Teachers' influence over school policy and in the classroom: Shares of teachers reporting that they do and do not have a 'great deal' of influence/control over the factors presented, in all schools and in low- and high-poverty schools
| All | Low-poverty | High-poverty | Gap (high- minus low-poverty) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School policy at this school | ||||
| Establishing curriculum | ||||
| A great deal of influence | 20.4% | 21.4% | 18.6% | -2.8 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of influence | 79.6% | 78.6% | 81.4% | 2.8 ppt. |
| Setting performance standards for students | ||||
| A great deal of influence | 17.6% | 17.8% | 17.5% | -0.3 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of influence | 82.4% | 82.2% | 82.5% | 0.3 ppt. |
| Determining the content of in-service professional development programs | ||||
| A great deal of influence | 11.1% | 11.6% | 10.9% | -0.7 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of influence | 88.9% | 88.4% | 89.1% | 0.7 ppt. |
| Setting discipline policy | ||||
| A great deal of influence | 8.9% | 8.5% | 9.7% | 1.2 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of influence | 91.1% | 91.5% | 90.3% | -1.2 ppt. |
| Hiring new full-time teachers | ||||
| A great deal of influence | 5.3% | 6.2% | 5.1% | -1.1 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of influence | 94.7% | 93.8% | 94.9% | 1.1 ppt. |
| Evaluating teachers | ||||
| A great deal of influence | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.4% | 0.5 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of influence | 96.8% | 97.1% | 96.6% | -0.5 ppt. |
| Classroom planning and teaching | ||||
| Determining the amount of homework to be assigned | ||||
| A great deal of control | 68.3% | 67.6% | 67.8% | 0.2 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of control | 31.7% | 32.4% | 32.2% | -0.2 ppt. |
| Evaluating and grading students | ||||
| A great deal of control | 61.2% | 62.0% | 59.8% | -2.2 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of control | 38.8% | 38.0% | 40.2% | 2.2 ppt. |
| Disciplining students | ||||
| A great deal of control | 42.3% | 45.0% | 41.0% | -4.0 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of control | 57.7% | 55.0% | 59.0% | 4.0 ppt. |
| Selecting contents, topics, and skills to be taught | ||||
| A great deal of control | 28.7% | 29.2% | 27.0% | -2.2 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of control | 71.3% | 70.8% | 73.0% | 2.2 ppt. |
| Selecting textbooks and other instructional materials | ||||
| A great deal of control | 25.5% | 27.3% | 23.0% | -4.3 ppt. |
| Not a great deal of control | 74.5% | 72.7% | 77.0% | 4.3 ppt. |
Notes: Data are for teachers in public noncharter schools. The table shows the shares of teachers who answered “A great deal of [influence/control]” on the survey instrument versus “moderate,” “minor,” or “no [influence/control]” when asked “How much actual influence do you think teachers have over school policy at this school in each of the following areas?” or “How much actual control do you have in your classroom at this school over the following areas?” 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)