EdStat: Only 54 Percent of School Principals Rate Their Teachers’ Understanding of How Children Learn as “Moderately” or “Very” Good

Are most teachers aware of the latest findings on how children think and learn? Research is limited, but a 2006 study by Arthur Levine indicated that teachers were confident in their knowledge: 81 percent said they understood how students learn “moderately well” or “very well.” But just 54 percent of school principals rated the understanding of their teachers that high.

Though U.S. teachers are required to learn some basic principles of psychology as part of their training, many report that their education is overly theoretical. In “Unlocking the Science of How Kids Think,” an article from our forthcoming Summer 2018 issue, Daniel T. Willingham proposes a change to the content of education-degree coursework, suggesting a deeper focus on consistencies in children’s thinking and a reduction in the amount of scientific theory we ask future teachers to learn. In her 2013 article “21st-Century Teacher Education,” Kate Walsh discusses the importance of teachers understanding cognitive psychology.

—Education Next

Last Updated

NEWSLETTER

Notify Me When Education Next

Posts a Big Story

Business + Editorial Office

Program on Education Policy and Governance
Harvard Kennedy School
79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone (617) 496-5488
Fax (617) 496-4428
Email Education_Next@hks.harvard.edu

For subscription service to the printed journal
Phone (617) 496-5488
Email subscriptions@educationnext.org

Copyright © 2024 President & Fellows of Harvard College