Common Core losing support of Tennessee teachers, survey finds

Support for Common Core among Tennessee teachers has waned so much since last year that a majority now opposes the academic standards, a new statewide survey shows.

With the future of Common Core under fire in Tennessee, a new report from the Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation and Development could provide more ammunition to those who want to roll back the standards.

The new 2014 survey, undertaken by a group led by Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development and released Wednesday, found that just 39 percent of respondents believe that teaching to the standards will improve student learning — compared with 60 percent who said the same last year.

It also found 56 percent of the 27,000 Tennessee teachers who responded to the survey want to abandon the standards, while 13 percent would prefer to delay their implementation. Only 31 percent want to proceed. The 2013 survey did not ask questions in this area.

“There’s been a pretty big drop of support for the Common Core,” said Dale Ballou, a Vanderbilt professor and director of the consortium.

“But there doesn’t seem to be any single symptom or explanation for that change. It’s a lot of different factors that seem to be playing into this. The one thing I would caution people against is jumping to the conclusion that this means now that teachers are actually trying it, they’re discovering that it doesn’t work.”

Common Core has phased into classrooms in Tennessee for the past three years, but the standards have found increasing resistance both locally and nationally from conservatives. That includes opposition from groups like Americans For Prosperity, founded by billionaire brothers Charles G. Koch and David H. Koch, which has ramped up its political activity in Tennessee.

Gov. Bill Haslam, who was able to keep Common Core intact in Tennessee as the legislature delayed testing on the standards, last week called for a “full vetting” of Common Core — a recognition of the deep divide over the issue. He plans to seek public input on Common Core ahead of a legislative session in which tea party Republicans are looking to dump the standards.

One-third of teachers surveyed in 2014 responded to items about Common Core, a response rate identical to last year’s but one that researchers acknowledge might not be a perfect snapshot. As a result, the study does not rule out response bias.

Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, a supporter of the standards, called the survey results a “replay of the discussion” from the last legislative session in the spring, when the survey was conducted.

“You have a contingent of people saying ‘stay the course,’ a contingent of people saying ‘slow down’ and a contingent of people saying ‘stop,’ which is not dissimilar to the discussion that was happening then. And the place where we wound up was a ‘slow down’ place.”

He said he would like teachers to feel more positively about Common Core, but pointed to anxiety that can be inherent in standards that are more challenging. He also noted that teachers who have been through Common Core training are more likely to feel better about it, according to the same survey.

Recurrent answers

Some 10,000 teachers responded to both the 2013 and 2014 surveys. Among this group, 27 percent went from a positive to negative view on the effect of Common Core standards on student learning.

The report rejects any suggestion that the opposition to Common Core is primarily the result of teachers’ disappointment when it has been tried in the classroom. As evidence: Elementary school and middle school math teachers, who began teaching the standards two years ago, were not likelier than other teachers to oppose implementation of Common Core when surveyed this year.

Around 3,000 teachers used an opportunity to express their feelings on Common Core via comments. Several recurrent answers emerged: The standards are too difficult and not developmentally appropriate; using the standards for annual teacher evaluations is unfair; standards should be more slowly phased in; and the standards are not aligned with the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, the test Tennessee is still using after the legislature’s move to delay switching to the Common Core-aligned Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.

Others reported that they lack adequate support to teach Common Core — one teacher said books and materials haven’t been purchased to keep up with the standards. Others groaned that Common Core continues a trend toward too much testing.

“The Common Core is not the problem,” one teacher wrote. “The way we are attempting to assure compliance with the RIDICULOUS amount of testing is KILLING the joy of learning for our students and completely defeating teachers.”

Teresa Wasson, spokeswoman for the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education, the leading Common Core advocacy arm in Tennessee, said the survey results indicate a need to focus on Common Core implementation and teacher support. She said focus groups put together and tested by SCORE’s leaders have shown that same need.

J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, said new survey results also reflect internal polling of his group that shows teachers’ dissatisfaction with Common Core implementation. He believes Tennessee has actually done well on that end, but teachers are giving a clear signal:

“I was kind of shocked how many teachers referenced their opposition to Common Core,” Bowman said. “I’m starting to see that they’re not happy.”

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.

COMMON CORE SUPPORT DECLINES

Teachers were asked: Will teaching to Common Core standards improve student learning?

39 percent said yes

That’s down from 60 percent last year

TEACHERS SAY ‘DROP COMMON CORE’

Among 27,000 teachers responding to survey:

56 percent favor abandoning the standards

13 percent want a delay

31 percent say to proceed

Source: Report from Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation, and Development