North Carolina teachers remain committed to their classrooms, but many feel hampered by heavy workloads and student behavior challenges, according to a preliminary state survey released Wednesday.
The survey, presented to the State Board of Education, is conducted every two years by the state Department of Public Instruction. It drew responses from 102,640 educators, a 90.5% response rate.
Teachers report strong pride in their schools and plans to stay. But they also describe dissatisfaction with low pay, limits on time, challenges in managing student conduct and gaps in support for students with higher needs.
They reported working an average of 9.3 hours a week outside the school day, often at night and on weekends.
“I think we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that teachers are making the time. It is simply uncompensated,” said Kimberly Jones, former Teacher of the Year and a State Board of Education member.
Student behavior stood out as a daily challenge, especially in middle and high schools. In high schools, 64% of teachers reported drug or tobacco use as a problem, and 77% cited tardiness and skipping class.
Teachers also pointed to growing needs among students, including those with disabilities and multilingual learners, and said they need more support to meet those demands.
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SUBSCRIBEEven with those concerns, most teachers reported positive views of their schools. About 93% said their school is a great place to work and learn. Roughly 84% said they plan to stay at their current school, and about 91% said they plan to keep teaching next year.
Teachers who said they plan to leave — about 5% — reported far worse conditions across nearly every area, including time, leadership and student conduct.
School leadership drew generally positive marks, particularly for instructional support, with 91.8% of teachers saying they are encouraged to use new skills. But fewer said they trust school leaders or feel they have a voice in decisions, areas the report links to retention.
“The trust in your leadership makes a whole difference as an educator,” said Rachel Candaso, a former Teacher of the Year and member of the State Board of Education. She said teachers stay in schools where they build trust with peers, but that retention is closely tied to principals.
“That trust goes back to your principal and the conditions they create. That’s a big thing for teachers when they stay in a school or even in a district — the level of trust they have with the people on top,” Candaso said.
Teachers also said they often lose planning time during the school day because they are asked to cover other classes.
“As a high school teacher, I cannot fathom being with my students the majority of the day or having no intentional and protected instructional planning time. It is not best practice,” Jones said. “It’s not sustainable for the profession overall. Our teachers need that time to collaborate.”
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The survey included about 36,000 written comments, many focused on pay, staffing, resources and workload. Teachers described supportive school environments but pointed to broader challenges, including funding and staffing shortages.
This year’s results also come alongside a pilot survey of principals in 11 districts.
More than three-quarters of principals said they work at least 51 hours a week, with most reporting additional work outside the school day. Nearly all said their district is a good place to work.
Principals cited student behavior, time demands and the challenge of supporting a wide range of student needs as top concerns. State officials plan to expand the survey statewide this fall so districts can compare teacher and school leader perspectives.
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