- Teacher Morale Sinks
The collapse of the economy, tough talk on the results of the tests and how much weight should be seniority in determining the value given by a teacher linked helped the morale of the teachers of the nation to its lowest level in more than 20 years, according to a survey of teachers, parents and students, published on Wednesday.
More than half of the teachers have a few reservations, at least from their jobs, the highest level of discontent since 1989, the survey found. In addition, approximately one-third said they were probably the profession leave within the next five years, citing concerns about the safety of the work, and the effects of class size and more deep cuts to services and programs. Only three years ago the rate was one of the four.
The findings, published in the annual survey by the Metlife American teacher, detailing some of the uncertainties that are encouraged to review the high-stakes pressure on teachers in an era of dwindling resources. About 40 percent of teachers and parents interviewed said they were pessimistic that the level of student performance in the coming years increase, despite the emphasis on test scores as the primary measure of the quality of the work of a teacher .
Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, a nonpartisan advocacy group in Washington, said the impetus to the credit ratings by a national movement to be interrupted by the power of unions to make sure, a culture change promoted uncertain.
“It is easy to understand why teachers focus on the feeling that if we, the rhetoric about the need to consider the efficiency measure – because it is easy to see why this is a perception that teachers are generally ineffective internalized, although not what the debate is all, “said Ms. Jacobs.
About 75 percent of teachers surveyed said that the schools teach it budget cuts last year suffered, and almost as many of them said the cuts – including layoffs of teachers and other school and as consultants. Approximately one third of teachers said their schools of art, music and foreign language loss. A similar proportion found the technology and materials used in the schools has not been updated for the needs of the students’ needs.
“The introduction of the test was a decrease of events where things that kids in schools that cut,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
The survey, in its 28th year, a similar attitude among teachers in slums appear stable and in the schools, a large number of students with immigrant backgrounds who are not proficient in English and native speakers of the middle class. Race and ethnicity of students, and the duration of the experience of a teacher, very few results.
However, teachers tend to municipal kindergartens and schools with a part of the pupils with a migration background less satisfied with their work.
Teachers with higher job satisfaction were more likely to feel safer in their jobs and more opportunities for professional development, more time for teaching and greater parental involvement in their schools are prepared, the survey found.
The involvement of parents over the past 25 years has increased, according to the survey, but it remains a challenge: it reduces the involvement of parents during school hours.
