Recent studies are beginning to suggest that working conditions are a key to attracting and retaining teachers – perhaps even more than financial incentives.
What is the TeLL Illinois survey?
TeLL ILLINOIS is a survey of all school-based, licensed educators in the state and will be online between April 21 - May 16, 2008. Individual responses to the survey will be anonymous and confidential. Teachers and other certified staff will receive a personal security code which enables them to go online and provide their opinions on the issues of time, empowerment, leadership, facilities/resources, professional development, and mentoring/induction programs.
The initial results will be shared with all schools and districts participating in this pilot survey that obtain a response rate of 40 percent or more. Results will be correlated with student achievement for each school and district and will be available to educators four weeks following the close of the survey.
How does my school participate in the Tell Illinois survey?
Participation in the TeLL ILLINOIS survey is voluntary. Encourage your school district to sign up by contacting Mary McDonald at CEC.
When is the survey available?
TeLL ILLINOIS will be available online 24/7 between April 21 - May 30, 2008. Educators in participating schools and districts will receive a postcard during the week of [insert date] urging them to participate. The card will provide every educator in the participating schools and districts with a personal six-digit security code. Participating educators can complete the survey until the end of the day on May 30, 2008.
How long is the survey?
The TeLL ILLINOIS survey should take about 20 minutes. Participants will be asked to rate their perceptions on a scale of one to five on a series of questions. Participants may preview the survey online prior to the official survey response window. It is important to know that the survey can NOT be saved and once participants submit their surveys, they will not be able to go back and use their codes. Participants are urged to begin the survey at a time when they have about 20 minutes to devote for completion.
Is the survey really anonymous? YES! Participants will receive a six-digit security code by the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC) to enter at the start of the survey. No other personal identification or information is required. Participants may trade codes with any other person in their school buildings for further security, since the codes are only used to identify each school, not an individual. Participants may use a computer at school, home, or any location they choose as long as it has internet access.
The codes used to take the survey are not previewed or shared with anyone other than the researchers at the New Teacher Center (NTC). The database is managed by NTC and cannot be accessed by school administrators, state department of education managers or employees, or union officials. There is NO way to track a code to individual responses, even at NTC. Further, any demographic information that is shared during the survey about participants will not be reported or shared. It is being asked for research purposes only. Each participant's anonymity is assured.
How does an educator in Illinois get an access code to take the survey?
Each school-based certificated professional will receive a postcard from the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC) with a personal security code inviting them to participate. Each school's survey completion rate will be posted live online and can be monitored through January. A minimum of 40 percent of eligible respondents in each school and district must complete the survey in order to receive access their own results. Educators may receive additional reminders to participate and are encouraged to monitor their school response rate and encourage others to participate.
What if teachers or other educators lose their codes or have problems taking the survey?
CEC will operate a Help Desk that teachers and other educators can call toll free at 1-877-TeLL-ILL (1-877-835-5455) Monday to Friday noon to 4 pm or by email helpdesk@tellillinois.org anytime between April 21- May 30, 2008. The Help Desk can provide a new access code to anyone who loses their postcard or have difficulties in answering the survey questions. The Help Desk can answer any questions participants have about the TeLL-ILLINOIS initiative. Click here to view the technical FAQ that is also available on the website for basic troubleshooting.
Why should teachers and other educators take the survey?
Research demonstrates that teaching conditions-time, teacher empowerment, school leadership, professional development, and facilities and resources-are critical to increasing student achievement and retaining teachers. This survey will provide teachers and other educators - their schools and districts with information about the status of learning conditions in their schools. Illinois educators' opinions matter.
This survey will help utilize the experiences and perceptions of teachers and other educators at the classroom and school level in ways that will more effectively recruit and retain quality teachers in the State of Illinois. This data is critical as research from other states who have conducted initiatives indicate:
School conditions matter for kids. The presence of critical teaching and learning conditions have been tied to improved student achievement. Teachers are more effective with children if they are well supported and have the knowledge, skill and time to work collaboratively.
School conditions matter for retaining teachers. Teachers leave schools if there are not supportive school leaders who create trusting, collaborative environments where educators can do their best work. Survey respondents who noted the presence of several teaching and learning conditions are significantly more likely to report that they want to continue working in their school.
Not everyone in the school may have the same perceptions. Gathering this data school by school can be eye opening for a faculty. In particular, research from other states shows a large divide between principals and teachers about whether certain conditions are present in a school. Individual responses to the survey will provide important information for each faculty to assess, celebrate and improve (if at least 40 percent of a participating school’s faculty completes the survey).
This survey has been completed by more than 250,000 professional educators in eight states, including Arizona (www.aztwc.org), North Carolina (www.northcarolinatwc.org), Kansas (www.kansastwc.org), Ohio (www.ohiotlc.org) and Nevada (www.nvtlc.org). Many other states, including Illinois, are working with NTC to gather information and improve school conditions including Alabama, Massachusetts and West Virginia. The survey is completely confidential and is an opportunity for you to let your voice be heard on the conditions you face every day as an educator.
What has been done with the results in other locations?
The survey, started in North Carolina by Governor Mike Easley in 2002, has lead to many state policy changes in North Carolina:
Working conditions have become a permanent part of the North Carolina education reform process, with funding for the survey every two years and the creation of the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Advisory Board. The survey has been conducted in 2002, 2004, 2006 and is slated for March 2008.
The state has increased the level of rigor expected of school principals in creating positive working conditions and has provided needed support for principals. The state has rewritten principal standards to incorporate teacher recruitment, retention and administration and all Masters of School Administration programs will be evaluated based on these standards. A new evaluation instrument is also being created which will, amongst other things, assess whether principals establish positive working conditions. Additionally, all new principals are required to take professional development funded by the state and offered through the Principals Executive Program on creating positive working conditions.
Investments have been made to support the use of data and spreading of best practice. Funding was allocated to create a blueprint for School Improvement Teams in integrating working conditions results into school improvement planning, and conducting the state’s Real DEAL (Dedicated Educators, Administrators and Learners) conference to share best practices in schools with positive working conditions and high student achievement. The Teacher Academy receives $2 million annually to provide professional development in a set of high poverty school districts involved in a financial equity case with the state. The professional development aims to improve teaching quality by focusing on related working conditions reform. Additional analyses have been conducted for high poverty districts and low performing high schools. Turnaround plans are being analyzed in low performing high schools to ensure working conditions data is incorporated and reform strategies address teacher concerns.
Schools in North Carolina have used the data to advocate for a successful bond initiative, improving school improvement teams, etc. (see www.ncteachingconditions.org) In Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas), four teachers are on full-time release to assist schools in identifying and solving concerns raised by the survey (see www.nvtlc.org).
Who is conducting the survey?
Sponsorship and support for the survey is coming from IL-SAELP and the National Education Association. The survey is being conducted by the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC) in partnership with the New Teacher Center with LEARN North Carolina. The New Teacher Center is a university-based, national organization, dedicated to supporting the development of a high-quality teaching force. NTC not only conducts similar surveys, but also provides induction and professional development for teachers and principals across the country. NTC's goal is to give educators and policymakers the information they need to make informed decisions about creating supportive school environments where all educators and students can be successful.
When will the results be available?
The initial data will be available four weeks following the close of the survey for schools and districts to use in identifying strengths and areas in need of improvement. In order to receive data, a school or district must obtain a 40 percent response rate. Participants will be able to see the data for their school and district compared to statewide norms. This data will only be accessible to educators in participating schools and will be password protected.
NTC will over-lay data provided on a variety of background factors (student, school and teacher characteristics) and analyze connections between teaching and learning conditions, student learning and teacher retention. The report will be ready in the fall of 2008.
How will the survey results be used? At the school level, TeLL ILLINOIS data can be used to promote discussions about instruction, planning time, professional development, and school improvement. Exemplar schools can be recognized and promoted as examples of best practice and problem areas can be identified and analyzed. Teachers, counselors, library media specialists, instructional coaches and educational support professionals should all be included in meaningful discussions about working conditions, student learning conditions, and ways to support improvement. While TeLL ILLINOIS data do not provide all the answers, they help a school consider its structure, leadership, the time teachers have and how that time is used, student learning, and begin to determine ways to improve. Data should be used as part of developing more comprehensive school improvement plans.
At the district level, the first step is to acknowledge that teaching and learning conditions matter and policymakers must commit the time and resources necessary to improve those conditions. Data will provide school-by-school indicators regarding the status of teaching and learning conditions. The data will also provide valuable information to reassess district policies and practices.
Still have questions?
Go to www.TeLLIllinois.org or contact the Help Desk by calling toll-free at 1-877-TeLL-ILL (1-877-835-5455) Monday to Friday noon to 4 pm or by emailing helpdesk@tellillinois.org anytime between April 21 and May 30, 2008.
