Teacher Survey Feedback SURVEY CONDUCTED JAN. – FEB. 2016
Teacher Survey Data Stakeholders Surveyed (311 respondents) ¡
Teachers, Administration (including D.O.), Board, Technology Department ÷ McPolin,
Thurs., Jan. 7 (25 respondents) ÷ Trailside, Thurs., Jan 7 (34) ÷ Parley’s, Fri., Jan. 8 (31) ÷ Jeremy Ranch, Mon., Jan. 11 (31) ÷ Park City High School, Tues., Jan. 19 (74) ÷ Treasure Mountain, Mon., Jan. 25 (43) ÷ Administration, Wed., Jan. 27 (13) ÷ Ecker Hill, Fri., Jan. 29 (37) ÷ Technology Department, Thurs., Feb. 4 (17) ÷ Board, Tues., Feb. 9 (6)
Teacher Survey Data Methodology for survey based on trustworthiness Controlled access to data: ¡ Analysis team consisted of community members and one PCSD instructional coach Opening of long-term dialogue ¡ Intention to respect long-term nature of relationship between teachers and district Analyzers spent over 250+ hours reviewing and
discussing data ¡
Reviewed individually initially to reduce “group think”
Teacher Survey Data Lines of inquiry – open ended questions ¡ In your opinion, what are the top 3 things that your school is doing well? ¡ What are the top 3 most successful things happening in your classroom? ¡ What are your top 3 challenges as a teacher in this district? ¡ What 3 things should the district stop doing? ¡ What 3 things is the district doing well and should continue? ¡ What 3 things should the district start doing? Approximately 5,500 data points
Teacher Survey Data Methodology for analysis: ¡ Coded responses ¡ Grouped into categories ¡ Developed themes ¡ Noted emphasis of responses: ÷ Bold
or italic font ÷ Capitalization ÷ Exclamation points ÷ Vocabulary choices ÷ Deliberate repetition
What’s Going Well… Student Centric Focus (1624 responses) ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡
High standards/rigor Positive environment Engaged student learning Differentiation
Committed Professional Staff (205 responses) ¡
High quality teachers/staff
Working together as a team (409 responses) ¡ ¡
Collaboration PLCs
Teachers have a positive view of the learning that is taking place in their classrooms.
What’s Going Well… Student Centric Focus High standards/rigor (203 responses)
“Having high expectations & academic rigor for all”
“Having high expectations & academic rigor for all”
“Keeping high academic standards, including high standards for the fine arts and sport department”
“Providing Academic Rigor for high achieving students”
“Fostering a desire for excellence”
“There are high expectations for all” “I believe our school has very high expectations. We hold ourselves to high expectations, and students to high expectations. I believe we incorporate daily opportunities for students to reach their full potential”
What’s Going Well… Student Centric Focus Positive Environment (413 responses) “Creating a safe environment for children to learn, grow and thrive socially and
academically”
“We have a positive school environment”
“Students are happy to be at school and they look forward to coming to school
everyday”
“Efforts towards providing a caring and safe environment for the kids”
“Positive and safe culture/climate”
“Making kids feel valued and important”
What’s Going Well… Student Centric Focus Engaged Student Learning (585 responses) “My students are engaging interesting text and having real-life, difficult topic
discussions and conversations.”
“Students are engaged and working hard to understand.” “Students are engaged and making progress in literacy & math”
“Engagement – students are active learners, invested, finding relevancy and
purpose in what they learn.”
“The engagement and interest that activities can stir, in even the most passive learner.”
What’s Going Well… Student Centric Focus Differentiation (423 responses) Doing well: “Learning opportunities are differentiated in reading,
spelling and writing.”
Doing well: “Differentiating to the needs of individual students.” Doing well: “Individualized student instruction based off direct
observation of student performance.”
Doing well: “Differentiated instruction during P30 in writing.”
“Encourage learning for all”
What’s Going Well… Committed Professional Staff High Quality Teachers/Staff (121 responses)
“We have quality teachers that produce results that lead the State.”
“Teachers here work hard to be the best at what they do”
“The district has a large amount of amazing teachers--keep hiring experts”
Going Above and Beyond (84 responses)
“Teachers deliver exemplary instruction for our students, under increasingly arduous demands from the district”
“Hiring excellent teachers that do more than the minimum and are willing to work together”
“We are very devoted teachers who care about learning. We care that the students learn well and we are very growth oriented life long learners.”
What’s Going Well… Working Together Collaboration/Teaming/PLC (409 responses) "Our school is working collectively to meet students' needs and I appreciate working with
colleagues."
" Collaborating as professionals with a common goal for students success. ” "Grade level teams and as a "whole" school community engaging in authentic collaborative conversations about how to best support students - building capacity."
Areas for Improvement Execution of strategic plan/decision making (745 responses) ¡
Selection, adoption and retention of initiatives
Organizational Effectiveness (1640 responses) ¡ Expectations ¡ Professional Development requirements ¡ Disconnect/lack of presence ¡ Testing/Data focus Teachers are overwhelmed and feel disconnected to the directives
Areas for Improvement Execution of strategic plan/decision making Selection, adoption and retention of initiatives ¡
Input from teachers (234 responses) ÷ ÷ ÷ ÷ ÷ ÷ ÷
÷ ÷
Stop:“Making decisions without educator input (ie. eliminating reading specialists)” “Take teacher input into consideration before adopting new “programs” Start: “Asking for teacher input and using teacher input to make district decisions” “Get teacher input BEFORE making decisions” Start: “gathering more input from teachers before making major decisions that impact teaching” “Listen to constituents “in the trenches” with respect to anything that the district is currently doing or considering changing” Start:“Listening to teachers about what needs to happen with the schools. We are in the trenches every day and know what needs to happen and what won’t be effective use of time and money” Start: “Really involving teachers of all disciplines and levels when making decisions about policy, programs, etc.” Start:“Ask for teacher input about major decisions like the removal of the ELA/Reading specialists” Start: “Listening to teachers. We have a lot to say, but no one really asks us what we think. If we are asked, OUR ideas are not really implemented”
Areas for Improvement Execution of strategic plan/decision making Selection, adoption and retention of initiatives ¡
Frequency of Decisions (240 responses) ÷
÷ ÷
÷
÷ ÷ ÷ ÷
“Seemingly making quick decisions without properly investigating/research before imposing initiatives (short term and long term effects on students and teachers)” “Stop adopting every new program that comes along” Stop:“Adding program after program-been here long enough to see that many are dropped after a few years with what appears to be no reason” Stop: “Moving so fast on initiatives…better that it is done right even if it takes longer to get all on board” Stop: “Changing programs before everything is in place to make it successful” Stop: “Chasing the latest fad” Stop: “JUMPING ON EVERYTHING THAT IS NEW…LET’S TRY THIS…WAIT THIS IS BETTER” “The district should stop starting new programs before we have even had a chance to implements the ones we just started” “Take a breath and realize too many changes at once causes confusion, frustration, and anger”
Areas for Improvement Organizational Effectiveness Expectations (440 responses) ¡
Lack of time ÷
¡
“I feel like we have triple the work load that we did 10 years ago. It is hard to keep up my quality of instruction because so much time is being used to do things not related to planning instruction and researching lessons. Much of what we are being asked to do is repetitive and feels like busy work after a while. (SLO, Action Research, PGP)”
General feeling of overwhelmed ÷ ÷
÷
“Too much! We are just inundated with expectations that often times have very little connection to our success in the classroom. Good programs will be better when they are in competition with one another.” “Stop expecting teachers to take on additional duties that are not in the area of their expertise. These positions require years of specialized training for a reason. Years of training and expertise can not be replaced by a professional development Friday. Our teachers are already overwhelmed and should not have to take on additional responsibilities that are not on their license.” “It's been challenging for me to keep up with planning and the many meetings required by the school or district. I think it's great, but at times it becomes a bit overwhelming.” “Way too many balls in the air...the district continues to do too many things...teachers are overwhelmed...the kids are swamped”
Areas for Improvement Organizational Effectiveness Professional Development (295 responses) ¡
“The district has adopted a "telling teachers" professional development model instead of a "showing teachers" model.”
¡
“Differentiate PD! We're asked to do it with students, why aren't teachers afforded the same level of instruction?”
¡
Stop:”Placing so much pressure on new teachers who already have too much on their plates. Requiring more than the state as far as EYE, SLOs etc. ESL homework, PCEYE requirements, SLOs, ARPs...” “Focus on only a few PD activities, if we have too much we don't do it well.”
Areas for Improvement Organizational Effectiveness Disconnect between D.O. and schools (419 responses) ¡
“District admin need to come back to the classroom and teach. As a former D.O. person in a different state, those out of the classroom become out of touch (too far removed) from realistic expectations given the limitations and edicts.”
¡
“I would love to see cabinet members come into classrooms and perhaps even teach occasionally. While you are present in the buildings, it is primarily more as an observation. Keeping your skills fresh in teaching should help guide the realities of what today’s teachers are actually experiencing.”
¡
Stop: “Gifted teachers are going elsewhere because of the reputation PCSD has developed for asking for more and giving less.”
“The perception that the administration at the District Office doesn’t really know what good things are happening at our school.”
Areas for Improvement Organizational Effectiveness Testing/Data Focus (146 responses) ¡
Start: “Realizing that more testing and more new programs=less teaching time and less effective teaching. That is NOT what is best for students.”
¡
“Too much testing and too many interruptions in our curriculum! We are testing our poor students to death. We need more time to teach, not test and have assemblies....”
¡
Stop:”Galileo! Has anyone at the district level actually read the questions on this test???? Not only is it too much testing but it is REALLY not a good test! When we go to those meetings to change the questions, they are not changed! Why are we married to this test?????”
¡
“Stop treating people as data points. Of course, information is absolutely necessary, but we have gone too far in boiling everything down to just that. We educate the whole child - not just their brains. We need to invest in engaging experiences that spark curiosity and connect people to one another - then academics will follow.”
¡
“Since we are so invested in developing essential standards and common formative assessments for our GVC, why do we have to use Galileo and SAGE? especially with students in specialized math class like my students.” “Watch trends on decreasing standardized testing and lead the way.”
Areas for Improvement Organizational Effectiveness Constrained resources (340 responses) ¡
¡
“We should have a DLI coach at all our DLI schools.” Stop: “Asking us to implement something and then not having materials for it.”
¡
Challenge: “High class size!!!!”
¡
“Total student load (I have over 175 students). Research suggests the ideal maximum student load for a secondary teacher is below 100 students.”
“I feel like I am not able to help our ESL population to the best of my ability because I don’t have the resources needed to reach them. I am deeply concerned about losing the ESL position in our school, especially knowing our district struggles with the academic gap for ESL students.”
Examples of Emphasis ¡
Start: “REALLY getting in the trenches to see what and how we are doing things - not just a monthly walk through - how about actually shadowing a teacher for a day?”
¡
“Stop treating programs "whole group.” If you are aware of some bad or ineffective teachers, address them individually, make corrections or get rid of them. I am tired of being trained in things I already know because some teachers don't implement it.”
¡
“Consult with the staff DOING the WORK prior to making staffing changes that directly affect students.”
¡
“Take a breath and realize too many changes at once causes confusion, frustration and anger.”
¡
“There are so many things that my site is doing well but when it comes to upper admin there is little respect and trust, and does not listen to the needs of teachers”
¡
Stop: “Looking at teachers from through a lens of deficits rather than strengths”
¡
Stop: ”Culture of neo-liberal policies that focus on "college and career readiness" without respect for the arts, humanities, and other creative pursuits.”
Examples of Emphasis ¡
“Get rid of the historically recent top heavy, bullet proof door, ever expanding & unapproachable monarchy at the D.O.”
¡
“Explaining why and helping teachers understand new initiatives. Without this they become directives and are resented.”
¡
“We should continue to keep the students at the center of our thoughts and the focus of our dreams.”
¡
Start: ”Truthful conversations between teachers/admin re: what’s working in classrooms, etc., not making assumptions from top down.”
¡
District is doing well: “Honestly nothing this year!”
¡
Stop: “Looking at the teachers through a lens of deficits rather than strengths.”
¡
“I feel like we have triple the work load that we did 10 years ago. It is hard to keep up my quality of instruction because so much time is being used to do things not related to planning instruction and researching lessons. Much of what we are being asked to do is repetitive and feels like busy work after a while. (SLO, Action Research, PGP)
¡
”STOP piling everything on all at once. Teachers feel overwhelmed and unsuccessful in implementing new interventions, programs, etc. When we have the time to research, get trained, implement, etc – we are more successful, and it is better for our students’ learning.”
Examples of Emphasis ¡
“Stop treating programs "whole group" . If you are aware of some bad or ineffective teachers, address them individually, make corrections or get rid of them. I am tired of being trained in things I already know because some teachers don't implement it.”
¡
“ THE TOP DOWN DECISIONS MADE WITHOUT THOUGHT.”
¡
Stop: “Bullying teachers.”
¡
Stop: “clearly conveyed perceptions of teachers by the D.O. as expendable, incompetent and untrustworthy - we respond more favorably to positive reinforcement”
¡
“There are good mother-in-law's and irritating mother-in-law's. The good kind are there to be supportive, helpful and offer advice when asked. And there are the irritating kind that show up at the house unannounced, tell you how to raise your kids, offer criticism at every turn, remind you that you are not doing enough and that any poor behavior of the children must be a reflection of the parenting, and "solving problems" by quoting "specialists" instructions rather than just asking how they can be of help.”
Implications and Recommendations
Teachers are overwhelmed! Study the specific areas outlined in Areas for Improvement to make adjustments.
Programming Program specific recommendations and critiques* ¡
Complete Verbatims for the following areas: ÷ DLI ÷ ELA/Reading Specialists Project based learning ÷ Standards grading ÷ PLCs ÷ Testing ÷ Realignment ÷ Professional Development ÷ Compensation *See .pdf files for complete verbatims
Outliers Other valuable insight was offered in comments labeled as “outliers.” Outliers may not have appeared in frequency, but are well worth noting.* ¡ NEW teachers in particular are overwhelmed… ÷
¡
All departments are not equally valued ÷
¡
“Stop killing our new teachers. Treat them as endangered species and give them support - like mentor teachers, fewer preps and lower class loads. Stop hiring people who are not teachers.”
“It is challenging to work where all departments are not equally valued (ie. some have an expectation of excellence, others are allowed to let 'slide' or sort of disregarded as an area for achievement or high expectations)”
Parent involvement is both positive and negative ÷ ÷
“The school has a positive relationship and interacts well with the parents.” “The parents voice seems to win over teachers when making education decisions in the district”.
*See .pdf files for complete verbatims on these topics
The End
