Although teachers are in the front lines of the battle for education reform, they are often the last to be consulted and believe that their judgment is ignored, a new survey by Public Agenda reveals. "Just Waiting To Be Asked? A Fresh Look at Attitudes on Public Engagement", reveals that 70 percent of teachers (more than any other group) feel "out of the loop" in their school districts' decision-making process. Seventy percent of teachers believe that when district leaders seek their input, it's more often to win their support for "what the district leadership wants to accomplish" than to "gain a better understanding of the issues and concerns of teachers."

The survey, which was co-sponsored by the AFT and other groups, polled superintendents, school board members, teachers and the general public on attitudes on community involvement in education. In its poll of teacher views, Public Agenda found teachers to be less optimistic than other groups about school board politics, district initiatives and district policies. Teachers feel "buffeted by forces beyond their control, and decisions are taken without their input," the survey found. "In short, they see themselves as the perennial soldiers given their marching orders. This state of affairs is more than ironic...since teachers may well be the most important--and neglected--constituency when it comes to education reform."

"Policymakers must include teachers in all planning and discussions about our schools. Teachers have the knowledge, skills and insights to know what works," AFT president Sandra Feldman said in a statement following the survey's release. "Through their daily personal contact with students, teachers know what's going on in schools. When district leaders listen and work with teachers, we see positive reforms."

The report warns that districts may suffer an important consequence when teachers are overlooked in the education reform process. For more than a decade, Public Agenda has chronicled a "recurring, commonplace grievance among teachers--that their districts will take up a reform only to drop it as the winds of change sweep their district and replace it with another," notes the report. Teachers view many changes simply as temporary "reforms du jour," believing they can ignore them or "wait them out."

"School leaders need to pay attention when teachers feel alienated and ignored," says Public Agenda president Deborah Wadsworth. "A lot of reforms--especially standards reforms--need teachers to carry them out in the classroom. What's more, because teachers talk to parents all the time, they either strengthen support for the school's mission or undermine it."

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001