LOUIS HARRIS AND ASSOCIATES, INC. conducted The Metropolitan Life Survey of The American Teacher, 1997: Examining Gender Issues in Public Schoolson behalf of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. This study is comprised of separate surveys for teachers and students.

This report is a part of a series of surveys that reflects MetLife's continued efforts to bring insight and understanding to current issues in education that effect the nation's public schools. MetLife's overall goal is to bring the opinions of teachers and students to the attention of educators, policy makers and the American public.

The survey sought the opinions of both students and teachers on topics related to students' future goals and expectations and their experiences in the classroom. Gender differences and similarities were the primary focus of the report. Public school students from middle and high schools nationwide, in grades seven through twelve, were surveyed on:

• Goals they most want to achieve

• Confidence in achieving goals

• Expectations for the future and perceived opportunities to succeed

• Goal-striving difficulties and sources of encouragement

• Gender differences of behavioral characteristics

• Differing behaviors of boys and girls in the classroom

Survey Method

A total of 1,306 students in grades 7-12 were surveyed during an English class using a self-administrated questionnaire. Interviews averaged twenty-five minutes in length and were conducted between April 22,1997 and June 2, 1997.

Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,035 teacher who teach in middle school (grades 6-8), junior high (grades 7-8), or a high school (grades 9-12 or 10-12). Interviews averaged fifteen minutes in length and were conducted from Harris' facilities in Rochester, New York between April 28 and June 11,1997. For the purpose of analyses, throughout the report minority students consist of African Americans and Hispanics only; minority teachers consist of all racial/ethnic groups except for white (non-Hispanics).