Teachers’ level of satisfaction and motivation: Share of teachers who “strongly agree” and do not "strongly agree" with the statements presented and who would become a teacher again if they started over, all schools and in low- and high-poverty schools
| All | Low-poverty | High-poverty | Gap (high- minus low-poverty school) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I am generally satisfied with being a teacher at this school | ||||
| Strongly agrees (highest level of satisfaction) | 51.3% | 56.1% | 48.5% | -7.6 |
| Does not strongly agree (some level of dissatisfaction) | 48.7% | 43.9% | 51.5% | 7.6 |
| The teachers at this school like being here; I would describe us as a satisfied group | ||||
| Strongly agrees (highest level of satisfaction) | 28.7% | 33.7% | 25.8% | -7.9 |
| Does not strongly agree (some level of dissatisfaction) | 71.3% | 66.3% | 74.2% | 7.9 |
| I like the way things are run at this school | ||||
| Strongly agrees (highest level of satisfaction) | 26.9% | 31.0% | 24.7% | -6.3 |
| Does not strongly agree (some level of dissatisfaction) | 73.1% | 69.0% | 75.3% | 6.3 |
| If could go back to your college days and start over again: | ||||
| I would certainly become a teacher | 42.5% | 45.5% | 41.4% | -4.2 |
| Other responses | 57.5% | 54.5% | 58.6% | 4.1 |
Note: Data are for teachers in public noncharter schools. The table shows, for each of the top three statements listed, the share of teachers who responded to the 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey that they "strongly agree" versus the share who checked one of the other options on the survey form: "somewhat agree," "somewhat disagree," and "strongly disagree." For the last statement, the table shows the share of teachers who responded to the 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey that they “certainly would become a teacher” versus the share who checked one of the other options on the survey form: “probably would become a teacher,” “chances about even for and against,” “probably would not become a teacher,” and “certainly would not become a teacher.” 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: 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) microdata from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)