Minority Teacher Career Choice and Retention Survey

Thanks for taking part in this study on the experiences of teachers from underrepresented backgrounds. We want to understand what draws people into teaching, what keeps them there, and what pushes them out. It takes about 6-8 minutes, and your honest answers — good and bad — are what make this useful.

Which best describes you right now?

• Currently teaching
• Former teacher — left the classroom
• Currently in a teacher preparation or certification program
• Considered teaching but never entered the classroom

Rank these reasons for choosing (or seriously considering) a teaching career, from most to least important to you.

1. Wanting to give back to my community
2. Representing students who share my background
3. Job stability and benefits
4. Passion for a specific subject
5. Influence of a teacher or mentor I had
6. Family or community expectations
7. Limited other career options at the time

Which of these factors has the biggest and smallest influence on whether you stay in or leave teaching?

• Salary and financial stability
• Feeling respected by school leadership
• Having colleagues or mentors who share my background
• Classroom autonomy and control over curriculum
• Support for classroom discipline issues
• Opportunities for advancement
• Sense of belonging in the school culture
• Workload and burnout

How much do you agree with each statement about your experience at your current or most recent school?

How likely are you to recommend a teaching career to someone from a similar background as you?

In the last year, have you experienced any of the following related to your race or ethnicity at work?

• Being assumed to have a lower-level role than I actually have
• Being passed over for a leadership or advancement opportunity
• Being treated as a spokesperson for my racial or ethnic group
• Comments or assumptions about my accent, name, or appearance
• Being disciplined or scrutinized differently than colleagues

How supported do you feel by your school's leadership in your growth as a teacher?

Reconstruct the specific turning point behind this person's biggest career decision — either what made them commit to teaching or what pushed them toward leaving (or seriously considering it). Anchor on the highest-weighted factor from their trade-off ranking and ask them to describe a concrete moment or incident that illustrates it, not a general impression. If they reported experiencing bias or extra unpaid labor tied to their race or ethnicity, probe how it was handled and by whom. If they say nothing stands out, ask what would need to change at their school for their answer to the recommendation question to go up by even a couple of points.

If you could change one thing about your school or district to keep more teachers from underrepresented backgrounds, what would it be?

Almost done — just a few background questions to help us understand patterns across different groups. All of these are optional.

Which best describes your racial or ethnic background?

• Black or African American
• Hispanic or Latino/a/x
• Asian or Asian American
• Native American or Alaska Native
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• Middle Eastern or North African
• White
• Two or more races/ethnicities

How do you describe your gender?

• Woman
• Man
• Non-binary
• Prefer to self-describe
• Prefer not to say

How many years have you worked (or did you work) as a classroom teacher?

• Less than 1 year
• 1-3 years
• 4-7 years
• 8-15 years
• More than 15 years
• Prefer not to say

What type of setting is your school in (or was, if you've left teaching)?

• Urban
• Suburban
• Rural
• Prefer not to say

Thank you for sharing your experience — this is exactly the kind of detail that gets lost in standard surveys. Your responses will be combined with others to help schools and districts identify what's driving teachers from underrepresented backgrounds away, and what's actually working to keep them.