Some States Lag in Providing Data

         It’s October of 2006, and some states still haven’t reported how schools did in the 2005-2006 school year. Timely reporting is a requirement of No Child Left Behind, and states have had years to get their systems in place. Still, New York, Illinois, and Minnesota are among the states that have yet to report whether their schools made Adequate Yearly Progress last year. In addition, some states—Tennessee is one—have reported the schools that did not make AYP, but still haven’t posted schools’ report card data. The point of requiring this information is that parents and community members can have an understanding of school performance and gauge whether schools are improving or falling behind. And, for parents with children in schools that have not made AYP for two years in a row, the law says that they have the opportunity to look at the data and decide whether to transfer their children to another school–an option that becomes far more difficult to exercise once the school year has started.

Teachers are Satisfied (Really!)

        Met Life just released results from its annual survey of teachers, and one of the interesting things it concludes is that teacher satisfaction has never been as high as it is today. Fifty-six percent of the 1,001 teachers polled reported being “very satisfied” with their careers. In 1986, only 33 percent said they were very satisfied. This certainly contradicts many of the anecdotes of increased teacher dissatisfaction as a result of No Child Left Behind. There is still reason for concern – 25 percent of teachers said they plan on leaving the profession in the next few years, and new teachers continue to report that they feel unprepared for the demands of the profession. But, overall, teachers—particularly experienced teachers—are reporting that they are more satisfied with their jobs than any time in the twenty years MetLife has been doing this survey. To see the survey results, go to: www.metlife.org.