Research on employee engagement reveals that when employees are not engaged in work, their employers do not gain as much as they probably should. Engaged employees will automatically be more committed to their duty, and such individuals will have a greater understanding of their roles and the importance of their input. These features tend to be common in all industries, and the education industry is no different.
According to the latest statistics in an article by Matt Hastings and Sangeeta Agrawal:
- 2.3 million missed work days points to low teacher engagement.
- Around just a third (1/3) of US teachers are engaged in their work.
- Disengaged teachers are known to average twice as many absences.
- There is immense room for educational institutions to improve on teacher engagement by making their work environments more competitive
- Disengaged teachers must be included actively in core organizational activity. Conducting workshops can be targeted at particular teacher groups based on their strengths and weaknesses.
- Give experienced teachers opportunities to work to their full potential. Let them be more actively involved where they feel useful.
- Allow younger teachers opportunities to accept challenges
- Teachers should be given more say in policy making depending on what’s feasible. At the very least, the management should seek their opinions and advice.
US Full-Time Teachers in Three Engagement Levels with Estimated Additional Workdays Missed: GALLUP
