What's It Like to Be a Teacher in America Today?

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  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Pew Research Center. 1615 L Street NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-4500; Fax: 202-419-4505; Web site: http://pewresearch.org
    • Peer Reviewed:
      N
    • Source:
      46
    • Education Level:
      Elementary Secondary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Elementary Secondary Education; Public School Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Job Satisfaction; Faculty Workload; Time Management; Barriers; Parent Participation; Poverty; Attendance; Mental Health; Academic Achievement; Student Behavior
    • Abstract:
      Public K-12 teachers are stressed about their jobs and few are optimistic about the future of education. Pew Research Center conducted this study from October 17 to November 14, 2023 through an online survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 Teachers. Six chapters cover the following aspects of teachers' experiences: (1) Teachers' job satisfaction; (2) How teachers manage their workload; (3) Problems students are facing at public K-12 schools; (4) Challenges in the classroom; (5) Teachers' views of parent involvement; and (6) Teachers' views on the state of public K-12 education. Survey results revealed that most teachers find their job to be fulfilling, but that there is not enough time during their regular work hours to do tasks like grading, lesson planning, paperwork and answering work emails. When teachers were asked about some of the challenges students at their school are facing, three problems topped the list--poverty, chronic absenteeism, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. When it came to how their students are doing in school, teachers were relatively downbeat about both academic performance and behavior, with almost half saying the academic performance and behavior of most students at their school is fair or poor. Teachers were asked about the level of involvement they see from their students' parents, and most said parents do too little when it comes to holding their children accountable if they misbehave in school, helping their children with their schoolwork, and ensuring their children's attendance in school. When asked how they view the education system, a large majority of teachers said the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the past five years.
    • Abstract:
      ERIC
    • Publication Date:
      2024
    • Accession Number:
      ED650772