 Teacher optimism ranks surprisingly high even as most educators anticipate continued distance learning this fall, according to new research out today from Learning Company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt HMH. The Educator Confidence Report, an annual barometer, now in its sixth year, for how educators on the front lines in schools across the country are feeling about the state of teaching and learning, found that the vast majority of teachers 75 percent say they feel prepared to take on the challenges of what is shaping up to be a very different back to school and the Teacher Confidence Index has increased to 48, from 43 in 2019. In the wake of a school year upended by COVID-19, 62 percent of teachers anticipate an increase in respect for the role of teachers and 49 percent feel somewhat or very positive towards the profession up from 34 percent in 2019. 