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Teachers are far more likely to rely on their own communications with and observations of their students than quizzes or test scores to determine if they had a successful school year, with standardized tests coming in a distant last. 

provided exclusively to 麻豆精品 by EdChoice, a school choice advocacy group, shows 58% of teachers ranked communication with students and 52% listed observing their behavior as the most important ways to gauge how well they鈥檝e done in school. In contrast, 44% cited grades on tests, quizzes and homework and just 17% said they turned to standardized tests.

Teachers also believe that student reflections and completed projects are the strongest evidence of well-developed durable skills 鈥� like teamwork and adaptability 鈥� while parents are more divided: They鈥檙e twice as likely (24%) to value standardized test scores as a metric of success in that realm. 

鈥淎s a researcher, I have a belief 鈥� that standardized tests and optimizing for grades is becoming less important now than soft skills, durable skills (and) social-emotional learning,鈥� said Colyn Ritter, an EdChoice research analyst.

The organization鈥檚 annual survey released during also found that while about half of teachers believe K-12 education is going well at their local school district, only a quarter feel optimistic about it at the national level.

EdChoice partnered with Morning Consult to conduct an online survey of just over 1,000 K-12 teachers in April. The majority of respondents (roughly 80%) were traditional public school teachers, 13% worked in private or parochial schools and 6% taught in charter schools.

When it comes to their outlook on the profession overall, over two-thirds of surveyed  teachers said they feel hopeful and a sense of purpose when thinking about the future. Still over a quarter feel overwhelmed, and only 22% would recommend teaching as a career to a friend or family member. 

That number varies greatly based on what kind of schools teachers work in, with those in private schools being twice as likely (35%) as those in public schools (18%) to recommend the profession.

鈥淥verall, the conversation about K-12 education might be a little bleak and teachers might feel the brunt of it, but within their own classroom, they feel more positively,鈥� said Ritter, adding that it makes sense to him that teachers can simultaneously feel a sense of purpose and dread.

鈥淣o one would be surprised to hear that a teacher is stressed out or feel(ing) overwhelmed, especially in today’s K-12 education environment, where I think they’re just being asked to do too much,鈥� he said pointing to the mounting responsibilities teachers are tasked with navigating, including students鈥� mental health, safety within their school buildings and the evolving role of technology and artificial intelligence.

Indeed, about a third of teachers report frequent behavioral and technological issues interrupting their class. While teachers are generally satisfied with their students鈥� use of tech in schools, those in public schools are much more likely to report their kids spending too much time on devices (48%) than those in private schools (27%).

Feelings about technology vary significantly based on the type: While nearly 90% of teachers support the use of online learning platforms, like Google Classroom, three-quarters oppose cell phones and just over half oppose AI tools like ChatGPT.

Teachers are more pessimistic than both the general population and parents about AI鈥檚 effects on the future, with just over half reporting some level of concern. Nearly two-thirds are opposed to letting their students use AI to assist with school work and over 40% are extremely or very concerned about the effects of the technology on learning this school year. 

Only 38% of teachers support its use in the classroom 鈥� an eight-point drop from last fall. That being said, the vast majority (72%) believe it鈥檚 important to help students build the necessary critical thinking skills to appropriately use it.

When it comes to school choice, the survey reports teachers showing strong support for Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, which set aside public money for parents to put toward a range of educational expenses, including private school tuition, afterschool tutoring and special education therapies.

Sixty percent of teachers strongly or somewhat supported these accounts, and that jumped to 75% when they were provided with EdChoice鈥檚 very detailed definition of what constituted an Education Savings Account vs. generally asking teachers what they thought about K-12 ESAs without any explanation. Around 80% of private school teachers and those with less teaching experience expressed support. 

Across the board, teachers are more likely to believe that ESAs should be available to all families, regardless of financial need 鈥� 22 points higher than the proportion agreeing with means-tested eligibility.

Support significantly drops off for school vouchers, which allow parents to use tax dollars specifically for tuition at non-public schools, in some cases religious ones as well. Around 45% of teachers voiced general support for vouchers, which jumped slightly to just over half when they were provided with EdChoice鈥檚 lengthy definition.

The EdChoice survey found greater support for school choice among teachers than a recent poll found among the general public (59%), including the support voiced by Republicans (71%), though they did find growing favor for using public funds to provide children access to private school. 

The number of students using ESAs has skyrocketed over the past four years, from about 29,000 in 2021 to nearly 500,000 this year, according to They鈥檝e steadily grown since 2011, when Arizona created the nation鈥檚 first such program, to 21 programs in 18 states today.

EdChoice lists 15 states and Washington, D.C., as having voucher programs, which are generally considered more controversial than ESAs or tax credit scholarships and whose constitutionality teachers unions are challenging in court cases across the country.

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