A Teacher's Journal 41: Teacher Working Conditions Survey

Many would argue that low salaries drive teachers from our classrooms, and in many ways I would agree. Teachers do professional work and deserve professional compensation. Increasing salaries would likely attract more candidates to education and keep motivated young educators in our classrooms. Despite great success in my career, I still struggle to make ends meet and that is incredibly frustrating.

But national level research on teacher attrition has discovered that poor salaries are only one source of dissatisfaction listed by teachers who leave the profession. Factors such as poor administrative support, lack of faculty influence, constant classroom intrusions, and inadequate facilities and resources are often cited by educators as equally frustrating. Improving these working conditions could help to staunch the flow of teachers out of our classrooms.

These findings were supported eloquently by one of my colleagues in the Teacher Leaders Network who said:

"While I'd love to be paid more, no amount of money could make me teach if these conditions (effective school leaders, professional flexibility and a culture of collaboration) are not present in the schools where I work."

Thankfully, our state's leaders have created a tool to address these conditions! Since 2001, teachers and principals have had the opportunity to complete a biannual "Teacher Working Conditions" survey designed to identify the workplace factors that most affect a teacher's decision to stay or to leave. 68 questions cover teacher perceptions in five general domains critical to workplace satisfaction: time available to complete essential tasks, teacher empowerment, school leadership, professional development, and school facilities and resources. Scores are collected on a five point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Then, responses are averaged by question and domain for analysis and reporting.

The findings from the survey have been incredibly convincing. Perhaps most importantly, direct correlations have been found between teacher working conditions and student achievement. Specific examples include:

1. For every 1 point increase in the average for the questions covering professional development, middle schools were 12.4 times more likely to move up one growth category (not meeting expected growth to meeting expected growth, or meeting expected growth to exceeding expected growth) in the North Carolina ABC accountability program.

2. For every 1 point increase in the average for questions covering school leadership, high schools were 48 times as likely to be in one of the top designation categories (Schools of Distinction, Schools of Excellence) under the North Carolina ABC accountability program.

3. For every 1 point increase in the average for questions covering facilities and resources, all schools were 2.8 times as likely to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind accountability program.

To me, these findings make perfect sense because schools with the best working conditions are less likely to lose the "resource" that has the greatest impact on student achievement: accomplished educators.

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of North Carolina's Teacher Working Conditions survey is that data is collected at the school, district and state level. This level of customization allows individual communities to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and every school serving their students. Business alliances, PTAs, school improvement teams and district level leadership can then work with the resources available in their communities to set priorities for improvement that are targeted and specific.

What's more, an online toolkit, funded by the Bellsouth Foundation, has been created to provide access to recommendations and resources that all of education's stakeholders can use to improve working conditions in each of the five domains. Using school level reports in conjunction with this toolkit, real change can happen with creative thinking and a willingness to work.

The next 2006 Teacher Working Conditions Survey will be completed between March 27th and May 1st. Teachers and school level administrators will receive access codes from their building's NCAE representative or Teacher of the Year. Additional information about the survey -- including school, district and state level reports from the 2004 survey -- is also available online.

What can you do to help?

If you are a teacher...

If you are a teacher, it is incredibly important that you complete the survey! In 2004, almost 34,000 teachers took advantage of this opportunity to speak out about the kinds of working conditions that currently exist in our schools. Without our voices, real change is impossible. It is also incredibly important for teachers to visit the Working Conditions Toolkit to learn about steps that you can take to improve working conditions on your own.

Critical details for teachers:

• The survey takes approximately 17 minutes to fill out.

• Your answers will remain completely confidential. The access code that you will receive is only designed to ensure that each person takes the survey one time. You can literally trade codes with another teacher before completing the survey if it makes you feel more confident!

• If you need more information about the survey, you can email the Governor's office directly at governor.education.policy@ncmail.net.

If you are a principal...

If you are a principal, it is incredibly important that you encourage your teachers to complete the Teacher Working Conditions survey. Schools with less than a 40% response rate will not receive a customized school level report. Consider taking time during a faculty meeting to complete the survey together. Also, visit the teacher working conditions website daily to monitor the percentage of your teachers that have completed the survey.

Critical details for principals:

• Teacher working conditions are the responsibility of all of a school's stakeholders! Engage parents, teachers and community leaders in the effort to improve the working conditions in your building. Strategies for each group are available online.

• Your school level report will be available online by the end of May. Consider making teacher working conditions a part of your next school improvement plan.

If you are a community member...

If you are a community member, it is incredibly important that you make yourself aware of the many roles that parents and businesses can play in improving teacher working conditions in your communities. Across America, PTAs and business alliances are working creatively to address the challenge of teacher turnover. Educate yourself about the survey and offer your time and energy to ensure that your local school can offer students capable and confident teachers!

Critical details for community members:

• A school will not receive a customized working conditions report unless at least 40% of its faculty members respond to the survey. Be sure to encourage the educators that you know to complete the survey. Let them know how important teacher working conditions are to you and your organization.

• Be an active participant in efforts to improve teacher working conditions in your town. Creative alliances in other communities have resulted in volunteer substitute programs providing release time for teachers, "Teacher in Residence" programs offering opportunities for educators to engage in real-world professional development, and professional mentoring programs supporting new principals. Find ways to support your schools -- students will be the ultimate beneficiaries!