University News
Western Teacher Education Graduates Pleased with Education
November 3, 2006
MACOMB, IL – A recent survey conducted by the Illinois Association of Deans of Public Colleges of Education (IADPCE) and the Illinois Teacher Data Warehouse indicated that the vast majority of first-year teachers in the state feel prepared for their jobs. According to survey results, 99 percent of Western Illinois University education graduates are satisfied with their decision to become a teacher. The state average is 98 percent.
In a collaborative effort among 12 state educational institutions, the Teacher Graduate Assessment project collects input from new teachers and their supervisors to gauge how well college prepared the teachers for their jobs and how to improve that effort. This is the second year of the study, which focused on first year teachers and their supervisors during 2004-05.
This yearÂ’s survey found that 93 percent of Illinois respondents indicated they were happy with the quality of their collegesÂ’ education program, as compared to 92 percent in the previous survey. This yearÂ’s results indicated that 100 percent of Western education graduates were pleased with their alma materÂ’s teacher education program, as compared to 93 percent in the first year of the study. The survey also found that more than 94 percent of new teachers plan to stay in education over the long term, with more than 88 percent planning to remain in a teaching role.
“This follow-up survey of our graduates, after their first year of teaching, and their immediate supervisors allows each public college of education to assess specific aspects of their programs and to ensure that we adequately prepare new teachers to meet the challenges of today’s classrooms,” said Bonnie Smith-Skripps, dean of Western’s College of Education and Human Services. “We were pleased with the feedback and are committed to continuous program improvement as a result of this data.”
According to Dean Smith-Skripps, who is also chair of the IADPCE, the Teacher Graduate Assessment project is intended to be an ongoing endeavor, with goals to identify year-to-year trends.
Western graduates also responded above state averages regarding the value of their pre-student teaching experiences, indicating they were well prepared in student assessment, implementing developmentally appropriate instruction, teaching in his/her primary content area and establishing equity in the classroom. Supervisors with Western graduates rated their teachers higher overall than the state average in use and practice of Illinois Professional and Core Teaching Standards.
Lower-scoring areas for Western graduates, which paralleled the state average, included preparedness for teaching English-language learners and working with administrators.
“These survey results are extremely helpful to our institution in providing information on how our programs are preparing teachers to work in Illinois public schools,” said Linda Tomlinson, director of Western’s Center for the Preparation of Education Professionals. “This information will be used to review strengths and areas needing improvement so we can make changes, such as preparing teachers to work with English language learners and in multicultural classrooms.”
In addition to Western, other participating institutions include Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Springfield, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Teacher Data Warehouse.
Funding for this year's study was provided by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Illinois State Board of Education and the participating institutions.
Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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