From paperwork to chaperoning to highly specific technical tasks鈥攍ike changing HVAC filters to operating a security gate鈥擜merica鈥檚 teachers say they take on a host of non-teaching duties.
Their views on these tasks diverged sharply from administrators, according to a Education Week鈥檚 2024 State of Teaching survey: Thirty-two percent of principals indicated they don鈥檛 believe teachers are asked to perform duties beyond their professional responsibilities, while only 14 percent of teachers shared that sentiment according to our 2024 State of Teaching survey.
When asked if teachers were performing non-teaching tasks, administrators were three times more likely than teachers to respond with 鈥淣/A.鈥�
The findings reveal substantial gaps in how both groups view administrative work, supervision duties, and non-teaching obligations, pointing to what could be a factor in teachers鈥� generally low morale.
The EdWeek Research Center conducted the nationally representative survey of 1,498 teachers and 659 administrators in October 2023. The open-ended responses revealed distinct patterns in how additional duties are distributed and perceived across schools.
Types of extra duties
Administrators appear to see these non-instructional tasks as part of teachers鈥� professional work in a way that teachers do not.
Both teachers鈥� and principals鈥� survey responses about additional duties fell into six distinct categories, excluding responses of 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know,鈥� 鈥淣/A,鈥� 鈥渘one,鈥� and 鈥渙ther.鈥�
- Non-instructional supervision duties include monitoring lunch, hallways, bathrooms, and bus areas; proctoring tests; and providing morning/afternoon supervision.
- Administrative and clerical work encompasses paperwork, data entry, attendance tracking, curriculum development, scheduling, parent communications, and planning school events.
- Behavioral and mental health support involves counseling, social-emotional learning, managing severe behaviors, and providing mental health intervention.
- Extracurricular responsibilities include chaperoning, running clubs, working sports events, coaching, and participating in PTA activities.
- Non-teaching professional roles range from custodial duties and classroom maintenance to technical support, medical care, and committee work.
- Additional instructional duties beyond their contracted load include covering classes for absent colleagues, teaching extra sections, or leading non-traditional courses.
Teachers cited non-instructional supervision duties most frequently. Teachers whose responses indicated additional supervision tasks often named multiple duties including bus, lunch, recess, hallway, and even security-related responsibilities.
鈥淥ur admin. assumes that if you do not have children in front of you, your time is fair game to assign to supervision tasks,鈥� wrote a middle school teacher from Virginia.
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Systemic challenges beyond the job description
Scott Goldstein, the executive director of EmpowerEd, a nonprofit focused on teacher support and retention based in Washington, sees part of this disconnect stemming from different interpretations of core teaching duties. 鈥淚 think part of the discrepancy is just what is in the official role of the teacher,鈥� he says, pointing to several systemic challenges including:
- Administrative disconnect: The gap between administrators鈥� and teachers鈥� perceptions reflects varying levels of awareness about daily classroom demands and staff experiences.
- The pandemic鈥檚 lasting impact: COVID-era disruptions have intensified challenges in classrooms, requiring teachers to manage complex student needs without adequate support.
- Safety and training gaps: While most teachers are equipped for routine classroom management, they鈥檙e now handling situations that require mental health or crisis-intervention expertise鈥攃reating both safety concerns and professional strain.
鈥淚 think a lot of school leaders have been trained in a mindset that if we鈥檙e prioritizing adult needs, we鈥檙e not putting students first, and that just could not be further from the truth,鈥� Goldstein says. 鈥淚f we are prioritizing adults so that they are fully well and able to pour into the students, we are absolutely prioritizing kids.鈥�
The disconnect between administrators and teachers on job responsibilities appears likely to persist without structural changes. One Nebraska school administrator responded to a survey question about what tasks teachers perform that shouldn鈥檛 be part of their role: 鈥淣one, we have been very protective of teachers鈥� time but as a result we aren鈥檛 meeting [student achievement] targets.鈥�
A Massachusetts high school teacher expressed a common sentiment: 鈥淭oo many to list. I鈥檓 a counselor, social worker, hall monitor, administrative assistant, ... I just want to be a teacher.鈥�
Bottom line: Without addressing this gap in expectations and developing shared understanding of core teaching duties, schools may continue to struggle with teacher burnout and staffing challenges as the boundaries of teaching roles become increasingly blurred.
Next steps: Teacher morale and retention will be examined further in EdWeek鈥檚 second State of Teaching report, scheduled for early 2025.
This piece was co-written by Sam Comai.
