It Takes A Team is sponsored by AFT Connecticut. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
The latest "MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents and the Economy [1]" shows that education budget cuts to public schools and the demonization of teachers have taken a toll on teachers' job satisfaction, AFT president Randi Weingarten says. And that jeopardizes student success.
"Often, we hear how important teachers are. But this survey tells us what teachers themselves are thinking, and it's very sobering," Weingarten says. "Teachers are telling us they have the lowest level of job satisfaction in more than two decades and that a growing number are planning to leave the profession.
"It's not surprising that the most satisfied teachers are those who have support; they are treated as professionals, are given opportunities for professional growth, teach in communities where parents and educators collaborate to improve teaching and learning, and have job security. Sadly, at a time when we need to recruit and retain talented teachers and prepare kids for the knowledge economy, the teaching profession is becoming less attractive and more difficult.
"We need to pay attention when the teachers most likely to be dissatisfied are those with at-risk students—students who have the most needs but the fewest resources, at school and at home, because of the economic crisis. Teachers consistently say they need the tools, resources and time to improve teaching and learning—the same things that teachers in top-performing countries receive virtually without fail. U.S. teachers are frustrated with unrelenting cuts in budgets, elimination of arts and after-school programs, larger class sizes, and accountability systems that over-rely on student test scores. This should call into question the obsession with cutting funding for public education and health and family services children and parents rely on.
"The report's silver lining is that there's more engagement among parents, teachers and community groups to help students succeed.
"This report provides a commonsense road map for what we need to do to build successful schools: respect teachers, engage parents and the community, and, even in tough times, provide the programs and resources necessary to ensure high-quality public schools."
Some key findings from "The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents and the Economy":
AFT CT (American Federation of Teachers Connecticut) is committed to improving the quality of education for every child in the state. Education reform issues like teacher tenure, teacher certification, teacher evaluations, early childhood education, charter schools, school funding and more need input from all educators. PreK-12 teachers, paraprofessionals and school related personnel are working every day to improve learning and help students to grow. From urban schools in Connecticut, such as Hartford, New Britain, New Haven and Meriden, to suburban schools, such as, Bloomfield, Simsbury and Waterford, to regional school districts, our members are working to provide quality education.
Links:
[1] http://www.metlife.com/teachersurvey