State Legislation: What to Do and What Not to Do

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Improving Teacher Working Conditions
CCSSO State Teacher Quality Network Eric Hirsch
Barnett Berry Washington DC June 2-3, 2005
Teacher Working Conditions are Student Learning
Conditions
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Need for STATE-LEVEL TWC Initiative

• NCES data from a random sample of teachers across
  country
• Each community is different with different
  resources, having embraced different reforms, and
  different concerns and priorities
• Need customized data from the voice of those who
  matter most to that particular community
• Build the profession and change the notion of
  what is meant by working conditions

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Impetus for NC TWC Initiative Retention

• Need more than 10,000 positions staffed every
  year due to teacher attrition
• NC one of 10 states that get more than 40 of its
  teachers from out-of-state
• Only 55 of traditional prepared teachers still
  teaching after 5 years (only 39 of lateral entry
  teachers)
• Exponential growth in lateral entry while number
  in teacher preparation programs decline

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NC TWC History of the Initiative

• Developed in 2001 as a pilot by the NCPTSC
• Working conditions standards created in five
  broad categories derived from existing research
  and focus groups
• Use of time
• Empowerment
• Professional Development
• Leadership
• Facilities resources
• 39 question, paper/pencil survey, through NCAE
  reps to every teacher all statements soliciting
  agreement on 1-6 scale in 5 areas
• First survey found dissatisfaction, particularly
  on time, and that principals, elementary teachers
  and those in smaller schools were more positive
  about working conditions

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NC TWC Changes in 2004

• 72 questions and 8 demographics perception and
  reality questions
• Online survey disseminated codes through NCAE
  that ID schools only
• Domain average through factor analysis to
  validate survey and make it more accessible to
  broader community

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Findings from the analysis of the 2004 North
Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey

• 40 response rate 34,000 surveys representing
  90 of NC schools in all districts.
• Data released last July, interim report with
  Real DEAL awards in October and Gov. release 3/10
• Produced not only as the final report but a
  series of briefs so it is more accessible to
  policymakers, practitioners and the public at
  large

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Findings from the analysis of the 2004 South
Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey

• South Carolina Report released in March
• Funded by the Department of Education and CERRA
• About 30 response rate more than 15,000
  surveys returned 519 schools for analysis

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SECTQ and TWC Across the Nation

• SECTQ consulting with Georgia in 9 district
  pilot
• SECTQ is conducting a TWC survey in 2 Virginia
  districts that are piloting Governor Warners
  teacher incentive program
• SECTQ is conducting a TWC pilot in Ohio
• SECTQ working with NEA and other partner
  organizations to launch multi-state initiative
• SECTQ working with Public Education Network and
  local education funds

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What Was Discovered about Teacher Working
Conditions

• Teacher working conditions are important
  predictors of student achievement
• Working conditions make a difference in teacher
  retention
• Leadership is critical to improving working
  conditions, but principals and teachers perceive
  these conditions very differently
• Teachers, regardless of their background and
  experience view working conditions similarly

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Working Conditions and AYP For every one point
increase on the TWC survey

• NC -- Leadership was the single greatest
  predictor of AYP status at the middle school
  level (6.7 times more likely to have made AYP)
• professional development 4X more likely to make
  AYP
• South Carolina - empowerment was most
• empowerment, schools 4.75X more likely to make
  AYP
• professional development, schools were 2.5 times
  more likely to make AYP
• time, high schools 9.4X more likely to make AYP

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Working Conditions and State Ratings For every
one point increase

• NC -- professional development - middle schools
  12X more likely to move up one growth expectation
  category
• NC- leadership - high schools 48X more likely to
  be included in one of the top designations
• NC- professional development - schools 10X more
  likely to be included in one of the top
  designations
• SC - professional development - middle school 44X
  more likely to be rated good or excellent.
• SC - Empowerment - elementary level 4.5X times
  more likely to be rated good or excellent

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Working Conditions and Teacher Retention in North
Carolina

• Empowerment was statistically significant in
  explaining retention at the high school level
• Professional development was significant for
  elementary and high schools
• School designation category, school size and
  percentage of students on free and reduced lunch
  all are significant predictors of teacher
  retention. Percentage not fully licensed most
  highly correlated with retention rates

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Working Conditions and Teacher Retention in South
Carolina

• Leadership is a significant predictors of teacher
  retention
• Average teacher salaries, of teachers on
  emergency credentials, of highly qualified
  teachers all were significant predictors of
  teacher retention

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North Carolina Teacher vs. Principal Perceptions
of Working Conditions Issues
All responses statistically significantly
different at the .05 level. Responses on a 1 to 5
scale of agreement with one being strongly
disagree and five being strongly agree
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Teachers View Working Conditions Similarly

• These factors do not have a significant
  connection to perception on any of the working
  conditions domains, overall satisfaction with
  their school, or aspects of working conditions
  they believe are most important in retaining
  teachers and improving student learning
• Race
• Gender
• Highest degree earned
• Means of preparation (alternative or traditional)
• National Board status

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More Professional Development is Needed to Help
NC Teachers Work with Diverse Learners
Source NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey, 2004
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Teacher Working Conditions Toolkit

• BellSouth Foundation funded SECTQ to develop a
  toolkit, designed to be used in community
  conversations to help analyze data, identify
  issues, and consider potential program and policy
  reforms
• Part of training being done for DSSF districts
  through Teacher Academy and in individual
  district assistance and community workshops
• SECTQ has been in or worked with representatives
  from approximately 60 districts on analyzing and
  using the working conditions data and considering
  school and district reforms
• www.teacherworkingconditions.org

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976 Airport Road, Ste. 250 Chapel Hill, North
Carolina 27514 [phone] For more
information about working conditions and
SECTQ www.teachingquality.org www.teacherworkingc
onditions.org www.learnnc.org/gov/twc.nsf