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Digest of Education Statistics
2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 210.20. Percentage of teachers agreeing with statements about teaching and school conditions, by control and level of school: Selected years, 1993–94 through 2011–12
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Statement about conditions Public school teachers Private school teachers
1993-94 total 1999-2000 total 2003-04 total 2007-08 total 2011-12 1993-94 total 1999-2000 total 2003-04 total 2007-08 total 2011-121
Total Elementary schools Secondary schools Combined schools Total Elementary schools Secondary schools
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
  Percent of teachers somewhat agreeing or strongly agreeing with statement
The school administration's behavior
   toward the staff is supportive
79.2 (0.36) 78.8 (0.38) 85.2 (0.33) 87.7 (0.39) 83.6 (0.44) 84.0 (0.67) 83.2 (0.57) 82.0 (1.18) 88.2 (0.42) 87.3 (0.45) 91.1 (0.78) 93.1 (0.43) 88.5 (0.90) 88.1 (1.20) 85.5 (2.41)
My principal enforces school rules for
   student conduct and backs me up when
   I need it
80.8 (0.35) 82.2 (0.33) 87.2 (0.34) 88.0 (0.37) 83.7 (0.43) 84.5 (0.64) 82.2 (0.59) 83.1 (1.27) 88.4 (0.41) 88.3 (0.39) 92.2 (0.75) 92.2 (0.57) 89.4 (0.98) 90.1 (1.00) 87.0 (2.21)
In this school, staff members are
   recognized for a job well done
67.9 (0.39) 68.3 (0.42) 75.5 (0.38) 76.7 (0.56) 74.3 (0.45) 75.6 (0.69) 72.5 (0.58) 71.0 (1.60) 81.1 (0.40) 78.9 (0.50) 83.8 (1.14) 84.0 (0.66) 80.6 (1.04) 80.7 (1.48) 79.9 (2.27)
Principal knows what kind of school
   he/she wants and has communicated it
   to the staff
80.5 (0.36) 83.2 (0.28) 87.3 (0.30) 88.4 (0.33) 84.7 (0.41) 85.8 (0.60) 83.1 (0.54) 82.7 (1.20) 88.6 (0.38) 88.4 (0.43) 91.9 (0.68) 91.7 (0.53) 87.6 (0.96) 88.2 (0.91) 85.7 (1.55)
Most of my colleagues share my beliefs
   and values about what the central
   mission of the school should be
84.2 (0.22) 84.7 (0.26) 88.1 (0.26) 88.3 (0.35) 87.7 (0.38) 90.1 (0.52) 83.5 (0.49) 84.5 (1.47) 93.2 (0.37) 92.2 (0.31) 93.8 (0.49) 93.7 (0.44) 92.9 (0.66) 93.0 (0.82) 89.6 (1.75)
There is a great deal of cooperative
   effort among staff
77.5 (0.31) 78.4 (0.32) 83.2 (0.36) 84.3 (0.33) 82.3 (0.41) 84.3 (0.61) 78.9 (0.53) 80.2 (1.11) 90.5 (0.29) 89.0 (0.42) 91.2 (0.77) 91.7 (0.63) 88.8 (0.83) 88.8 (1.05) 87.0 (1.45)
I receive a great deal of support from
   parents for the work I do
52.5 (0.38) 57.9 (0.40) 61.1 (0.50) 64.3 (0.52) 58.6 (0.63) 61.9 (0.87) 52.8 (0.69) 55.1 (2.04) 84.6 (0.41) 84.0 (0.49) 86.1 (2.33) 87.7 (0.60) 85.0 (0.97) 85.8 (1.18) 80.2 (2.73)
I make a conscious effort to coordinate
   the content of my courses with that
   of other teachers
85.0 (0.25) 84.1 (0.24) 86.3 (0.31) (†) 90.0 (0.32) 92.7 (0.39) 85.8 (0.48) 85.8 (1.25) 85.2 (0.44) 81.4 (0.55) 84.6 (0.90) (†) 87.3 (0.90) 89.9 (0.96) 83.4 (1.59)
Routine duties and paperwork interfere
   with my job of teaching
70.8 (0.38) 71.1 (0.30) 70.8 (0.44) 69.0 (0.53) 69.2 (0.53) 70.5 (0.70) 67.3 (0.66) 65.9 (2.10) 40.1 (0.65) 44.5 (0.57) 40.7 (2.70) 42.7 (0.97) 41.1 (1.50) 43.9 (1.64) 46.2 (3.22)
Level of student misbehavior in this
   school interferes with my teaching
44.1 (0.40) 40.8 (0.42) 37.2 (0.52) 36.0 (0.57) 40.7 (0.65) 40.1 (0.96) 41.9 (0.82) 41.3 (1.58) 22.4 (0.43) 24.1 (0.61) 20.7 (2.47) 20.6 (0.72) 22.0 (1.05) 23.7 (1.39) 20.4 (2.78)
Amount of student tardiness and class
   cutting in this school interferes
   with my teaching
27.9 (0.32) 31.5 (0.35) 33.4 (0.45) 33.4 (0.64) 37.6 (0.51) 32.3 (0.76) 47.1 (0.69) 42.4 (1.56) 8.6 (0.42) 15.0 (0.43) 16.9 (1.11) 17.9 (0.72) 18.8 (1.06) 17.8 (1.05) 21.4 (2.45)
Rules for student behavior are
   consistently enforced by teachers in
   this school, even for students who
   are not in their classes
61.8 (0.42) 62.6 (0.39) 71.1 (0.46) 70.6 (0.55) 67.6 (0.51) 75.2 (0.76) 53.4 (0.71) 62.0 (2.06) 77.6 (0.50) 75.9 (0.51) 81.0 (1.52) 80.1 (0.81) 77.4 (1.49) 80.2 (1.72) 68.3 (2.78)
I am satisfied with my teaching salary 44.9 (0.45) 39.4 (0.36) 45.9 (0.46) 50.9 (0.64) 47.0 (0.50) 45.0 (0.71) 50.7 (0.70) 49.0 (1.67) 41.6 (0.59) 42.6 (0.73) 50.6 (1.76) 51.7 (0.86) 49.5 (1.44) 41.8 (1.84) 56.5 (2.28)
Necessary materials are available as
   needed by staff
73.1 (0.42) 75.0 (0.32) 79.0 (0.42) 82.2 (0.55) 79.4 (0.45) 79.6 (0.68) 78.9 (0.59) 79.5 (1.42) 85.7 (0.44) 89.0 (0.38) 91.8 (0.74) 92.1 (0.54) 90.8 (0.68) 90.3 (0.84) 91.9 (1.25)
I worry about the security of my job
   because of the performance of my
   students on state or local tests
(†) 28.8 (0.37) 31.2 (0.43) 30.9 (0.58) 44.0 (0.54) 45.3 (0.78) 41.1 (0.60) 43.8 (2.05) (†) 6.7 (0.29) 7.8 (0.68) 7.6 (0.46) 9.8 (0.75) 11.0 (0.96) 9.8 (1.38)
State or district content standards
   have had a positive influence on my
   satisfaction with teaching
(†) (†) (†) 49.3 (0.62) 47.5 (0.52) 50.8 (0.74) 41.0 (0.63) 46.2 (1.86) (†) (†) (†) 41.1 (0.80) 38.9 (1.19) 46.9 (1.35) 33.8 (2.53)
I am given the support I need to teach
   students with special needs
(†) 60.9 (0.33) 64.5 (0.47) 67.2 (0.57) 65.5 (0.51) 63.9 (0.73) 68.2 (0.61) 67.6 (1.74) (†) 67.1 (0.58) 71.8 (2.00) 68.4 (0.84) 66.9 (1.22) 63.5 (1.71) 67.6 (2.70)
Stress and disappointments involved
   in teaching at this school aren't
   really worth it
(†) (†) (†) 18.9 (0.38) 22.0 (0.49) 21.9 (0.72) 21.4 (0.62) 25.5 (2.10) (†) (†) (†) 10.1 (0.52) 11.9 (0.82) 12.5 (1.12) 12.9 (1.93)
Teachers at this school like being here;
   I would describe us as a satisfied
   group
(†) (†) (†) 79.4 (0.47) 75.7 (0.53) 76.0 (0.75) 75.7 (0.71) 74.5 (1.66) (†) (†) (†) 89.0 (0.55) 87.5 (0.93) 85.2 (1.22) 87.7 (1.88)
I like the way things are run at this
   school
(†) (†) (†) 77.1 (0.55) 72.9 (0.51) 73.6 (0.73) 72.4 (0.62) 69.6 (2.22) (†) (†) (†) 84.5 (0.66) 79.6 (1.12) 78.6 (1.32) 79.0 (2.35)
If I could get a higher paying job I'd
   leave teaching as soon as possible
(†) (†) (†) 26.0 (0.45) 29.6 (0.59) 29.3 (0.83) 29.7 (0.61) 32.0 (1.52) (†) (†) (†) 18.3 (0.73) 21.6 (1.05) 23.6 (1.29) 19.1 (1.77)
I think about transferring to another
   school
(†) (†) (†) 28.5 (0.53) 29.1 (0.51) 29.0 (0.76) 28.2 (0.71) 33.6 (1.87) (†) (†) (†) 23.8 (0.92) 25.6 (1.31) 28.2 (1.58) 24.1 (2.27)
I am generally satisfied with being a
   teacher at this school
(†) 89.7 (0.24) 90.9 (0.29) 92.8 (0.31) 90.2 (0.33) 90.1 (0.48) 90.4 (0.42) 89.8 (1.39) (†) 93.3 (0.26) 95.2 (0.56) 95.7 (0.43) 94.2 (0.60) 94.1 (0.78) 93.0 (1.37)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
1 Data for combined private schools in 2011-12 are included in the total, but not shown separately due to low response rates (under 50 percent).
NOTE: Elementary schools are those with any of grades kindergarten through grade 6 and none of grades 9 through 12. Secondary schools have any of grades 7 through 12, and none of grades kindergarten through grade 6. Combined schools have both elementary and secondary grades, or have all students in ungraded classrooms.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Teacher Data File," selected years 1993-94 through 2011-12; "Private School Teacher Data File," selected years 1993-94 through 2011-12; and "Charter School Teacher Data File," 1999-2000. (This table was prepared May 2013.)

2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest