New Teacher Center Teaching & Working Conditions Survey

Teaching & Learning Conditions

To do their jobs well, educators need supportive school environments where they are valued, trusted and can collaborate to improve instruction. Research has shown that the quality of teaching conditions can encourage or constrain good teaching and impacts student achievement. View Research While strong connections among teaching conditions and teacher recruitment, retention and student success have been documented, policymakers have not had the kind of data necessary to understand and address this important issue. Understanding and improving teaching conditions can result in:

Increased student success
Improved teacher efficacy and motivation
Enhanced teacher retention
Targeted recruitment strategies to bring educators to hard-to-staff schools

Teaching Conditions and Student Learning

“There is good evidence to show that teachers’ working conditions matter because they have a direct effect on teachers’ thoughts and feelings—their sense of individual professional efficacy, of collective professional efficacy, of job satisfaction; their organizational commitment, levels of stress and burnout, morale, engagement in the school or profession and their pedagogical content knowledge. These internal states are an important factor in what teachers do and have a direct effect in what happens in the classroom, how well students achieve, and their experience of school.” (Leithwood, 2006)
“Working conditions emerge as highly predictive of teachers’ stated intentions to remain or leave their schools, with leadership emerging as the most salient dimension. Teachers’ perceptions of their working conditions are also predictive of one-year actual departure rates and student achievement, but the predictive power is far lower…Taken together, the working conditions variables account for 10 to 15 percent of the explained variation in math and reading scores across schools, after controlling for individual and school level characteristics of schools.” (Ladd, 2009)

Teaching Conditions and Retention

“Finally, our analysis of teacher mobility showed that salary affects mobility patterns less than do working conditions such as facilities, safety and quality of leadership.” (Hanushek and Rivkin, 2007)
“…working conditions factors, especially principal support, had more influence on simulated job choice than pay level, implying that money might be better spent to attract, retain or train better principals than to provide higher beginning salaries to teachers in schools with high-poverty or a high proportion of students of color.” (Milanowski et al., 2009)
A survey of 2,000 educators from California found that 28 percent of teachers who left the profession before retirement indicated that they would come back if improvements were made to teaching and learning conditions. (Futernick, 2007)

“Through the TELL Maryland Survey, Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning, our teachers will be able to provide anonymous firsthand feedback about how we continue to improve public education in Maryland.”

—Governor Martin O’Malley about the state’s Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey

Visit http://tellmaryland.org/ for details on Governor O’Malley’s Teaching Conditions Initiative

Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey

Based on the pioneering work of Governor Mike Easley and the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission, the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey begun in 2002 has now been replicated across the nation. For details and findings please visit www.ncteachingconditions.org. The Survey is an online tool that collects perceptions of ALL teachers, principals and other licensed educators in participating states. On the Survey, respondents answer questions about the presence of critical teaching conditions including:

Facilities and resources
Time
Decision-making
School leadership
Community support

Survey results provide local school and district leaders data that can be used for school improvement planning, while state leaders can use data to inform discussions and support sound educational policymaking. View sample school results here.

Implementing the Survey

The New Teacher Center, out of the North Carolina-based office, assists states and school districts in administering the anonymous, web-based Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey and has a proven track record of successful administration in eleven states. Working with a broad coalition of stakeholders, policymakers and practitioners the NTC will:

Design a Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey and Communications Plan that best reflect the needs of the state. The NTC will work to bring together policy makers, practitioners, and stakeholders to promote the initiative and design a survey based on a validated set of questions used in other states. The NTC will work with states to ensure the success of the initiative.
Provide an online Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey process by which every school-based educator will receive an anonymous login code that identifies the school in which they work to ensure that they take the Survey only once.
Produce individual school and district Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey results where a sufficient response rate was achieved, as well as an aggregate state report.
Analyze teaching conditions results and explore connections between positive teaching environments and other variables such as student achievement and teacher retention. This includes specific analyses for subsets of schools or educators.
Design training materials to help coalition partners understand and use the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey results for school improvement planning.

Key Findings from the Survey

Survey results highlighted strong connections among student achievement, teacher retention and teaching conditions—particularly school leadership, teacher engagement and community involvement. When controlling for a multitude of student, teacher and school characteristics, analyses were consistent across states: educators reporting strong leadership; sufficient resources and support; and a manageable workload had higher student achievement. Read nationally renowned Dr. Helen Ladd’s most recent research paper on this topic. (PDF Download 1.6MB)

Research and selected findings from the survey in many states confirm that Teaching and Learning Conditions have significant impact on:

Improved Student Learning (PDF Download 251KB)
Improved Teacher Efficacy and Motivation (PDF Download 200KB)
Improved Teacher Retention (PDF Download 267KB)
New recruitment Strategies to Entice Educators to Hard-To-Staff Schools (PDF Download 218KB)
Equitable Distribution of Resources (PDF Download 223KB)

Using Results to Inform Policy and Practice

The Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey has the longest history in North Carolina where policymakers at different levels have utilized Survey data in different ways. Local education leaders have used results at the district level to further bond initiatives. At the state level, data was used in rewriting standards for principals and teachers. The Survey initiative has been so expansive that it has supported the creation of additional funding for professional development in low-performing schools. Results also have led to the development of school leadership training which requires administrators to use Survey data in making school-level improvement decisions.
Read “The Intersection of Policy and Practice” (PDF Download 132KB)

In other states, such as Massachusetts, state leaders allocated $200,000 to support utilizing Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey data in low performing school districts. One local district in this state changed professional development offerings and provided teachers more autonomy in selecting growth opportunities in response to Survey feedback.

“Information is what legislators operate on, and this is great currency for us.”

—Rep. Rick Glazier (N.C.) about the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey initiaive as quoted in State Legisaltures magazine (Sept. 2009) (PDF Download 200KB)

Participating States and School Districts

In 2008-2009 more than 300,000 educators completed the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey. Data has been provided to almost 10,000 schools. New Teacher Center clients in 2008-2009 include:

The NTC will be conducting a Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey in Texas in the spring of 2010, and recently received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to administer a Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey as part of the foundation&s Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project. The Survey will be administered in select schools and districts participating in the MET project across the country.

“The Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey results focused our work on improving the working conditions of teachers and principals which in turn led to improved learning results for ALL children.”

—Dr. Terry Holliday, Superintendent, 2008 National Baldrige Quality Award Recipient

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	Calendar of Events Annual Symposium Induction Institute Overview Policy Development and Support National State Local Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey Teaching & Learning Conditions Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey Implementing the Survey Key Findings from the Survey Using Results to Inform Policy and Practice Participating States and School Districts Scope of Work Products & Services Publications Consulting Services Resources Policy Reports Online Resources Personnel View cart/Checkout Contact Us New Teacher Center 725 Front Street, Suite 400 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-600-2200 (v) 831-427-9017 (f)	POLICY Teaching & Learning Conditions To do their jobs well, educators need supportive school environments where they are valued, trusted and can collaborate to improve instruction. Research has shown that the quality of teaching conditions can encourage or constrain good teaching and impacts student achievement. View Research While strong connections among teaching conditions and teacher recruitment, retention and student success have been documented, policymakers have not had the kind of data necessary to understand and address this important issue. Understanding and improving teaching conditions can result in: Increased student success Improved teacher efficacy and motivation Enhanced teacher retention Targeted recruitment strategies to bring educators to hard-to-staff schools Teaching Conditions and Student Learning “There is good evidence to show that teachers’ working conditions matter because they have a direct effect on teachers’ thoughts and feelings—their sense of individual professional efficacy, of collective professional efficacy, of job satisfaction; their organizational commitment, levels of stress and burnout, morale, engagement in the school or profession and their pedagogical content knowledge. These internal states are an important factor in what teachers do and have a direct effect in what happens in the classroom, how well students achieve, and their experience of school.” (Leithwood, 2006) “Working conditions emerge as highly predictive of teachers’ stated intentions to remain or leave their schools, with leadership emerging as the most salient dimension. Teachers’ perceptions of their working conditions are also predictive of one-year actual departure rates and student achievement, but the predictive power is far lower…Taken together, the working conditions variables account for 10 to 15 percent of the explained variation in math and reading scores across schools, after controlling for individual and school level characteristics of schools.” (Ladd, 2009) Teaching Conditions and Retention “Finally, our analysis of teacher mobility showed that salary affects mobility patterns less than do working conditions such as facilities, safety and quality of leadership.” (Hanushek and Rivkin, 2007) “…working conditions factors, especially principal support, had more influence on simulated job choice than pay level, implying that money might be better spent to attract, retain or train better principals than to provide higher beginning salaries to teachers in schools with high-poverty or a high proportion of students of color.” (Milanowski et al., 2009) A survey of 2,000 educators from California found that 28 percent of teachers who left the profession before retirement indicated that they would come back if improvements were made to teaching and learning conditions. (Futernick, 2007) “Through the TELL Maryland Survey, Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning, our teachers will be able to provide anonymous firsthand feedback about how we continue to improve public education in Maryland.” —Governor Martin O’Malley about the state’s Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey Visit http://tellmaryland.org/ for details on Governor O’Malley’s Teaching Conditions Initiative Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey Based on the pioneering work of Governor Mike Easley and the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission, the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey begun in 2002 has now been replicated across the nation. For details and findings please visit www.ncteachingconditions.org. The Survey is an online tool that collects perceptions of ALL teachers, principals and other licensed educators in participating states. On the Survey, respondents answer questions about the presence of critical teaching conditions including: Facilities and resources Time Decision-making School leadership Community support Survey results provide local school and district leaders data that can be used for school improvement planning, while state leaders can use data to inform discussions and support sound educational policymaking. View sample school results here. Implementing the Survey The New Teacher Center, out of the North Carolina-based office, assists states and school districts in administering the anonymous, web-based Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey and has a proven track record of successful administration in eleven states. Working with a broad coalition of stakeholders, policymakers and practitioners the NTC will: Design a Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey and Communications Plan that best reflect the needs of the state. The NTC will work to bring together policy makers, practitioners, and stakeholders to promote the initiative and design a survey based on a validated set of questions used in other states. The NTC will work with states to ensure the success of the initiative. Provide an online Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey process by which every school-based educator will receive an anonymous login code that identifies the school in which they work to ensure that they take the Survey only once. Produce individual school and district Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey results where a sufficient response rate was achieved, as well as an aggregate state report. Analyze teaching conditions results and explore connections between positive teaching environments and other variables such as student achievement and teacher retention. This includes specific analyses for subsets of schools or educators. Design training materials to help coalition partners understand and use the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey results for school improvement planning. Key Findings from the Survey Survey results highlighted strong connections among student achievement, teacher retention and teaching conditions—particularly school leadership, teacher engagement and community involvement. When controlling for a multitude of student, teacher and school characteristics, analyses were consistent across states: educators reporting strong leadership; sufficient resources and support; and a manageable workload had higher student achievement. Read nationally renowned Dr. Helen Ladd’s most recent research paper on this topic. (PDF Download 1.6MB) Research and selected findings from the survey in many states confirm that Teaching and Learning Conditions have significant impact on: Improved Student Learning (PDF Download 251KB) Improved Teacher Efficacy and Motivation (PDF Download 200KB) Improved Teacher Retention (PDF Download 267KB) New recruitment Strategies to Entice Educators to Hard-To-Staff Schools (PDF Download 218KB) Equitable Distribution of Resources (PDF Download 223KB) Using Results to Inform Policy and Practice The Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey has the longest history in North Carolina where policymakers at different levels have utilized Survey data in different ways. Local education leaders have used results at the district level to further bond initiatives. At the state level, data was used in rewriting standards for principals and teachers. The Survey initiative has been so expansive that it has supported the creation of additional funding for professional development in low-performing schools. Results also have led to the development of school leadership training which requires administrators to use Survey data in making school-level improvement decisions. Read “The Intersection of Policy and Practice” (PDF Download 132KB) In other states, such as Massachusetts, state leaders allocated $200,000 to support utilizing Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey data in low performing school districts. One local district in this state changed professional development offerings and provided teachers more autonomy in selecting growth opportunities in response to Survey feedback. “Information is what legislators operate on, and this is great currency for us.” —Rep. Rick Glazier (N.C.) about the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey initiaive as quoted in State Legisaltures magazine (Sept. 2009) (PDF Download 200KB) Participating States and School Districts In 2008-2009 more than 300,000 educators completed the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey. Data has been provided to almost 10,000 schools. New Teacher Center clients in 2008-2009 include: Alabama Colorado Fairfax County (VA) Illinois Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts North Carolina Vermont West Virginia The NTC will be conducting a Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey in Texas in the spring of 2010, and recently received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to administer a Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey as part of the foundation&s Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project. The Survey will be administered in select schools and districts participating in the MET project across the country. “The Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey results focused our work on improving the working conditions of teachers and principals which in turn led to improved learning results for ALL children.” —Dr. Terry Holliday, Superintendent, 2008 National Baldrige Quality Award Recipient «top» For further information about the Teaching & Learning Conditions Survey please contact: New Teacher Center-North Carolina 2800 Meridian Parkway, Suite 100 Durham, North Carolina 27713 919-806-2200

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