Shares of teachers who reported that they were or were not 'very well prepared' to perform key activities in their first year, in all schools and in low- and high-poverty schools
| All | Low-poverty | High-poverty | Gap (high- minus low-poverty) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teach their subject matter | ||||
| Very well prepared | 33.2% | 35.9% | 31.6% | -4.3 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 66.8% | 64.1% | 68.4% | 4.3 ppt. |
| Use computers in classroom instruction | ||||
| Very well prepared | 25.2% | 27.1% | 24.5% | -2.6 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 74.8% | 72.9% | 75.5% | 2.6 ppt. |
| Teach to state content standards | ||||
| Very well prepared | 24.3% | 27.7% | 22.4% | -5.3 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 75.7% | 72.3% | 77.6% | 5.3 ppt. |
| Use a variety of instructional methods | ||||
| Very well prepared | 18.3% | 22.0% | 16.9% | -5.1 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 81.7% | 78.0% | 83.1% | 5.1 ppt. |
| Assess students | ||||
| Very well prepared | 17.0% | 18.0% | 16.7% | -1.3 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 83.0% | 82.0% | 83.3% | 1.3 ppt. |
| Differentiate instruction | ||||
| Very well prepared | 16.9% | 18.0% | 16.6% | -1.4 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 83.1% | 82.0% | 83.4% | 1.4 ppt. |
| Teach students with special needs | ||||
| Very well prepared | 15.7% | 16.4% | 15.8% | -0.6 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 84.3% | 83.6% | 84.2% | 0.6 ppt. |
| Handle classroom management or discipline situations | ||||
| Very well prepared | 14.9% | 16.3% | 14.6% | -1.7 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 85.1% | 83.7% | 85.4% | 1.7 ppt. |
| Use data from assessments to inform instruction | ||||
| Very well prepared | 14.1% | 14.8% | 13.8% | -1.0 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 85.9% | 85.2% | 86.2% | 1.0 ppt. |
| Teach English language learners (ELLs) | ||||
| Very well prepared | 8.4% | 8.7% | 8.6% | -0.1 ppt. |
| Less than “very well prepared” | 91.6% | 91.3% | 91.4% | 0.1 ppt. |
Notes: Data are for teachers in public noncharter schools. The table shows shares of teachers in their first five years of teaching who did or did not answer “very well prepared” when asked, “In your first year of teaching, how well prepared were you to” do the different activities. Teachers were asked to check whether they were “very well prepared,” “well prepared,” “somewhat prepared,” or “not at all prepared.” A teacher is considered to be in a low-poverty school if less than 25 percent of the students in his/her classroom are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs; a teacher is considered to be in a high-poverty school if 50 percent or more of the students in his/her classroom are eligible for those programs.
Source: 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) microdata from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)