Empowering Teachers at Every Grade Level
Teachers have always been asked to wear a lot of hats, but 2021 took this to another level. In addition to the usual challenges (increased paperwork, state testing mandates, diverse learning needs and student backgrounds, etc.), teachers faced extreme challenges this year. Substitute and certified teacher shortages led to massive increases in class sizes and decreases in teacher planning time. Schools often vacillated unpredictably between in-person and online learning — and frequently both types happened simultaneously in the same classrooms. Although nearly everyone wants to support and empower teachers, it’s a feat easier said than done. To figure out what teachers really want and need to feel empowered, we asked the experts: teachers.
One factor we explored in our recent Teacher Empowerment Survey was the relationship between teacher attitudes and grade levels taught. In this blog, we’ll examine the differences between elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Read on to learn our most interesting discoveries about teacher empowerment by grade level.
Middle and High School Teachers: Less Energy, More Thoughts of Quitting
The first question we asked teachers was how “charged up” their personal batteries were heading into the 21–22 school year. While the overall average was 66%, there was a negative correlation between reported “battery charge” and grade level taught. Elementary teachers reported an average battery charge of 68%, middle school teachers averaged 65%, and high school teachers averaged only 63%.
As any statistics teacher will tell you, “correlation does not equal causation!” Whatever the cause, high school teachers in our sample continued this trend across other items. For example, in response to the statement, “The way things are going, I think a lot about finding a career outside of teaching,” 39% of middle school and 41% of high school teachers agreed. For comparison, only 33% of elementary school teachers agreed.
Yet another surprising difference between secondary and elementary school teachers was in how harmoniously they anticipated their relationships with students and parents would be. Middle and high school teachers were 26% more likely than elementary teachers to disagree with the statement “I don’t anticipate any problems getting along with my students’ families.” When presented with the statement, “It’s a lot harder getting along with students now than it used to be,” 41% of middle school and 40% of high school teachers agreed — 28% more than elementary school teachers. Finally, secondary teachers were 25% more likely to agree with the statement, “I’m worried I’ll get in trouble for teaching certain topics (current events, referencing the history of slavery in the US, etc.).” Given the similar rates at which secondary teachers reported these three sentiments, it is possible that teachers may have anticipated conflicts with students and parents stemming from teaching current events.
Elementary School Teachers: Lack of Trust and Support
Although middle and high school teachers responded similarly to most of our questions, elementary school teachers often felt differently. When asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “My district and school have provided me with all the support I need to be successful,” only 48% of elementary teachers agreed. This was especially interesting to us because 58% of high school teachers agreed with the aforementioned statement, despite more feelings of depletion or thoughts of quitting.
Elementary-level educators were also less likely than those in secondary schools to agree with the statement, “My district and school administrators trust me.” In other words, elementary teachers felt more prepared for the school year and less likely to leave teaching, despite feeling less trusted and supported by district and school leaders — and vice versa for secondary school teachers. This seems to suggest — counterintuitively — that admin trust and support may not be correlated with teacher energy levels or retention. Although trust and support are important, teachers may not rank them as their most important needs.
What We Can Learn From This
Our survey discovered that secondary school teachers entered the 2021–22 school year feeling more drained and ready to leave the field than elementary school teachers. They also anticipated more conflicts with students and parents, and perhaps also with admin when it comes to teaching current events. By contrast, more elementary school teachers reported feeling unsupported or mistrusted by school leaders.
Although we don’t yet have any follow-up data on how the school year is actually going for these teachers, their concerns offer insights for leaders. To empower elementary school teachers, ensure they feel trusted and supported. To empower middle and high school teachers, give them resources and opportunities to recharge themselves and build rapport with students and parents. Above all else, ensure teachers of all grade levels have the tools they need to give timely, individualized student feedback — click here to find out why.
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The #1 driver of student learning and development is great feedback. We built Classkick to eliminate barriers and make sure students can get the individualized feedback they need — when they need it. We also are continually working to understand teachers more in order to better empower them. This blog is a part of a series based on findings from Classkick’s original Teacher Empowerment Survey.
