Findings
  • Finding 1→
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    Teachers and parents believe that media coverage affects teachers.
  • Finding 2→
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    Newspapers rarely discussed teachers in depth or included teachers’ voices.
  • Finding 3→
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    Newspapers covered non-academic factors that affect learning more than any other topic.
  • Finding 4→
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    National newspapers started covering evaluation less and quoting teachers more around 2015.
  • Finding 5→
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    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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    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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    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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    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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    Depictions of teachers involved in illegal activity were rare, but spiked modestly in certain years.
  • Finding 10→
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    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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Implications Interviews Methodology
Findings
Summary of Findings→
Implications Interviews Methodology

EXPLORE THE FINDINGS

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From 2009 to 2020, just over half of articles about education in national and local newspapers mentioned teachers. In both national and local newspaper articles that mentioned them, teachers were most often portrayed engaging in the work of teaching. This includes portrayals of teachers planning and delivering lessons, managing classrooms, and working individually with students, whether online or in person.

In national newspaper articles that mentioned them, the second most common portrayal was of teachers being evaluated. However, local newspaper articles less often portrayed teachers being evaluated. The second most common portrayal in local newspapers was of teachers developing their professional skills.

When newspaper articles mentioned teachers, how were they portrayed?

Tooltip

Portrayals of teachers in news articles about K-12 education in the U.S. that mention teachers twice or more, 2009 to 2020. Portrayals are not mutually exclusive.

From 2009 to 2020, when national newspaper articles mentioned #K12 #teachers, they portrayed them being evaluated far more often than local newspapers, according to @publicagenda research.

From 2009 to 2020, when national newspaper articles mentioned #K12 #teachers, they portrayed them being evaluated far more often than local newspapers, according to @publicagenda research. Click To Tweet Tweet This