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.
63% of Americans are pessimistic about the country’s moral and ethical standards, and 59% are pessimistic about its education system.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to limit affirmative action in higher education is likely to have the biggest impact on a relatively small group of schools.
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.
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.
In the 118th Congress, 94% of representatives and all but one senator hold at least a bachelor’s degree, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
About half of Asian adults who have heard of affirmative action (53%) say it is a good thing, 19% say it is a bad thing, and 27% say they don’t know whether it is good or bad. However, about three-quarters of all Asian adults (76%) say race or ethnicity should not factor into college admissions decisions.
Here’s a closer look at what recent surveys have found about Americans’ views of affirmative action.
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