WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- A report on teacher quality finds that most teachers feel insecure about their ability to meet the challenges of U.S. schools in the 21st century.
For example, only 20 percent feel very well prepared to integrate new technology into their classrooms and only 20 percent feel very well prepared to help students from non-English speaking homes and students with disabilities, the National Center for Education Statistics said. More than half of teachers said their classes include students with limited English proficiency and 71 percent said at least some of their students are disabled.
Only 28 percent of teachers felt very well prepared to use student performance assessment techniques, 41 percent to implement new teaching methods and 36 percent to implement state or district curriculum.
While almost all teachers have bachelor's degrees and almost half have master's degrees, a small but significant percentage were teaching out of field. In grades 9-12, 10 percent of mathematics teachers, 6 percent of science teachers, and 4 percent of English, foreign language and social studies teachers had not majored in their subjects. The percentages were higher in grades 7 and 8.
