What’s It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today?
Public K-12 teachers express low job satisfaction and few are optimistic about the future of U.S. education.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Public K-12 teachers express low job satisfaction and few are optimistic about the future of U.S. education.
High school teachers are more likely than elementary and middle school teachers to hold negative views about AI tools in education.
63% of Americans are pessimistic about the country’s moral and ethical standards, and 59% are pessimistic about its education system.
The public is sharply divided along partisan lines on topics ranging from what should be taught in schools to how much influence parents should have over the curriculum.
A majority of those who say it’s headed in the wrong direction say a major reason is that schools are not spending enough time on core academic subjects.
About six-in-ten parents of K-12 children (61%) say the first year of the pandemic had a negative effect on their children’s education.
In 2019, 81% of household heads with a bachelor’s degree or more education had a spouse or partner who was also a college graduate.
In the United States, the transience of economic status varies significantly across racial and ethnic groups and by level of education.
Republican and Democratic parents differ widely over what their children should learn at school about gender identity, slavery and other topics, but they are equally satisfied with the quality of education their children are receiving.
Around a third of U.S. school districts mention the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in their mission statements. But these references are far more common in parts of the country won by Joe Biden in 2020 than in areas won by Donald Trump.
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