Deploying Military Values in the Classroom To Promote the Fidelity - Dissertation Example

? History The Troops to Teachers program also known as TTT was established in 1994 by the a Department of Defense. By December 2007 there were about 10,500 Troops to Teachers participants working across the country in different state public schools. The program came about as a result of the 2011 No Child Left Behind Legislation to help recruit quality teachers for schools Bank, (2007). This has helped serve the need of the many low income families in the U.S.A. The program is for military personnel interested in a second career after the military, that of teaching. The military personnel get stipends or bonuses and agree in return to teach for three years in public schools. Military personnel who have a college degree are eligible to begin the process of getting the teaching certification so as to become an academic subject teacher. The paper will look at how deploying military values in the classroom help in promoting the goals and fidelity of the TTT program. The teacher shortage has continued to grow and school districts are increasingly turning to TTT to overcome the shortage Bank, (2007). The realization is that School districts that hire one military veteran through TTT most of the time always come back looking for more similar TTT teachers The Military veterans working as the TTT teachers have established a reputation as excellent teachers and exemplary role models for today’s students.  The breadth of experience, dedication, leadership skills, maturity and commitment that former marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen bring to the classroom are attributes sought by public school administrators and parents Bank, (2007). This has led the TTT teachers to build a very good reputation to both administrators and principals in schools where they serve. The TTT programme headquarters office sent out recently a survey to 1,000 principals regarding the teachers who have come from the program. There were more than 800 replies from the survey. 17 percent from the survey received an average for performance, and more than 75 percent scored above average and higher. This shows how the school systems are finding former military members to be very valuable assets. They bring leadership skills, something they practiced with their troops. Bringing a lot of leadership experience to the classroom which is helpful to the students. The cultural diversity experience the former military personnel bring to the class room is of great importance. It comes as an added bonus which the program is providing the students who also come from various backgrounds. What comes with this is a strong male presence which schools are looking for. This is particular important due to the fact most of the low income schools have students with no male presence in their lives. The TTT program provides a stronger presence of male and minority teachers at the elementary level. In a study carried out in Florida, 6,500 students took part in the study. Their reading and mathematics performance was checked after being taught by the TTT teachers. Results from the study indicated that students taught by the TTT teachers performed equally well in reading and also achieved a marginal significant advantage in mathematics. The study focused on the issues such as accountability and achievement which are key values in the military. Clodfelter, Ladd, Vigdor, and Diaz (2004) note that school based accountability has become a problematic problem in recent year. This in return has led to poor performing among students making it difficult to attract high quality teachers. The TTT program has now made that possible. The fact that the TTT teachers, demonstrate the willingness to work in those particular settings has ensured success of the programme. Teacher Quality and Student Achievement Educational research found out that there is a correlation between the quality of the classroom teacher affects the outcome of students learning. The study continues to say that the teacher quality is the most important school factor in predicting student achievement. The example given by the research is that a student with a very high-quality teacher will achieve a learning gain of 1.5 grade-level equivalents, while a student with a low-quality teacher achieves a gain of only 0.5 grade-level equivalents. Its quality research can only determine which teachers are effective. It cannot yet define the specific teaching practices that make the educators effective in promoting student learning. Although states seek to increase teacher quality by setting certification requirements, until recently, the teacher certification and student achievement literature has been mixed and controversial. The Secretary’s Third Annual Report on Teacher Quality noted that the need to continue to raise academic standards for teachers, while, at the same time working to lower barriers that are keeping many talented people out of the teaching profession is important (Levin, Honeggar, & Duncan, 2004, p. 3). This study compared math and reading scores of 6,500 Florida students taught by Troops to Teachers participants. Using an ANCOVA analysis, scores for students taught by Troops to Teachers participants were compared to scores for students taught by non-Troops to Teachers participants. The study controlled for courses taught, grade level, prior achievement, and student demographics. Results did not show a statistically significant difference in student reading scores. However, a statistically significant difference in student math scores was evident with students of Troops to Teachers participants showing an advantage. This study is focused on supervisor perceptions of TTT participants. The study surveyed school administrators regarding the instructional practices of TTT participants compared to other classroom teachers. Results from this study indicated that TTT participants are more effective in instruction, classroom management, and student discipline when compared to other teachers without military experience. This study analyzed student perceptions of Troops to Teachers participants compared to traditional teachers. The study compared academic and social characteristics of Troops to Teachers participants to traditional teachers within a Washington State school district. From the survey results, students ranked Troops to Teachers participants significantly (more than 15 percent) higher than other teachers participating in the study in seven out of the 19 teacher characteristics measured. Results indicated Troops to Teachers participants are more competent in their subject area, have a greater influence on future student career choices, prepare students to be successful learners, are more likely to hold students accountable, encourage students to study, are more fair, and are more focused on the needs of individual students. A recent study of statistically paired alternative and traditionally certified teachers found that students’ scores in mathematics and reading achievement are not significantly affected by their teachers’ training route unless alternatively certified teachers were still taking courses toward certification or an advanced degree while teaching (Constantine et al., 2009). Many schools in low income and inner cities have children with discipline issues. With experience in the military the TTT teachers have been able instill discipline within the inner city schools Willett, (2002). This is one of the reasons why the administrators and principals in the schools have come to the liking of the troop teachers. These in return reduce crime levels within those areas. Within these schools, ex-servicemen have a profound effect on discipline and learning. This is not merely because ex-servicemen are sure of their own moral authority. They are not intimidated by adrenaline-fuelled adolescents: they have, unlike most teachers, been there before Willett, (2002). Their job is to inspire and train raw recruits, and transform them into young men and women capable of doing difficult and dangerous Findings from both studies suggest that a teacher’s classroom performance in the first 2 years, rather than certification status, is a more reliable indicator of the teacher’s future effectiveness.While the previous investigations used no experimental methods, employing statistical techniques to control for student characteristics and baseline performance, Nye, Konstantopoulos, and Hedges (2004) analyzed teacher impacts from a random assignment experiment in Tennessee. This article focuses on the ability of the Troops to Teachers program to match untapped resources with unmet needs. The article relies on former studies, conducted by the National Center for Education Information, to highlight the effectiveness of Troops to Teachers participants Feistritzer, (2005). The article continues by stating Troops to Teachers could make a greater impact in US classrooms with increased support. Funding for TTT has decreased over the past decade. The article agues with proper incentives, TTT can improve teacher recruitment efforts to place highly trained and effective military members into low-income public schools where they are needed most. Without any doubt includes the successful Troops to Teachers participants have used their military training for innovative classroom instruction Willett, (2002). These military members have been able to transfer the discipline, teamwork, planning, and organizational skills learned through the military into their classrooms. This study also indicates that Troops to Teachers participants are able to teach students time management, self discipline, leadership, and motivational skills. A study surveyed TTT participants nationwide regarding their reasons for teaching, satisfaction levels, and attitudes towards education reform and student learning. This study found that TTT aids in recruiting males and minorities to diversify the teaching force. Additionally, the study showed the majority of TTT participants are willing to teach in high need subject areas, and in rural and inner-city schools Feistritzer, (2005). The study also revealed TTT participants have higher retention rates and more favorable administrator evaluations when compared to other public school teachers. References Bank, D. (2007). Boots on the school ground: A innovative federal project turns retiring military personnel into teachers. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2007, 67-68. Bank, D. (2007). Troops to Teachers: A model pathway to a second tour of duty. Washington, D.C.: Civic Ventures. Feistritzer, C. E. (2005). Profile of Troops to Teachers. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Information. Nunnery, J., Kaplan, L., Owings, W. A., & Pribesh, S. (2009). The Effects of Troops to Teachers on Student Achievement: One State's Study. NASSP Bulletin, 90, 249-272. doi: 10.1177/0192636509359338 Owings, W. A., Kaplan, L. S., Nunnery, J., Marzano, R., Myran, S. & Blackburn, D. (2006). Teacher quality and Troops to Teachers: A national study with implications for principals. NASSP Bulletin, 90(2), 102-131. doi: 10.1177/0192636506289023 Willett, G. G. (2002). Troops to Teachers: A profile of education in action. Washington Troops to Teachers. Olympia, WA. Read More