Teacher morale is at a rock bottom, teacher optimism about K-12 education has reached its lowest point in four years, and a majority of teachers support education savings accounts, public charter schools, and open enrollment across districts, according to a new poll from Morning Consult. do.
In particular, John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers' Union in New Jersey, told NJ Spotlight that morale in education is so low that it is “in the basement.” (Abeigon hopes the new contract, which raises teacher salaries to the highest in the state and “puts the decisions about learning in the hands of teachers,” will boost morale.)
Teachers generally report the highest levels of satisfaction with their relationships with family members. They are the least satisfied with their physical and mental health. Two-thirds of teachers feel a ‘sense of purpose’ and ‘hope’ when thinking about the future. Almost one in three people say they feel “overwhelmed.”
Other insights from the survey include:
- Teacher optimism about K-12 education has hit its lowest point in four years. Positive sentiment about the direction of K-12 education continues to decline sharply at the national, state, and local levels.
- This spring, teachers in all schools expressed high levels of pessimism about the teaching profession. The proportion of teachers recommending teaching positions continues to fall to fairly low levels.
- Last year, 40% of teachers said they had to change their curriculum because of new state laws. More than 25% said they had removed books from their libraries as a result. Nearly half of teachers (49%) have decided to limit discussion of political and social issues themselves, and more than a third say they have seen fellow teachers do the same.
- Teachers report that students are more absent than in the fall semester. District school teachers continue to report more absences than their private counterparts.
- Nearly half of teachers say student misbehavior occurs more frequently this year than last year. District school teachers have seen an increase in such misbehavior, while private school teachers have seen a decrease since the fall.
- Nearly three in four teachers say their classes are interrupted somewhat frequently due to student disciplinary issues. More than half say their classes are interrupted at a similar frequency due to technology malfunctions.
- Less than one in five teachers believe that their students are making very good progress academically, emotionally and socially. Private school teachers report significantly better student achievement than community school teachers.
- About half of teachers are able to create and enforce their own cell phone policy. Almost two-thirds of teachers work in schools and students are allowed to have mobile phones at school. Teachers are much less supportive of cell phones in schools and classrooms than parents.
- Two-thirds of teachers believe their students use social media at least “very often.” High school teachers are more likely to report students on social media. Teachers feel much more negatively than teenagers about the impact of social media. Nearly nine in 10 teachers believe children should be at least 13 years old to access social media.
- About half of teachers prefer to teach outside the school building at least one day a week.
- Teacher support for charter schools increases when policy explanations are provided. This is especially true for those with the least educational experience.
- Teacher support for open enrollment across districts is high. Private school teachers see the greatest increase in support when policy explanations are provided.
In addition to school vouchers, at least half of teachers support various school choice policies. This approval rating has fallen slightly since the fall.
Education Savings Account (ESA) – 69%
Open Enrollment – 63%
Charter School – 50%
School Voucher – 41%