For love of teaching

American Teacher, Apr 2009

MetLife's silver edition teacher survey reveals a dedicated profession

THE 25th ANNUAL SURVEY of teachers conducted by MetLife Foundation traces a path of progress for the profession but raises some important red flags for the future, particularly in urban education.

Released earlier this year, MetLife's widely watched gauge of educator, administrator and student attitudes reveals that the teaching corps' passion for the profession burns brightly and across the board: An astounding 98 percent of teachers surveyed in the report say they love to teach. And rates are rising for teachers who say they are satisfied with their careers (62 percent of respondents, up from 40 percent in 1984) and those who deem themselves well-prepared for the classroom (two-thirds of teachers today, up from 46 percent 25 years ago).

Particularly encouraging is the rise in teachers who would advise students to follow in their footsteps: Three-quarters of teachers participating in the silver anniversary survey said they would encourage a young person to become a teacher, up 21 percent from 1984.

"The AFT always has worked to ensure teachers are respected and appreciated as professionals, [and] the MetLife survey shows that good progress has been made," AFT president Randi Weingarten said following publication of the survey. She noted that most educators feel positive about their careers, their schools, the level of support they receive from colleagues, their relationship with parents-and, most important, the students they teach.

But there are important caveats that must not get lost in the MetLife results, Weingarten warned.

Urban schools teachers are less likely than their non-urban counterparts to rate their school's disciplinary policy as excellent (61 percent vs. 74 percent, respectively). Similar disparities between urban teachers and their rural and suburban counterparts were evident when MetLife surveyed teachers about adequate classroom resources, sufficient parent involvement and high-quality academic standards.

Only 45 percent of teachers in urban schools rate academic standards in their schools as excellent compared with 60 percent of teachers in suburban districts. More than two-thirds (67 percent) of urban teachers report at least one out of four of their students passes through their doors not fully prepared to learn at grade level; only 23 percent of suburban teachers cited this problem.

"The findings reinforce our most recent call for national standards [and] to improve schools and help students reach those standards, we also must be committed to providing teachers and kids with the supports, and teaching and learning conditions, that are necessary," Weingarten said. Those supports include a strong core curriculum, properly aligned assessments, job-embedded professional development, and a safe and orderly environment, she added.

The MetLife survey includes a national sample of 1,000 K- 12 public school teachers. Also surveyed were 502 principals, along with an online survey of 902 students in grades 3-12. The latest survey finds:

* Two-thirds of teachers (up from 37 percent in 1984) say their jobs offer an opportunity to earn a decent salary.

* Only one-third of urban school teachers say the availability of teaching materials is excellent, well below the 54 percent national average.

* Growing numbers of teachers report that poverty is a learning hindrance for at least a quarter of their students, with half of today's teachers (compared with 41 percent in 1992) pointing to poverty as an impediment.

* 22 percent of teachers say a lack of facility with English hinders learning for at least a quarter of their classroom, with 30 percent of urban teachers citing this problem.

* Fewer than half of teachers (48 percent) say that standardized tests are effective tools for tracking their students' performance while 79 percent of principals believe that mese tests help teachers track performance.

The disconnect between principals and teachers on testing and other issues was one of the themes explored by survey authors in a report that strikes a generally encouraging note overall.