The Annual Massachusetts Educator Survey

Public education is critical to our economy, our democracy, and our wellbeing; and it is widely recognized that success in our system of public education depends on the professionals working inside of it. Yet although educators outside of Massachusetts are regularly polled, there is no regular and ongoing survey of educators in the commonwealth. The absence of such data limits our understanding of educator working conditions, their experiences inside classrooms, the resources at their disposal, and their attitudes toward the profession. In short, we have very little data about what is working well and what can be improved from the perspective of educators.

The Annual Massachusetts Educator Survey (AMES) addresses this shortcoming by building the infrastructure to regularly poll a representative sample of educators currently working in K-12 public schools. Designed as a panel study, the AMES will allow for the analysis of opinion over time and provide improved causal power in addressing whether and why individual opinions change. By tracking long-term trends and offering insight into current events, the AMES will serve as a powerful tool for educators, caregivers, and policymakers in Massachusetts.

The AMES is a joint project of the Center for Education Policy and the UMass Poll. Official AMES partners include AFT Massachusetts, Educators Rising/PDK, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts PTA, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and Teach Plus Massachusetts.