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Online June 2010 | Volume 67 Good Teaching in Action
Deborah Perkins-Gough
Increased teacher collaboration has the potential to improve school climate and teacher career satisfaction, according to the most recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Collaborating for Student Success. Two-thirds of teachers who responded to the annual survey (67 percent) believe that increased collaboration among teachers and school leaders would greatly improve student achievement. The survey, which polled 1,003 K–12 teachers in fall 2009, also found that
As the baby boomers (who currently represent 55 percent of the total teaching force) reach retirement age, the new generation of teachers will expect even more collaboration, says the MetLife report. Teachers with five years of teaching experience or less are more likely than those with more than 20 years of experience to say that their success is linked to that of their colleagues (67 percent compared with 47 percent).
In developing policies to promote collaboration, policymakers should listen to the views of teachers. "Sharing these views is particularly important," says the report, "because 69 percent of teachers in this year's Survey do not believe that their voices have been adequately heard in the current debate on education."
The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Collaborating for Student Success was released in early 2010 in three parts: (1) Effective Teaching and Leadership; (2) Student Achievement; and (3) Teaching as a Career. To view and download the survey results, go to www.metlife.com/about/corporate-profile/citizenship/metlife-foundation/metlife-survey-of-the-american-teacher.html.
Deborah Perkins-Gough is senior editor of Educational Leadership; dperkins@ascd.org.
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