What Do
Teachers
Want?
Introduction
In Spring 2019, against the backdrop of an accelerating teacher shortage, we published “What Do Millennial Teachers Want?” In the largest study of its kind, we surveyed over 1,000 millennial teachers from across the country to explore questions like, What matters most when millennial teachers are deciding where to work? How do they find out about their jobs? How deeply does an educator explore a school’s online presence when applying?
We decided once again to explore the same ideas we researched in 2019—only this time, we’re investigating the perspectives of teachers across five generations, from ages 20 to 80. But while we’ve expanded the parameters of our study, our goals are much the same as they were four years ago. We want to know what teachers of all ages look for in a job, how they learn about open positions, and what you can do to attract—and retain—the best educators.
Who are today’s teachers?
With which gender(s)
do you identify?
What is your age?
Gen Z
Gen X
Millennials
Silent Generation
Baby Boomers
Which of the following best describes
the school district you currently work in?
“I am happy in my current position.”
64.6% disagree with this statement
20.5% agree with this statement
We asked respondents to agree or disagree with the following statement: “I am happy in my current position.” Surprisingly, only about one in five respondents expressed any level of disagreement. In fact, only 5% of our sample strongly disagreed with the statement, as compared to the 19% of respondents who strongly agreed. Overall, nearly 65% said that they were at least somewhat happy in their current jobs
What are teachers looking for in a job?
Geographical location ranked highest among these factors, followed by school culture and leadership. At the lower end of rankings, our respondents indicated that when it comes to making career decisions, student performance, career advancement opportunities, and mentorship programs and opportunities were overall less important than other dimensions. This doesn’t mean that student performance and access to mentors aren’t important to educators, though—other characteristics simply take priority
Learn more about how each factor influences how teachers make career decisions in the full report.
How did you find out about your first job in your current district?
Great culture, strong leadership, and competitive salaries won’t do much for your recruitment unless prospective hires actually hear about them. So where are today’s teachers learning about jobs—and how can you use those platforms to your advantage?
Download and read the full report to learn more about what teachers from 300 school districts, across all 50 states, and all working age groups want in their work experience.
For more information, press packet, and details contact editor@schoolceo.com
SchoolCEO is a research and perspectives magazine for school superintendents and other K12 leaders. Published quarterly in print and online, SchoolCEO is the only magazine focused on marketing in K-12 public education. This publication equips its community of innovative educators with the unique and actionable ideas they need to brand and market their schools in a highly competitive environment. With more than 20,000 readers, SchoolCEO is leading the conversation on communications, recruitment, and branding in public education. For more information, visit schoolceo.com.