Do you feel that the Teaching Staff and Administration have a true partnership in your school?

Two thirds of those polled feel that teaching staff and administration do not have a true partnership. In a perfect world, both parties would be working toward a common goal and their ideals and procedures would be in sync. Unfortunately, the world is not perfect.

Teachers and administrators are often at odds over how to implement programs and what programs are best for each individual school or the school district as a whole. Teachers are the front line of the education system being the ones with the most interaction with students and parents. They often feel they know best what is required to most effectively educate the future generation.

The reality of the educational system is that identifying the best course of action is not the problem. Balancing the funding so that all necessary programs receive what they require is more difficult. Funding is not infinite. With only a set budget school districts, with the input of school administrators, must allocate funding to do the most amount of good. This does not necessarily equate to the best possible programs being implemented or every request being granted.

Administrators are tasked with the budgetary side of things which makes them unpopular with teachers requesting funds for particular programs. Being on the opposite side of things can lead to the opinion that there is not a partnership between the two parties in the schools. Both sides of the picture are necessary to make sure the education system meets the needs of the majority of students while not pricing itself out of existence.

Behind the scenes teachers and administrators are probably more in partnership and agreement than either party thinks. Both want what is best for students and the programs that will provide every student with the necessary tools to excel. The fact that they are not in agreement about individual programs often comes down to finances alone.

In a perfect world, where teaching staff and administration are in true partnership, there would be no financial constraints to muddy the waters of the education system. Every student would receive individualized programs suited to their needs, teachers and administrators would function with common goals and ideals, and partnership would be achieved. Again, the world isn't perfect.