As the education world grapples with a post-pandemic academic recovery that has stalled in some regions, a new research paper is taking the measure of key players in students’ success: their teachers.
Researchers are looking at whether teachers have what they need to thrive in “Teaching for Tomorrow: Educators on the Future of Their Profession,” part of a multiyear study undertaken by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation.
“While the research underscores the critical role teachers play in their students’ futures, being an educator is perhaps as difficult as it has ever been,” the report authors write.
One apparently contradictory finding of the study, which surveyed nearly 2,000 K-12 public school teachers in fall 2024, was that a majority of teachers report feeling satisfied with their workplace and yet also burned out.
“This poses a risk for schools struggling to retain talented, experienced educators, as Gallup research finds that workers who report high levels of burnout are 2.6 times more likely than their peers to be actively seeking a new job,” the report posits.
Here are some highlights on what teachers said about their feelings on the workplace, student achievement and their futures in the profession.
Workplace Satisfaction
Teachers were fairly sunny when reporting on their day-to-day work environments and relationships.
Roughly 70 percent of teachers agreed that they know what’s expected of them at work, have someone at work who encourages them, and have the opportunity to do what they do best. About 20 percent of teachers were neutral in each of these categories, responding that they neither agreed or disagreed with the statements.
At the same time teachers said they were largely satisfied with their workplace, more than 90 percent of teachers reported feeling some level of burnout.
Teachers were split on work-life balance, with 42 percent saying they were satisfied and another 42 percent reportedly unsatisfied. Less than half said they were satisfied with their level of pay and opportunities for advancement.
Student Achievement
About two-thirds of teachers agreed that their students were motivated to get good grades and on track to succeed in school. Most also said their students are excited about what they’re learning.
They were more tepid when it came to students’ future performance. One-fifth of teachers said their college-bound students were “very prepared” to do well. For students not planning on going to college, just one-tenth of teachers said those students were “very prepared” to do well in the workforce.
Plans to Stay in Education
As pockets of the country try to stem teacher shortages, the report’s data shows there are more teachers on the fence about leaving the classroom than those who are certain they’re ready to leave.
Nearly one-fifth of teachers said they may not return teaching next year, either pursuing other roles in education or leaving the industry altogether. About one-third said either do not plan to or aren’t sure if they will stay in K-12 education for the rest of their careers.
Black teachers were more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to say they didn’t know whether they’d return in the fall or that they would return in a role other than teaching. They were also the least likely to say they planned to spend the rest of their career as a K-12 teacher.
“This is particularly important for resource-strapped schools,” according to the report, “as the cost of replacing a professional employee such as a teacher costs an estimated 80% of that worker’s salary.”
