Barriers that pose serious problems to teaching and to student learning: Share of teachers reporting that factor is a "serious problem," all schools and in low- and high-poverty schools
| All | Low-poverty | High-poverty | Gap (high- minus low-poverty school) | Ratio high-/low-poverty | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty | 28.8% | 9.5% | 45.1% | 35.6 ppt. | 4.7 |
| Students come to school unprepared to learn | 27.3% | 12.1% | 38.6% | 26.5 ppt. | 3.2 |
| Lack of parental involvement | 21.5% | 9.1% | 31.2% | 22.1 ppt. | 3.4 |
| Student apathy | 18.4% | 11.1% | 22.3% | 11.3 ppt. | 2.0 |
| Student absenteeism | 14.9% | 8.0% | 19.7% | 11.7 ppt. | 2.5 |
| Student tardiness | 12.1% | 6.1% | 16.6% | 10.5 ppt. | 2.7 |
| Poor student health | 5.1% | 2.0% | 8.1% | 6.1 ppt. | 4.1 |
| Student class-cutting | 5.0% | 2.5% | 6.5% | 4.0 ppt. | 2.6 |
Note: Data are for teachers in public noncharter schools. The table shows for each of the factors listed in the table the share of teachers who answered "serious problem" to the question, “To what extent is each of the following a problem in this school?” (other potential responses were "moderate problem," "minor problem," and "not a problem"). A teacher is in a low-poverty school if less than 25 percent of the student body in his/her classroom is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs; a teacher is in a high-poverty school if 50 percent or more of the student body is his/her classroom is eligible for those programs.
Source: 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) microdata from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)