School and Community Summer 2024

2024 MSTA Member Survey T he Missouri State Teachers Association surveyed its members on the state of the profession in January and February 2024. More than 2,300 members responded, including noncertified members, teachers, administrators and retired members. Questions in the survey were designed to evaluate job satisfaction among Missouri educators, identify pain points, learn about what is working well, and collect suggestions about how to improve public education from those who are working in Missouri classrooms each day. The responses revealed that by and large, Missouri educators love their students, and they are passionate about the profession of teaching. Unfortunately, the combination of continuously increasing workloads and devolving student behavior has led to stress and burnout for many in the profession. Coupled with Missouri’s low teacher pay, many see remaining in the classroom as untenable. This paints a concerning picture for a state already experiencing a teacher shortage. More than 70% of respondents reported that they seriously consider leaving the profession. 85% of the respondents say they know a teacher who left the field last year, excluding through retirement.

The key takeaways from the survey include: • Funding and resources are a major concern, especially for smaller, rural schools. Many respondents said their schools lack funding for facilities, programs and basic supplies. Low salaries leave educators struggling financially or working multiple jobs. Low pay relative to the required qualifications and responsibilities as well as stress are driving many teachers out of the profession. • Student behavior and mental health issues are creating very difficult teaching and learning conditions. Trauma, poverty, lack of accountability and unmet basic needs are cited as root causes. • Administrators are not backing up teachers on discipline issues, adding additional stress and undermining learning environments. Many respondents feel unsupported. • Standardized testing and increased mandates from the state are hurting meaningful recruitment and retention efforts. Educators feel standardized test scores don't reflect actual learning and the additional mandates from the legislature and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education take away from instruction time. • There is a need for increased parental and community involvement.

Leaving the profession 70% of respondents say they seriously think of leaving the profession sometimes, often or very often. "I love what I do. I was made to teach, I feel like my life would be dimmer without it. The days are just getting harder and I find myself loving my job a little less every day." —Survey response While these numbers are still a striking glimpse into the teaching profession, they are a slight improvement from the 2021 Missouri Educator Wellness survey, which showed 79% of teachers “sometimes, often, or very often consider leaving their profession.” The same survey showed that 26.22% of respondents said they “very often” considered leaving their profession. In the 2019 MSTA State of the Education Profession survey, 62.6% of respondents answered that they had seriously considered leaving the profession.

Reasons respondents consider leaving education

20 | SUMMER 2024 S&C