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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2003

News Release

Despite Long Hours, Low Pay, Teachers Love Their Profession 

New NEA Survey Paints a Groundbreaking
Portrait of Today's Public School Teachers 

Washington, D.C. - A national survey released today shows that America's public school  teachers spend much of their own time expanding their knowledge and skills, and hundreds of their own dollars purchasing classroom supplies, books, and materials for their students.  And not surprisingly, in spite of the long hours and low pay, a majority would return to the classroom if they had it all to do again.

These findings are among the thousands of fascinating facts about the professional and personal lives of today's teachers contained in Status of the American Public School Teacher (PDF, 1.2M, 384 pages ).  The survey, conducted by the National Education Association (NEA), represents the most comprehensive look at today's public school teaching force. 

"This survey takes you inside some typical public school classrooms and introduces you to the dedicated professionals who are working there," said NEA President Reg Weaver.  "I'm proud to say that children attending public schools today are being taught by the best educated, most experienced teachers ever.  And that's just the start of the good news within this report."  

Some key findings  of Status of the American Public School Teacher include:

• The average teacher has 15 years of classroom experience and more than half of today's teachers (56 percent) hold a master's degree or 6-year diploma.  Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) began full-time teaching within the past five years.
  
• Teachers spend an average of 50 hours per week on instructional duties, including an average of 12 hours each week on non-compensated school-related activities such as grading papers, bus duty, and club advising.
  
• More than three-quarters of teachers (77 percent) participated in system-sponsored professional development activities during the school year; more teachers than ever (35 percent) participated in such activities during the summer.  
  
• Teachers spend an average of $443 of their own money each year to meet the needs of their students.
  
• Three-fifths of teachers (60 percent) said they would become teachers again. More than one-fifth  (21 percent) said they would not choose teaching as a career if they could start over again. 

NEA has produced Status of the American Public School Teacher every five years since 1961, providing a chronicle of the teaching profession over four decades.  For the first time, the survey sought to identify the reasons for teachers not remaining in teaching until retirement.  The largest segment of teachers (37 percent) cited low salaries.  Minority teachers (50 percent), male teachers (43 percent), and teachers under 30 (47 percent) were most likely to claim low pay as the reason they will not stay in teaching.

The report also reveals a profession that is struggling to provide role models of both sexes and all races within a teaching workforce that is predominantly white (90 percent) and female (79 percent).  Since 1981, the ratio of male to female teachers has steadily declined - it now stands at a 40-year low (21 percent). 

"While the news in this report is encouraging on many fronts, the survey also includes some warning calls that can't be ignored," said Weaver.  "People are leaving our profession because of the low pay, and we're struggling to recruit and retain male teachers and teachers of color.  These are areas that we must address and correct." 

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.