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How do teachers make informed decisions about selecting quality instructional materials that support positive outcomes for students?

With funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, WestEd is studying how teachers make sound decisions about which instructional materials to use in their classrooms. This work is designed to support a portfolio of Hewlett-funded grantees working to improve the quality and consistency of instructional materials in classrooms across the United States.

In 2016, WestEd researchers conducted focus groups with teachers in six cities nationwide to develop a baseline understanding of how they obtain, judge the quality of, and select instructional materials. Specifically, WestEd researchers explored three areas of interest:

• Teachers’ judgments of what constitutes quality materials
• Why and how teachers choose to supplement adopted materials
• Teachers’ perceptions of processes for adopting instructional materials in their districts and schools

This brief focuses on the first area of interest: how teachers judge the quality of instructional materials.

Additional briefs in this series:

• Why and How Teachers Choose to Supplement Adopted Materials
• Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices Related to the Adoption of Instructional Materials