Findings
  • Finding 1→
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    Finding 1

    Teachers and parents believe that media coverage affects teachers.
  • Finding 2→
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    Finding 2

    Newspapers rarely discussed teachers in depth or included teachers’ voices.
  • Finding 3→
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    Finding 3

    Newspapers covered non-academic factors that affect learning more than any other topic.
  • Finding 4→
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    Finding 4

    National newspapers started covering evaluation less and quoting teachers more around 2015.
  • Finding 5→
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    Finding 5

    Both local and national newspapers most often portrayed teachers engaged in the work of teaching. National newspapers more often portrayed teachers being evaluated than local newspapers did.
  • Finding 6→
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    Finding 6

    Depictions of teachers being evaluated in national newspapers began declining after 2015, while depictions of professional development and compensation began increasing.
  • Finding 7→
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    Finding 7

    In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, depictions of teachers changed more in national newspapers than in local newspapers.
  • Finding 8→
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    Finding 8

    From 2009 to 2020, newspapers rarely depicted teacher shortages, lack of classroom resources, or lack of diversity in the profession.
  • Finding 9→
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    Finding 9

    Depictions of teachers involved in illegal activity were rare, but spiked modestly in certain years.
  • Finding 10→
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    Finding 10

    Teachers believe it is important for the news media to cover student poverty, lack of classroom resources, and teacher shortages.
Summary of Findings→
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Summary of

FINDINGS

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FINDINGS

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Findings
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Summary of Findings→
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EXPLORE THE FINDINGS

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Finding 10

Teachers believe it is important for the news media to cover student poverty, lack of classroom resources, and teacher shortages.

Two-thirds of K-12 public school teachers think it is very important for the news media to cover how student poverty and behavioral problems affect teaching and learning––and even more think it is somewhat important. While this was the most commonly covered topic in both national and local newspapers, those articles rarely included teachers’ voices. And articles that mentioned teachers rarely portrayed them dealing with student poverty and behavioral factors.

Two-thirds of teachers also think it is very important for newspapers to cover whether teachers have sufficient teaching supplies and materials. Over half also think it is very important for newspapers to cover whether there are enough trained teachers to fill teaching jobs. Yet articles that mentioned teachers rarely depicted shortages, attrition, or a lack of classroom resources.

Evaluation was the second most frequently covered topic in national newspapers. Yet only one-third of teachers think it is very important for the news media to cover how schools decide whether teachers are effectively helping students learn.

More teachers think it is very important for the media to cover student poverty and teacher shortages than evaluation or extracurriculars.

Tooltip

Percent of K-12 public school teachers who say it is very important for the news media to cover each of the following topics about K-12 public school teachers. Base: Teachers, N=702. 

Teachers and Journalists Respond

Hear how other teachers and journalists respond to these findings.

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Newspapers rarely portrayed #K12 #teachers dealing with shortages, attrition, or lack of classroom resources, all issues that most teachers think are very important for the media to cover, according to @publicagenda research.

Newspapers rarely portrayed #K12 #teachers dealing with shortages, attrition, or lack of classroom resources, all issues that most teachers think are very important for the media to cover, according to @publicagenda research. Click To Tweet Tweet This
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Photo credits

Photo Credits
First two photos on home page and photos on Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 by Allison Shelley for EDUimages. Third photo on home page and photos on Findings 5, 8, 10 by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages. Photo on Finding 9 by iStock.com/Goxy89. All other credits appear near photos.