Teacher Satisfaction 1
Teacher Satisfaction in the
Continuation School Environment
Rebecca Lofton
EDCT 586
Dr. Karen Grady
May 20, 2009
Abstract
The challenges facing all teachers in this increasingly education-unfriendly environment cannot be overstated. Every day, teachers are asked to do more, be more and accomplish more with decreasing resources and funding. Much research has been gathered and analyzed over the issues that today’s teachers grapple with including teacher attitude, job burnout, lack of meaningful training and mentorship. However, little to no research has been conducted that examines the issues specific to those who choose to teach in a secondary continuation school. After presenting an overview of the existing research, this study aims to provide an examination of a sampling of continuation school educators and their most pressing issues.
Teacher Satisfaction and the Continuation School Environment
Education researchers have been studying teacher satisfaction, burnout, decreasing moral and attrition about for decades. They have surveyed, sampled, examined and evaluated teachers and their schools around the globe and presented unsurprisingly similar results – teachers love their job but hate the bureaucracy and isolating aspects of a busy, run from the top-down school. Excellent research conducted in Norway, surveys compiled in China and the United States and inquiries and interviews of elementary teachers in New Zealand create a library of data that is impressive; however, further examination reveals that a segment of the teaching population is missing from all of this research – those who chose to teach at continuation high schools.
This study is unique in that it specifically addresses the satisfaction levels of secondary school teachers who spend their days in a continuation high school. Given the increasing high-school student drop-out rate combined with the growing transient student and teen parent population, the role of alternative education facilities is becoming ever more important. It follows, then, that the motivation and satisfaction of those who teach in continuation schools in conjunction with their concerns becomes more important as well. To paraphrase Dr. Karen Grady, it is a story that needs to be told.
The research conducted for this paper, in the form of interviews given to a sampling of staff from a local continuation school, was driven by questions that attempted to uncover the following: (1) each participants’ background, as a student and an educator, and how it influences their practice as a teacher; (2) identification of those aspects of the job which are the most important and whether they are they present in the current position; (3) the degree of support provided by staff (coworkers, administration, office staff) and how that support, or lack of support, directly relates to job satisfaction; (4) a numerical ranking assigned to job satisfaction; and (5) missing components of the job that would make it better. The study is predominantly qualitative and narrative heavy. The job satisfaction rating represents a quantitative approach; however, as with all things human, it speaks to feelings and emotions present on the day that the questions were asked. Conceivably, the responses could have led to a different level of overall satisfaction if asked on a day earlier in the year, or prior to the receipt of pink slips by members of the staff.
Literature Review
Teachers have been surveyed and studied by educational researchers for decades. The amount of data, reports and statistics is overwhelming but does reveal some very basic findings that underscore the issues and concerns facing the teachers who participated. Additionally, there is a tremendous amount of research that addresses specific issues surrounding teacher burnout and dissatisfaction, including teacher administrator relationships and the lack of opportunity to participate in decision making.
According to the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Past, Present and Future, teacher satisfaction has been climbing over the past quarter of a century (Rebora, 2009). Between 1984 and 2008, the number of teachers who indicated they were “very satisfied” with their careers rose from 40% to 62% (Rebora, 2009). Even more surprising is the number of teachers who indicated that they earn a “decent salary”; the percent has doubled from 33% in 1984 to 66% in 2008 (Rebora, 2009). However, in an analysis of the Teacher Follow-Up Survey in the United States for 2000-2001, conducted by the University of South Carolina, it was revealed that teachers are least satisfied with their work conditions and compensation (Liu and Ramsey, 2006). In fact, low salary, according to the report, is the major predictor of teacher attrition (Liu and Ramsey, 2006).
The research regarding job satisfaction, as mentioned earlier, is vast, but there are a few constants, including why teachers stay. Most frequently, the top six issues identified as contributing to job satisfaction were: fair evaluations, sharing of similar beliefs and values with colleagues; generally satisfied with the school, collaboration, consistently enforced rules and being valued as a colleague (Perrachione, Petersen and Rosser, 2008). Noticeably missing-compensation.
Surveys also reveal challenges teachers find in today’s public education system. Again, according to the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Past, Present and Future, “teachers in urban and secondary schools, especially those with high concentrations of low-income students, are significantly less likely than their peers in suburban and elementary schools to rate the academic standards in their schools as excellent” (Rebora, 2009). The study further identifies that limited English proficiency “hinders learning for a quarter or more of the students” (Rebora, 2009).
In his extensive and detailed report, A Study of Schooling, John Goodlad sought to deconstruct the school environment to better understand the relationship between students, teachers, and curriculum. He recognized that the interactions between these different components of a school are paramount to success and that “Strategies for school improvement that ignore these interactions and the rationales governing them are unlikely to have more than a minimal impact on the culture of schools (1980). Further, the relationships that teachers develop with their coworkers and perhaps more important, their administrators directly influences their satisfaction and their retention (Easley, 2006). In fact, teacher dissatisfaction with administration, its lack of principal leadership, staff cohesiveness and collaborative problem solving has been expressed by over 2/3 of the teachers interviewed for A Study in Schooling (Bentzen, 1980).
A study conducted on behalf of the British Educational Leadership, Management & Administration Society bears out similar findings. Excessive workloads and non-teaching tasks adversely affect teacher job satisfaction ratings (Butt and Lance, 2005). These concerns were echoed across all of the secondary schools in their study and also included issues with the amount of work that must be taken home, causing the work day to interfere with home life (Butt and Lance, 2005). The respondents in their study also indicated that the lack of time to effectively collaborate with colleagues decreased their overall job satisfaction (Butt and Lance, 2005).
A study produced at the Education Research Institute of Guangzhou NormalInstitute in China supports even more dire outcomes. According to the findings, “secondary school teachers tend to be generally dissatisfiedwith all aspects of their job. The exceptions are their feelings with collegialrelationships and social acknowledgment, and they areneutral on their social status. Otherwise, secondary school teachersfeel dissatisfied with the administration, work achievements, workingconditions, welfare, work stress, social environment of education,and student quality (Weiqi, 2007).
Another area of dissatisfaction expressed by teachers is the development of more complicated and intense activity in the teaching profession (Brante, 2008). As the demands of the profession become more challenging, teachers seek to find new strategies to cope with the changes being forced upon them (Parker and Martin, 2008). Those who can not, suffer absenteeism, poor performance and missed deadlines which disrupt the school routine and affect classrooms, lessons and effectiveness (Parker and Martin, 2008). Again, allowing for organization and planning time outside of the classroom provides teachers with opportunities to develop skills necessary to cope with their changing environment (Brante, 2008).
The issue of teacher training extends far beyond providing coping skills to deal with a changing work environment. It is also crucial that teachers receive training and support in differentiating curriculum for their students. Given the demands to meet ever increasing benchmarks established for high stakes testing, teachers find themselves without the skills (or the time to implement them) necessary to teach according to individual student learning needs. According to research conducted in Greece, there are five dimensions for effectiveness in teaching to individual student learning styles which include frequency (the number of tasks used to introduce and explain a lesson), quality (refers to the process of teaching), and differentiation (the ways in which a lesson is deconstructed to provide access for all students) (Kyriakides, Creemers and Antoniou, 2008). According to the authors of the study, these five dimensions have a direct influence on student success, yet rarely appear in the teaching styles used in the classroom. The findings of their research point to the need to support a “dynamic model of effective teaching that uses an integrated training approach” (Kyriakides, Creemers and Antoniou, 2008).
Nir and Bogler make a case for professional development programs in their study of teacher satisfaction and its direct relationship to training. The results of the analysis suggest that “teachers’propensity to take part in professional developmentprocesses and to promote their professional developmentis determined to some degree by theexperiences they accumulate on the job. Whenindividuals experience high involvement with thework tasks they are expected to fulfill and perceivejob-related expectations to be in line with theirprofessional abilities, they are more encouraged tobecome involved in processes attempting to promotetheir proficiencies” (Nir and Bogler, 2008).
While teachers have definite expectations for their jobs that directly relate to their job satisfaction, they are generally realistic towards their work context and situation. According to a study conducted at the University or Warwick, Coventry, U.K. “teachers’ expectations of their workcontexts and situations do not necessarilyreflect their “ideals”, but, rather, those expectationswhich they feel are realistically able to befulfilled. Such expectations reflect values andideologies, and will be partly influenced byprofessionality and comparative experiencesand insights” (Evans, 1997). According to Evans, teachers are not unreasonable in their expectations, but rather, in the presence of sound policy and academic decisions based on student needs, teachers will be more inclined to forego more idealistic demands (Evans, 1997).
The information gained through my research on ‘Teacher Satisfaction’ has identified major components of teacher job satisfaction as well as those aspects that lead to job dissatisfaction. Many of the answers provided to me by the participants of the interview process mirror much of what has been uncovered in the preceding research. Clearly, there are many commonalities between and across the teaching profession. However, there was no single study that isolated those teachers who work in a small, continuation school environment.
Methodology
Introduction
As the newest member of the small staff of teachers at San Antonio High School (SAHS), the continuation high school for the Petaluma City School District, Petaluma, California, I became interested in the issues and concerns of my colleagues, and to what degree they differed from my colleagues at the more traditional, comprehensive high schools.
SAHS is very special and unique among the high school offerings found within the Petaluma City School District. As the only continuation high school in the district, SAHS serves a diverse population of students. The current enrollment is 135 students of which 82 are male and 53 are female. 41% of students identified themselves as Hispanic Latino, 51% as Hispanic Origin, with the remaining 8% identified as American, Asian, Laotian or Islander. 46% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 25% are (or have been) designated as EL, and 33% of the students’ parents have less than a high school diploma. Finally, SAHS is actively engaged in helping teen parents graduate from high school-20 % of the student population at SAHS are teen parents. Consequently, SAHS qualifies as a Title I school.
Participation
Considering the very diverse and unique population, those who choose to teach at SAHS face very different working conditions than their colleagues at the more traditional schools. The students at SAHS are supported by a small staff of nine classroom teachers, one special education teacher, one counselor, one Administrator and two office support staff. The staff provides education in all of the basic required courses (social studies, math, English, science, physical education and art) necessary for high school graduation; however, the administrator, David Putney, with the support of the superintendent, Greta Vigue, is championing efforts to bring a college prep track, a designated GED track and potentially, AP courses to the school.
The teaching staff has a varied association with San Antonio:
Years at SAHS / Number of Staff10 or more years / 2
5 – 7 years / 3
3 years / 3
1 year / 1
Additionally, the staff has many years of experience in other school settings:
Experience / Number of StaffTraditional high school setting / 5
Traditional elementary school setting / 4
Only San Antonio / 2
Given the variety of experience and years teaching, the staff of SAHS is an excellent source from which to glean valuable insight into what constitutes job satisfaction at a continuation high school.
After sending out invitations to all of my colleagues, five responded positively and participated in the interview process. Three of the teachers are female, two are male. The staff who agreed to participate represents longevity and newly tenured teachers, all subjects taught at SAHS and a diversity of teaching styles. They have seen changes in administration, tremendous staff turnover and a change in the school facilities and culture.
Measures
Each participant was provided with a copy of the interview questions (see Appendix, p.19) ahead of time in order to allow for thoughtful, considered responses. Each interview was filmed and lasted approximately 20 minutes, with ample time give for the participants to reflect on their background and history of education as well as their issues and concerns regarding job satisfaction.
Surprisingly, none of the participants knew that they wanted to teach when they began their college career. In fact, of the five participants, three returned to college after some years to obtain their teaching credential. One teacher had intended to teach elementary school, but through solicitation by the current administrator, agreed to teach human interaction, the teen parent program and physical education. She has now been at SAHS for five years.
All of the participants chose to teach at SAHS. One of the senior staff actively sought the position and transferred from a local tradition high school when a spot opened up. Two of the less senior participants provided extensive background information because they both felt it spoke to their desire to teach at a small continuation school. Both of these participants have sons who experienced difficulty, and even failure, in the traditional high school setting. These two participants recognized the value that a small school setting can provide; consequently, their career choices led them to San Antonio.
All of the participants were firm in their commitment to the relationships that they develop with their students. In fact, the relationship with their students was the most important aspect of each of the participants’ jobs and necessary for job satisfaction. For obvious reasons, in a more traditional setting, it is difficult at best to maintain close relations with all of the students in a teacher’s role book. SAHS, however, with typical class size of 15 students or less, allows for close relationships, mentorship and familiarity. On the other hand, the intimate relationship that a small school fosters can also be reason for job burnout and dissatisfaction. It is difficult to leave work and the students behind, and all of the associated concerns when one is so invested in the students. It is often exhausting and can be very emotionally draining. Teacher support groups and the ability to voice these concerns are incredibly important to this staff and they all agreed that the twice weekly ‘Kid Check’ meetings (a half hour meeting to discuss in-crisis students) and bi-weekly staff meetings are crucial for their well being.
All of the teachers interviewed agreed that the support provided by administration is crucial to their job satisfaction. Given the population of students we serve and our ongoing relationships with parole officers, police personnel, and district personnel who specialize in truancy and delinquency, a strong and supportive administrator who possess leadership skills as well as the ability to provide mentorship was a key aspect of job satisfaction. Three of the participants felt that the current administrator is doing well in balancing staff needs with the demands of students, families and outside support staff and personnel. Two of the participants, however, felt that the current administrator lacks experience and therefore the ability to lead and direct growth amongst newer staff members. One teacher expressed great dissatisfaction with the administrator’s ‘lip service’ to supporting the arts while on campus, yet never attending any of the art shows where the students’ work was displayed. “If our greatest task is to empower these kids, shouldn’t we do our best to show support for their positive behaviors and their creative output, including off campus art shows?” Another teacher felt that she was constantly leading the administrator in her performance evaluation, rather than the other way around. She felt that the administrator had unreal expectations and goals for a new teacher. “He tells me where he thinks I am, rather than acknowledging where I really am in my development-how can you plan around that? And isn’t that part of what we are supposed to be doing here - acknowledging where our students are and then guiding them to where they need to go?”