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

summary 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

finding 8 of 10

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Very few national or local newspapers depicted teacher shortages, teachers lacking classroom resources, or a lack of diversity in the profession. Yet most teachers think it is very important for newspapers to cover these issues, as discussed in Finding 10.

How did newspapers’ portrayals of teachers change?

Tooltip

Changes in five 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.

Teachers and Journalists Respond

Hear how other teachers and journalists respond to these findings.

Youtube Video

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