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As students head back to school, America's teachers are stressed out—and burned out. Recent RAND survey data reveal that nearly one in five teachers showed symptoms of depression. Nearly a quarter said they want to leave their job. And three-quarters said they no longer had as much enthusiasm for the job as they once did.
Teachers are also overworked and underpaid compared with other working adults. They reported working 53 hours in an average week, and most said they could make more money if they left teaching.
There are also notable pay disparities within the teaching workforce. The average Black teacher reported making a base salary of around $65,000, while the average white or Hispanic teacher made around $70,000. The pay gap was even more stark for female teachers, whose average salary was around $68,000; the average male teacher made nearly $10,000 more.
RAND researchers have been surveying America's teachers for years, and many of these problems are not new. But addressing them could not be more important—not only to improve teachers' well-being, but to help ensure students' success. After all, an effective teacher can drive up test scores, increase graduation rates, and set students on a path to higher earnings later in life.
With that power to make a difference in mind, here’s some good news from our survey: Despite the long hours, the low pay, and the burnout, 72 percent of teachers said they were glad they chose teaching as a career.
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