Teachers' perceptions of being supported by administrators, colleagues, and parents of students: Shares of teachers who strongly agree and who do not strongly agree with the statements presented, in all schools and in low- and high-poverty schools
| All | Low-poverty | High-poverty | Gap (high- minus low-poverty) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The principal knows what kind of school he or she wants and has communicated it to the staff. | ||||
| Strongly agrees (feels fully supported) | 51.6% | 53.4% | 50.8% | -2.6 ppt. |
| Does not strongly agree (experiences some level of conflict or disagreement) | 48.4% | 46.6% | 49.2% | 2.6 ppt. |
| The school administration’s behavior is supportive and encouraging. | ||||
| Strongly agrees (feels fully supported) | 49.6% | 52.0% | 47.9% | -4.1 ppt. |
| Does not strongly agree (experiences some level of conflict or disagreement) | 50.4% | 48.0% | 52.1% | 4.1 ppt. |
| I make a conscious effort to coordinate the content of my courses with that of other teachers. | ||||
| Strongly agrees (feels fully supported) | 47.9% | 50.0% | 47.4% | -2.6 ppt. |
| Does not strongly agree (experiences some level of conflict or disagreement) | 52.1% | 50.0% | 52.6% | 2.6 ppt. |
| There is a great deal of cooperative effort among the staff members. | ||||
| Strongly agrees (feels fully supported) | 38.4% | 41.0% | 36.6% | -4.4 ppt. |
| Does not strongly agree (experiences some level of conflict or disagreement) | 61.6% | 59.0% | 63.4% | 4.4 ppt. |
| Most of my colleagues share my beliefs and values about what the central mission of the school should be. | ||||
| Strongly agrees (feels fully supported) | 36.0% | 37.3% | 35.6% | -1.7 ppt. |
| Does not strongly agree (experiences some level of conflict or disagreement) | 64.0% | 62.7% | 64.4% | 1.7 ppt. |
| In this school, staff members are recognized for a job well done. | ||||
| Strongly agrees (feels fully supported) | 32.4% | 34.9% | 31.3% | -3.6 ppt. |
| Does not strongly agree (experiences some level of conflict or disagreement) | 67.6% | 65.1% | 68.7% | 3.6 ppt. |
| I receive a great deal of support from parents for the work I do. | ||||
| Strongly agrees (feels fully supported) | 13.3% | 20.6% | 9.4% | -11.2 ppt. |
| Does not strongly agree (experiences some level of conflict or disagreement) | 86.7% | 79.4% | 90.6% | 11.2 ppt. |
Notes: Data are for teachers in public noncharter schools. The table shows, for each of the statements listed, the share of teachers who responded that they “strongly agree” versus the share who checked one of the other options on the survey form: “somewhat agree,” “somewhat disagree,” or “strongly disagree.” The statement “I make a conscious effort to coordinate the content of my courses with that of other teachers” is a proxy for the community environment created by teachers to facilitate coordination; an answer of “strongly agrees” indicates that the teacher belongs to a supportive learning community. A teacher is considered to be in a low-poverty school if less than 25 percent of the students in his/her classroom are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs; a teacher is considered to be in a high-poverty school if 50 percent or more of the students in his/her classroom are 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)
This chart appears in:
- The role of early career supports, continuous professional development, and learning communities in the teacher shortage: The fifth report in ‘The Perfect Storm in the Teacher Labor Market’ series
- Challenging working environments (‘school climates’), especially in high-poverty schools, play a role in the teacher shortage: The fourth report in ‘The Perfect Storm in the Teacher Labor Market’ series
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