The Connection Between Curriculum, Professional Development and Teacher Morale

Excerpt from article:

Are teachers happy with the curriculum resources their school districts use? Do they get the support they need? Do they like their professional development?

And is there a link between them having those resources and liking their jobs?

These are critical questions for companies in the education space to consider as they design products and services that support the 3 million teachers working in classrooms across the U.S.

The answers are found in a nationally representative survey conducted of 2,500 teachers by the EdWeek Research Center last fall.

The research was undertaken as part of Education Week’s annual State of Teaching project, which combines survey work with on-the-ground reporting to offer insight into educators’ needs, preferences, and morale.

EdWeek Market Brief and the Research Center then delved into the results to pull out results that speak to teachers’ views of the products, services, and support they receive from education companies.

One of the most striking overall findings is that teacher morale has improved significantly, moving to +18 on the national Teacher Morale Index compared to -13 the year before, the 2025 project found.

“This year in particular, I feel like I can raise a banner that says, ‘My kids are back!’” said Shari Camhi, superintendent of Baldwin Union Free School District in New York, who wasn’t surprised to see educators’ sentiments about their jobs on the rise. “We’re just good again, there’s no lingering stuff [from the pandemic].”

However, unpopular curricula choices and a lack of support for educators in critical areas continue to show up as challenges in the profession.

Here are a few key questions for education companies, and the answers that can be gleaned from the 2025 project.

1. Mixed Views on Curriculum — Though CTE and SEL Stand Out

Curriculum and pedagogy in general aren’t the top contributors to educators’ overall morale, the survey found. But there are some specific types of curriculum, such as career-technical education, that educators say make them more enthusiastic about their job.

The survey asked about various factors — from having a larger staff to different leadership styles to adjusted schedules — that bolster or undermine their morale on the job.

Overall changes to curricula or pedagogy fall low on the list of potential moves that educators say would improve their morale.

Read the full story online in Education Week>>