International Survey: U.S. Teachers Are Overworked, Feel Underappreciated
The problems are far worse in the U.S. than among educators in other countries.
TEACHERS IN THE U.S. work longer hours and spend more time during the school day teaching than teachers in other parts of the world. And while the majority are satisfied with their jobs, only a fraction believes American society values their profession.
The topline findings of the Teaching and Learning International Survey, an international study published Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, showcase the grievances at the heart of the wave of educator unrest that's prompted strikes, protests and walkouts in nearly a dozen states and school districts across the U.S.
"They are working a lot of hours, relatively speaking," Peggy Carr, associate commissioner for assessment at NCES, the Department of Education's data arm, said. "They do spend a lot of hours teaching. I think we need to think about that and what that means. Teachers love their jobs all across the globe, but our teachers, not unlike teachers elsewhere, feel as though we don't value their profession. There's a message there I think we need to think about."
No other education system had teachers who reported teaching for more hours than U.S. teachers, who taught for an average of 28 hours each week. American teachers reported working for an average of 46 hours total each week, which was higher than or comparable to educators in all but two other countries.
According to the survey, 90 percent of U.S.teachers are satisfied with their jobs, but only 36 percent believe that American society values the teaching profession – a sentiment that's fueled the discontent among teachers that's been on public display since 2018.
While the rate of job satisfaction among U.S. teachers was mirrored in other countries, the perception of value varied more widely, with the percentage of teachers who "agreed" or "agreed a lot" that their society valued the teaching profession ranged from 5% in the Slovak Republic to 92% in Vietnam.
The survey also bolstered long-standing criticisms about gender stratification in leadership positions in K-12 schools, namely that the majority of teachers are women, while the majority CONTINUE READING: International Survey: U.S. Teachers Are Overworked, Feel Underappreciated | Education News | US News
