As you set the course for the next week and the rest of the school year, know this: Most kids—a whopping 95%—say they are hopeful about the future.
A Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Youth Right Now survey of more than 143,000 teens and tweens identified mental health as the top concern of young people but it’s also the No. 1 issue “they’re most likely to change.” Some 95% of the respondents said they are confident that they can accomplish most things if they try their best and two-thirds reported having post-secondary education plans.
Beyond mental health, teens’ and tweens’ top concerns are freedom of speech, racial justice, women’s rights and community violence. Still, the survey finds the majority of young people always or often feel happy (72%) and motivated (61%). They’re most interested in jobs where they can be creative (39%), inspire others (29%), help or provide a service to people (27%), start a business (25%) and serve their community (24%).
Teacher pay still lags
You’re not alone if you and your team will be working to make teacher salaries competitive with neighboring districts and the private sector. While teachers’ average weekly wages have risen ever so slightly (by 1.7%), they still lag substantially behind college graduates in other professions, according to the latest analysis by the Economic Policy Institute.
The so-called “pay penalty” for teachers grew to a record 26.6% in 2023. That’s more than four times the 6.1% gap recorded in 1996. Teachers earned 73.4 cents for every dollar paid to other professionals in 2023. The report also found that teachers’ more advantageous benefits packages do not offset the wage gap, which exceeded 20% in 36 states. The largest disparity was in Colorado (38.4%) and the smallest, in Wyoming (9%).
More perspective on the working environment for teachers can be found in District Administration’s recent article: “Best states for teachers: Why these are the top 3.”
Here’s another sign of the tough environment that teachers face as the school year takes shape and leaders bolster their safety strategies. Teachers are increasingly worried they will fall victim to gun violence in their school, according to the latest RAND Corporation survey. One in six teachers “works in a district that has been touched by gun violence since the 2019–2020 school year,” the report found.
Just under half of the teachers surveyed said active shooter drills made them feel more prepared to respond to an active shooter. Nearly 70% said the drills “had no impact” on how safe they feel at school.
Also know this for next week: Math rules
If you’re just now developing your district’s next strategic plan, it may help to peek at what other districts prioritize in their long-term visions for teaching and learning. The school data tracking service, Burbio, regularly searches for keywords in the strategic and accountability plans that cover 50% of the U.S. student population.
Their latest report on STEM and CTE portions of strategic plans found math to be the most prominent subject, appearing in 64% of strategic plans, followed by science, engineering, technology integration and computer science.
More from DA: Why these 3 states are the best for teachers
