Portside

Two out of three teachers believe public education in Wisconsin is headed down the wrong track, and almost half say they don’t have enough money or time to make the changes necessary to help more kids achieve in their schools, according to a new statewide survey that tapped the minds of thousands of educators.

The firm that funded and carried out the study, Wood Communications, is planning focus groups around the state in October and November to open up more discussion about the pressures facing teachers, and how the local business community can respond.

The survey, Voices from the Classroom, was taken by a sample of about 2,000 teachers across the state in May and June. The survey revealed concerns from teachers about the public not understanding how education has changed. More than one in three teachers said they don't have enough money to do what's necessary in the classroom.

Still, two-thirds of K-12 educators who responded said they would still go into education, if they could go back to the starting point of their career.

The one third who said they probably would not go into education again pointed to the lack of respect for the profession, the low pay, and the fact that they're burdened by paperwork and expected to perform too many tasks not related to teaching.

“The sense that many of these people went into teaching to teach and are now doing something else is very, very pervasive,” said Jim Wood, president of Wood Communications Group. “If this was an employee survey of a private workplace, I would have called in the HR director,”

Wood funded and led the study to gauge the attitudes of teachers statewide, especially in the wake of political changes to the education landscape in recent years and the overall pressures on the profession.

The survey results showd the majority of respondents - 85% - would like more interaction with the local business community. Teachers don’t need another initiative or program, but Wood said thinks there are significant opportunities to bring employers closer to what’s happening in schools.

He said he intends to organize open meetings around the state in October and November.