Rotherham Rebuts Results of Teacher Satisfaction Poll

Andy Rotherham rebuts the recent study that supposedly shows huge job dissatisfaction among teachers:

At last, some good education news. A new survey of public school teachers in the United States finds that 82 percent pronounce themselves “somewhat satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their jobs. Just 17 percent say they are “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied.”

Yet in education circles, these findings (which came from the annual Metlife Survey of the American Teacher) were roundly treated as a disturbing development. “When teacher dissatisfaction is at a 25-year high, school leaders have to stop ignoring the red flags,” grumbled American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel was even more sour in his ssessment. “This news is disappointing,” he told The Huffington Post, “but sadly, there are no surprises in these survey results.”

Actually, there are two big surprises here. The biggest is that the alleged drop in teacher job satisfaction is bogus -- and based on dubious polling by Metlife.

The second is that, notwithstanding the sketchy survey methodology, American educators are actually quite positive about their chosen profession.

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