Survey shows majority of teachers dissatisfied, likely to retire early

A new survey shows that school climate has had an effect on teachers, perhaps pushing them away from the field in Delaware. (Photo by Media_Photos/Shutterstock)

A lot of the state’s teachers are concerned about the working conditions in schools, and new survey results shared at a state committee meeting Monday night put hard data behind those claims.

The survey was presented at the Student Behavior and School Climate Task Force meeting. That group, created in March, is made of government and educational officials as well as school behavioral specialists and resource officers.

It is to make recommendations to the state by November 1 to improve elements of education, notably student behavior.

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The survey results showed, in part, how the ongoing behavioral problems of students, as well as the disciplinary actions taken to remediate poor behavior, has taken a toll on educators.

Stephanie Ingram, president of the Delaware State Education Association , the state’s largest teachers union, shared the data with the committee, which showed that nearly 70% of educators who responded were dissatisfied with working conditions.

Furthermore, 28% of that group is “very dissatisfied.”

Ingram spoke about how it’s so essential for the recruitment and retention of teachers in the state – and consequently the success of students – to work in a healthy environment.

The survey showed that educators older than 45 are slightly more upset with working conditions than younger teachers.

However, those with a tenure of 20+ years are the most satisfied, as opposed to those with five-20 years or those with zero to five years of experience (who are the most dissatisfied), which makes sense, since if someone’s working in the state for more than 20 years and sticking around, it’s likely they are more satisfied than those fresh into the field.

While all the following are concerns for teachers, the survey showed certain climate issues are more on-the-mind than others.

The largest worry is stress and burnout, followed by staff shortages, then employees leaving the profession, followed by lack of respect, then student behavior. Student mental health, which still nine out of 10 teachers are worried about, was the least of the six categories of concern.

Ingram said a third of teachers are “not at all confident” that they will continue in education as a career, and 75% are more likely to retire/leave education early than planned (50% are much more likely).

Ingram then went into the challenges and how to address them:

• Problem: Mental health professionals are not afforded the necessary time to provide the needed direct and indirect services to students. Solution: Eliminate and/or limit the amount of non-essential administrative tasks from their workload.
• Problem: Communication devices like cell phones or smart watches create significant distractions in classrooms and can lead to other issues such as bullying. Solution: Develop and implement programs that remove these challenges.
• Problem: Student learning environment needs are not being met for all children. Solution: Establish more to ensure the students receive the necessary academic and behavioral supports they need to be successful.
• Problem: More opportunities are needed to support student learning during non-traditional academic times. Solution: Increase funding to provide extended learning opportunities such as a summer school and after school tutoring.
• Problem: Staffing shortages continue to be a major hurdle that limits solutions to addressing student behavioral challenges. Solution: Continue to address staffing shortages by creating more incentives for individuals to consider education as a career option.

Multiple task force members confirmed the survey data is reflective of what they’ve anecdotal been hearing for quite some time now from educators.

Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Dover, was happy that more than a thousand teachers were surveyed, saying it’s a good representation of a majority of educators.

“We might feel like things are good on paper, but they are not in application in our classrooms,” he said.

The group spoke about multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) a bit, which was the focus of its last meeting.

Buckson connected the survey with the support systems saying that the survey underscores the need to make sure the systems are working, and that decisions are data-driven.

Kathy Kelly, director of curriculum, instruction and professional development at the Delaware Department of Education , previously said that studies show that the support systems help improve student behavior, academic outcomes and on-time graduation rates.

The task force’s next meeting is Monday, Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. It is unclear at this point what will be on the agenda. Watch the meeting here .