OF THE
TIMES
Of the responders with salary as an included primary reason, 319 of the 615 responders listed student behavior as their biggest reason to leave the classroom, followed by 138 for "progressive political activity" and 134 for "salary is insufficient".
When pay is listed as an ancillary reason in contribution to another factor, the numbers shift dramatically. 447 of 615 responders listed unchecked student behavior as their primary reason for leaving the classroom. 128 listed "progressive political activity", while only nine listed parental harassment.
Given this, it's beyond incredible that Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers and Becky Pringle of the National Education Association would cite Republicans' and parents' "politicization" of the classroom as the reason for the teacher shortage. It's not even a secondary or tertiary issue — it's forty-nine times less important to teachers than the behavioral crisis.
Furthermore, 356 of the 615 teachers reported that they were a member of a teachers union this previous year. It's not just non-union teachers that are reporting these issues.
I was surprised to see that only 21% of responders answered "yes" to returning to the classroom of the district if their complaints were reported to have been dealt with.
In this first survey, I conclude that it's reasonable (at the very least) to cast extreme doubt on union and education advocacy organizations claiming that pay and parental harassment are the primary issues for teachers leaving.
When salary is listed as a contributing factor, 93.35% of Midwestern teachers claim that their resignation is due to student behavior and progressive political activity required in their classrooms.
Comment: See also: