey, researchers share the digital materials that ELA, math, and science teachers across the United States reported using regularly for instruction during the 2018–2019 school year. In addition to identifying the most commonly used digital instructional materials, researchers examine how teachers’ use of these materials compares with their use of comprehensive curriculum materials, as well as teacher-reported barriers to digital material use. Finally, researchers explore several hypotheses regarding factors that might influence digital material use. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 12 pages].

Changes in What Teachers Know and Do in the Common Core Era: American Teacher Panel Findings from 2015 to 2017

Changes in What Teachers Know and Do in the Common Core Era: American Teacher Panel Findings from 2015 to 2017. RAND Corporation. Julia H. Kaufman et al. September 27, 2018

 RAND Corporation researchers use data from surveys of the American Teacher Panel in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to provide evidence of change in teachers’ use of instructional materials and knowledge of state standards and standards-aligned practices. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

 [PDF format, 40 pages].