Teachers’ job satisfaction: Analyses of the Teacher Follow-up Survey in the United States for 2000–2001

This study examined teachers’ satisfaction with various aspects of their job through multilevel analyses of national surveys conducted in the United States. The data came from the National Center for Education Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey for 1999–2000 and Teacher Follow-up Survey for 2000–2001. We found that teachers were least satisfied with work conditions and compensation, and that minority teachers were generally less satisfied with their job than were non-minority teachers. We also found that teachers’ job satisfaction varied with gender, years of teaching, and career status. These findings provide significant implications for educational policy aimed at retaining teachers in education.