ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog

Special Report
School & District Management From Our Research Center

What It Will Take to Transform Public Education (in 4 Charts)

By Elizabeth Rich — September 06, 2022 1 min read
Conceptual Illustration
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The EdWeek Research Center heard this summer from more than 1,000 ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog in a nationally representative survey on their ideas about whether the pandemic transformed public education. Remarkably, 95 percent of respondents saw the pandemic as inciting some kind of change—and half of them said that the pandemic was transformative. (For a more in-depth look at this, see my colleague Madeline Will’s Big Ideas reported essay on how teachers view the pandemic’s impact on education.)

But the devil’s in the details: Respondents were clear about what they feel is standing in the way of major transformation. Aside from funding issues, 42 percent of ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog said that either state, local, or federal officials and state, local, or federal policy and laws are among the biggest obstacles to change.

When it comes to the lasting impact of the pandemic 10 years down the line, ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog care most about the human dimension of schooling: Almost a third want to see more attention paid to student well-being—and that includes student mental health. One in 5 said they would like to see less attention paid to standardized testing.

And who or what is the biggest force for change or transformation when it comes to education? Teachers, 35 percent said. One out of 10 respondents said it was administrators, and 13 percent cited funding. And even though survey respondents believe policymakers and their laws are obstacles to change, only 16 percent think policymakers’ efforts could be transformative.

What does it say about the field that only 1 percent of ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog think that elected federal officials could bring about education transformation? At the very least, it tells us that ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog believe agency for change rests in their own hands, provided they have the support—at every level—to do their jobs.

education week logo subbrand logo RC RGB

Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.

A version of this article appeared in the September 13, 2023 edition of Education Week as What It Will Take to Transform Public Education

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Maximize Your MTSS to Drive Literacy Success
Learn how districts are strengthening MTSS to accelerate literacy growth and help every student reach grade-level reading success.
Content provided by 
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar How High Schools Can Prepare Students for College and Career
Explore how schools are reimagining high school with hands-on learning that prepares students for both college and career success.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
GoGuardian and Google: Proactive AI Safety in Schools
Learn how to safely adopt innovative AI tools while maintaining support for student well-being. 
Content provided by 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management The Middle School Transition Is Tough. How Educators Can Help
A new partnership aims to ease the transition from elementary school to middle school.
4 min read
Xavier Reed, principal of Maple Grove Middle School in Maple Grove, Minn., high fives a student.
Xavier Reed, principal of Maple Grove Middle School in Maple Grove, Minn., high fives a student.
Courtesy of Xavier Reed
School & District Management Politics, Funding Threaten Schools' Focus on Student Learning, Leaders Say
What two district leaders say has helped them and district staff focused on teaching and caring for kids.
5 min read
Illustration of woman confused by arrows pointing in different directions.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: Can You Decode the Latest K-12 Buzzwords and Acronyms?
Education-speak evolves daily—can you translate the latest K-12 terms and trends?
Modern collage with vector style ear with red lines connected to five halftone black and white open mouths
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Lessons From a 'Vetted' Superintendent's Fall From Grace
The temptation to chase the "new new thing" has big costs for schooling.
5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week