In both district and charter public schools alike, teachers are experiencing overwhelming pressures that are fueling a nationwide exodus of teachers, an issue that’s only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Now, new polling data from The Harris Poll and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reveals some of the latest trends driving teacher shortages in districts across the country.
“We owe an immense debt of gratitude to teachers,” said CEO and President of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in a statement. “We must listen to what they are telling us and do more to support them.”
And as the research suggests, teachers are telling us they’re simply overwhelmed.
One of the most prominent findings from the poll points to the growing issue surrounding student behavior. In fact, 74% of all public school teachers cite this as the number one challenge that teachers currently face, followed closely by compensation (65%).
Added to these stressors is the fact nearly every public school teacher (97%) wishes people understood just how demanding it is to be a teacher. Overall, being a teacher over these past few years has made them feel overwhelmed (72%), burnt out (67%) and worried or anxious (58%).
As a result, nearly 39% of public school teachers say they’ve either seriously considered abandoning the profession in the past or are planning to do so by the end of the year.
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Another factor contributing to teachers’ dissatisfaction with the job is political interference disrupting their ability to teach. According to the findings, 91% of teachers feel like they’re caught in the crossfire of a culture war, along with an overwhelming belief that politicians and decision-makers should make decisions based on feedback from students, families and teachers.
“Politics matters to public school teachers, but they don’t want it to infringe on their ability to teach effectively,” the survey reads.
Because of these persistent headaches, the researchers suggest that public school teachers have entered “crisis mode” simply because they feel the current public education system lacks support and motivation.
“Across the board, teachers feel something needs to change in public education in order to retain and recruit teachers,” the poll declares.
