Teachers’ perceived societal appreciation : PISA outcomes predict whether teachers feel valued in society

Typical of the teaching profession is the multitude of actors that comment on and evaluate teachers’ work. Previous studies indicate that teachers feel that their work is relatively under- appreciated in society. Little is known about the dynamics that explain apparent variation in this feeling. Based on data from 66,593 teachers in 25 countries we study variation of Perceived Societal Appreciation (PSA). We find robust evidence that a change within countries in PISA scores predicts a within country trend in levels of PSA. In the conclusion we critically engage with contemporary OECD policies by arguing that inducing a crisis mentality about educational quality risks accomplishing the exact opposite than what one aims for.Typical of the teaching profession is the multitude of actors that comment on and evaluate teachers’ work. Previous studies indicate that teachers feel that their work is relatively under- appreciated in society. Little is known about the dynamics that explain apparent variation in this feeling. Based on data from 66,593 teachers in 25 countries we study variation of Perceived Societal Appreciation (PSA). We find robust evidence that a change within countries in PISA scores predicts a within country trend in levels of PSA. In the conclusion we critically engage with contemporary OECD policies by arguing that inducing a crisis mentality about educational quality risks accomplishing the exact opposite than what one aims for.A