America’s teacher workforce problem is usually described in familiar terms, including pay, burnout, vacancies, long hours, and keeping talented educators in classrooms.
But a new Walton Family Foundation-Gallup report, Teaching for Tomorrow: Closing the Expectations Gap, points to another problem hiding in plain sight.
Based on a representative sample of more than 2,000 public K-12 teachers, it finds that many teachers believe they’re asked to meet expectations that are unclear, unrealistic, or disconnected from conditions in their schools. Teachers are more likely to be engaged, satisfied, and willing to stay in the classroom when they believe the expectations placed on them are realistic and clearly communicated.
That may sound obvious. But in schools, the obvious can get buried under mandates, initiatives, curriculum changes, accountability goals, technology shifts, and improvement plans.
