Panelists
Daniel Cardinali, President, Communities In Schools
Dana Markow, PhD, Vice President, Youth and Education Research, Harris Interactive
Thomas Smigiel, Assistant Principal, Granby High School (Norfolk, Virginia);
2008 Virginia Teacher of the Year; Finalist, 2008 National Teacher of the Year
Dennis White, Chief Executive Officer and President, MetLife Foundation
Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education

The new MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents, and the Economy is the first large-scale national survey to reflect fully the effects of the economy on the teaching profession. According to the survey, teacher job satisfaction has fallen fifteen points since 2009, from 59 percent to 44 percent of teachers “very satisfied” with their careers, the lowest level in twenty years. This is coupled with a large increase in the number of teachers reporting that they are likely to leave teaching for another occupation. Amid the disquieting findings in this year’s survey, data indicates strong support for the teaching profession by their communities and a marked improvement in the levels of engagement between parents and schools compared to a generation ago.

On April 24 the Alliance held a webinar on the latest MetLife survey that examines the effects of the current economy on families and schools, the teaching profession, and parent and community engagement. The panelists discussed the findings and the data points for policymakers and education leaders to note as they work to turn negative trends into positive ones.

The survey’s findings underscore that education is a shared responsibility, particularly in the face of financial challenges. Teachers with higher job satisfaction are more likely to have experienced adequate opportunities for professional development, increased or maintained time to collaborate with other teachers, and more preparation and support for engaging parents effectively.

The webinar also included a question and answer period to address questions submitted by viewers across the nation.

Supplemental Materials:

• Agenda (PDF)
• Speaker Biographies (PDF)
• Harvard Family Research Project Family Engaement Toolkit (PDF)

This webinar is made possible with support from