Magnolia Consulting has been working with Hope Street Group State Teacher Fellows since 2015. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy organization, Hope Street Group supports State Teacher Fellowship programs in Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. State Teacher Fellows lead these programs and collaborate to develop state-specific solutions to education challenges and to influence education policy. On an annual basis, Hope Street Group State Teacher Fellows collect survey and focus-group data from thousands of teachers in their respective states. We have partnered with Hope Street Group on these data collections, providing support in analyzing the data and developing recommendations based on the data collected.

Over the past two years, we have examined focus-group data from more than 16,000 teachers nationwide. In analyzing this data, we have noticed five common themes, irrespective of question topic:

  • Teachers want to be heard. Teachers want their voices and opinions to be valued and appreciate feeling empowered. They believe that their “on the ground” experiences in the classroom and in schools give them a unique, professional viewpoint that should be shared and considered when enacting state-level education policy and regulations.
  • Teachers request instructional and personal supports for their students. Teachers hear students’ voices, see students’ daily struggles, and serve as their greatest advocates. Teachers request resources to support all student needs. Specifically, they commonly request family support programs and resources, especially in social-emotional areas. Teachers also regularly request class size reductions to help them better address the instructional needs of every student.
  • Teachers want to be respected as professionals. Teachers want to be viewed as professionals with various supports and professional autonomy, such as additional planning and collaboration time; more high-quality, relevant professional development; and competitive compensation. Teachers also desire the chance to provide greater input and feedback on school-level decision-making, particularly around instructional programming, resources, and professional development opportunities.
  • Teachers desire a positive school culture. Teachers want a supportive, welcoming, and positive school culture. Schools with this type of culture provide a sense of community and create a safe learning environment for students and educators.
  • Teachers advocate for streamlined student testing. Teachers believe that student assessments should be decreased or streamlined, allowing educators more time to focus on instructional content and additional time for student learning and growth.

Magnolia continues to appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Hope Street Group on meaningful work that aims to give teachers a voice at district and state levels. We remain hopeful that by sharing teachers’ voices with school district and state policymakers, Hope Street Group and its State Teacher Fellows will help cultivate more educator-led opportunities for knowledge sharing at the national level.