MetLife Foundation
March 2010
Since 1984, MetLife has administered its annual Survey of the American Teacher to examine attitudes and trends within the profession. This year’s theme, “Collaborating for Student Success,” draws upon testimonials from teachers, principals, and grade 3-12 students to determine how in-school partnerships between teachers and administration affect student achievement and teachers’ feelings of professionalism. Given recent controversial firings and tensions over merit-pay provisions across the country, the report’s findings on intra-school trust are notable: Teachers working in schools with higher levels of collaboration indicated stronger feelings of trust among the faculty (69 percent versus 42 percent of teachers working in less collaborative schools) as well as increased job satisfaction. Teachers’ likelihood of leaving their profession is on par with last year’s survey, and a predictable 69 percent of teachers feel they do not have a voice in the education policy debate, despite the Race to the Top push for stakeholder support. Finally one-third of teachers report having had a different career before entering the classroom. For more insights read the report here.