Download or read book Teachers' Working Conditions written by Susan P. Choy and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Working conditions play an important role in a school's ability to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers. Data presented here describe a number of aspects of teachers' working conditions, including workload, compensation, school and district support for teachers' professional development, school decision making, school safety, student readiness to learn, and public respect for teachers. Results of the study revealed: (1) teachers put in more than a 40-hour week, on average, counting time spent outside of school; (2) average salaries tend to be lower than those of many other professionals, but, adjusting for inflation, teachers' salaries increased substantially during the 1980s; (3) professional development is supported by most schools and districts; (4) more than four out of five teachers reported that they had substantial control over what they taught and the texts and materials they used, and over disciplining students; and (5) public school teachers are increasingly worried about school safety at both the elementary and secondary levels. As a group, public school teachers appear to face more difficult working conditions than private school teachers, such as larger classes and less perceived influence over important school policies. However, public school teachers earn substantially more than private school teachers on average. Conditions for public school teachers also vary depending on the school's size and location, and the percentage of low income students in the school. (Contains 24 references.) (ND)