The teaching profession—a workforce of 3 million—is at an inflection point that could shape the course of the profession, according to Education Week.
For the past few years, teachers have reported high levels of burnout and disillusionment—borne initially from the hardships of teaching in a pandemic and exacerbated by the escalating academic, social, and mental health needs of students. And for some teachers, the stress of landing in the white-hot center of divisive politics has taken a toll.
How teachers feel about their current jobs and their own future as educators is a critical indicator of the profession’s long-term health. To help school leaders, district leaders, policymakers, and the wider public understand these dynamics, the EdWeek Research Center created a Teacher Morale Index—a multi-faceted measure of teacher satisfaction that is a central feature of Education Week’s new project called The State of Teaching.
Teachers responding to the 2023-2024 The State of Teaching Survey were asked to select one of three answer options in response to each of the three questions listed below: a negative response assigned a value of -100 points, a neutral response assigned a value of 0, or a positive response assigned a value of +100. Points for each of the three survey questions were averaged for each respondent to generate a score ranging from -100 to +100.
1) Compared to one year ago, my morale at work right now is:
- Worse (-100 points)
- The same (0 points)
- Better (+100 points)
2) Right now, my morale at work is:
- Mostly bad (-100 points)
- Equally good and bad (0 points)
- Mostly good (+100 points)
3) One year from now, I expect my morale at work will be:
- Worse (-100 points)
- The same (0 points)
- Better (+100 points)
Takeaways:
- Where teachers work—in rural, town, suburban, or urban settings—impacts their scores on the Teacher Morale Index
- Black teachers report the strongest morale, while teachers who are white or of two or more races have more negative morale
- Teachers’ scores on the index varied widely depending on the stage of their careers
Education Week
