Don’t Think That Report On Teacher Morale Is Very Accurate

EdNC.org today published a piece entitled “If you care about teacher morale in North Carolina, this data is worth a look” that begins,

“Education Week recently released its Teacher Morale Index, which helps us understand how teachers in North Carolina and across the United States feel about their profession.”

Maybe teacher morale was up from last year early in the fall of 2024, but it sure as hell isn’t now. And a three question survey to 2500 teachers nationwide before the election results of November does not strike this teacher as particularly valid.

But even if every teacher was given a highly specific and soundly constructed questionnaire where every respondent honestly answered and the results said that teacher morale had risen since the end of last school year, it is hard to believe that such a trend still exists.

Why?

And then there is this “morale-boost.”

On a recent Fox News show with Laura Ingraham, newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon could not even remember what IDEA stood for.

When asked by Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham what IDEA meant, however, McMahon was caught off guard.

“Well, do you know what? I’m not sure I can tell you exactly what it stands for, except that it’s the programs for disabled and needs [students],” McMahon said.

Ingraham assured the education secretary that she didn’t know all her acronyms either despite 30 years on the job.

“This is my fifth day on the job, and I’m really trying to learn them very quickly,” McMahon replied.

Throw in continued ignorance of the LEANDRO decision, some blatant disregard for elections from Jackson Griffin, and expansion of vouchers for wealthy, suburban people at the expense of all public schools (especially rural ones) and that boost in teacher morale seems less and less real.