Fayette County TELL Survey Results Up

This from the Herald-Leader:

What do teachers think of the schools where they work?

Parents and anyone else in Kentucky who is interested can now find out online.

Certified staff in public schools throughout the state completed an anonymous survey about teaching conditions this spring. The results of the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning survey, or TELL, are available at Tellkentucky.org.

Teachers were asked about a variety of topics, such as whether class sizes were reasonable, whether the school was a safe place to work, whether they felt comfortable raising concerns with leadership and what kinds of professional development would be helpful.

Results are available for 1,296 Kentucky schools — those that had at least a 50 percent response rate and at least five responses. All public schools in Fayette County met that threshold and have results posted.

Fayette County Superintendent Tom Shelton said the results were important for improving schools.

"Happy teachers make happy kids," he said. "The more satisfied a teacher is with their working conditions, the more effective they will be."

Shelton said the survey indicated the primary challenges for Fayette schools were "cultural — how people relate to each other, how empowered they feel to make decisions."

Among the findings for Fayette County:

■ 55 percent of teachers said class sizes were "reasonable such that teachers have the time available to meet the needs of all students," but 45 percent disagreed.
■ 59 percent said "efforts were made to minimize the amount of routine paperwork," but 41 percent disagreed.
■ 64 percent agreed that "teachers have an appropriate level of influence on decision-making" at their school; 36 percent disagreed.
■ 66 percent said there was an "atmosphere of trust and mutual respect" in their school, while 34 percent disagreed.

Because results of the survey vary from school to school, board of education member Doug Barnett said changes are "going to have to come from the leadership level at the school and the site-based council."

He said the district's role was to provide resources and support to help schools make changes to improve the teaching environment, based on each school's needs.

This is the second time the TELL survey has been conducted.

Fayette County had about 68 percent participation when the survey was offered in 2011, but after a push to get more staff to take it, 98 percent participated this spring.

While this survey was only for certified staff members, Shelton said the district was working on a survey that would gather information about how classified staff perceive the culture and climate of Fayette County schools.

"We need to make sure that all employees feel valued in the process," he said.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/07/23/2727687/results-of-kentucky-schools-survey.html#storylink=cpy

Fayette County Results Indicate 

Higher response rate, Greater approval

% Agree                                                                                                                                       TELL FCPS 2013 TELL FCPS 2011 Time
Q2.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about the use of time in your school.
	a. Class sizes are reasonable such that teachers have the time available to meet the needs of all students.	55.0%		50.1%
	b. Teachers have time available to collaborate with colleagues.	69.7%		64.8%
	c. Teachers are allowed to focus on educating students with minimal interruptions	64.1%		53.0%
	d. The non-instructional time provided for teachers in my school is sufficient.	63.4%		52.9%
	e. Efforts are made to minimize the amount of routine paperwork teachers are required to do.	58.6%		43.9%
	f. Teachers have sufficient instructional time to meet the needs of all students.	60.4%		52.1%
	g. Teachers are protected from duties that interfere with their essential role of educating students.	69.3%		58.9%
Facilities and Resources
Q3.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about your school facilities and resources.
	a. Teachers have sufficient access to instructional technology, including computers, printers, software and internet access.	80.3%		77.0%
	b. Teachers have access to reliable communication technology, including phones, faxes and email.	94.9%		94.1%
	c. Teachers have sufficient access to office equipment and supplies such as copy machines, paper, pens, etc.	82.5%		80.1%
	d. Teachers have sufficient access to a broad range of professional support personnel.	83.5%		81.6%
	e. The school environment is clean and well maintained.	84.9%		83.4%
	f. Teachers have adequate space to work productively.	82.3%		77.7%
	g. The physical environment of classrooms in this school supports teaching and learning.	86.4%		84.9%
	h. The reliability and speed of Internet connections in this school are sufficient to support instructional practices.	74.1%		80.2%
Community Support and Involvement
Q4.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about community support and involvement in your school.
	a. Parents/guardians are influential decision makers in this school.	69.6%		67.4%
	b. This school maintains clear, two-way communication with the community.	85.6%		83.2%
	c. This school does a good job of encouraging parent/guardian involvement.	87.8%		85.9%
	d. Teachers provide parents/guardians with useful information about student learning.	93.9%		94.2%
	e. Parents/guardians know what is going on in this school.	81.9%		79.0%
	f. Parents/guardians support teachers, contributing to their success with students.	70.4%		65.4%
	g. Community members support teachers, contributing to their success with students.	78.1%		73.3%
	h. The community we serve is supportive of this school.	81.2%		76.6%
Managing Student Conduct
Q5.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about managing student conduct in your school.
	a. Students at this school understand expectations for their conduct.	84.6%		78.9%
	b. Students at this school follow rules of conduct.	66.2%		60.2%
	c. Policies and procedures about student conduct are clearly understood by the faculty.	78.7%		77.5%
	d. School administrators consistently enforces rules for student conduct.	65.6%		61.3%
	e. School administrators support teachers' efforts to maintain discipline in the classroom.	76.5%		71.2%
	f. Teachers consistently enforce rules for student conduct.	74.2%		72.3%
	g. The faculty work in a school environment that is safe.	88.5%		85.6%
Teacher Leadership
Q6.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about teacher leadership in your school.
	a. Teachers are recognized as educational experts.	81.5%		76.4%
	b. Teachers are trusted to make sound professional decisions about instruction.	80.8%		73.9%
	c. Teachers are relied upon to make decisions about educational issues.	80.0%		73.8%
	d. Teachers are encouraged to participate in school leadership roles.	86.1%		83.8%
	e. The faculty has an effective process for making group decisions to solve problems.	70.5%		63.6%
	f. In this school we take steps to solve problems.	78.2%		74.3%
	g. Teachers are effective leaders in this school.	82.4%		78.7%
Q6.2	Please indicate the role teachers have at your school in each of the following areas.
	a. Selecting instructional materials and resources	80.1%		N/A
	b. Devising teaching techniques	86.5%		N/A
	c. Setting grading and student assessment practices	79.4%		N/A
	d. Determining the content of in-service professional development programs	56.4%		N/A
	e. Establishing student discipline procedures	62.0%		N/A
	f. Providing input on how the school budget will be spent	43.9%		N/A
	g. The selection of teachers new to this school	43.2%		N/A
	h. School improvement planning	65.3%		N/A
School Leadership
Q7.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about school leadership in your school.
	a. The faculty and leadership have a shared vision.	76.0%		72.9%
	b. There is an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect in this school.	66.4%		60.9%
	c. Teachers feel comfortable raising issues and concerns that are important to them.	64.9%		57.4%
	d. The school leadership consistently supports teachers.	72.0%		63.7%
	e. Teachers are held to high professional standards for delivering instruction.	91.3%		91.5%
	f. The school leadership facilitates using data to improve student learning.	91.3%		92.9%
	g. Teacher performance is assessed objectively.	84.1%		79.5%
	h. Teachers receive feedback that can help them improve teaching.	79.0%		75.6%
	i. The procedures for teacher evaluation are consistent.	83.5%		77.1%
	j. The school improvement team provides effective leadership at this school.	77.1%		72.2%
	k. The faculty are recognized for accomplishments.	83.4%		77.2%
Q7.3	The school leadership makes a sustained effort to address teacher concerns about:
	a. Leadership issues	72.8%		64.5%
	b. Facilities and resources	84.0%		79.2%
	c. The use of time in my school	74.6%		66.3%
	d. Professional development	80.8%		74.9%
	e. Teacher leadership	80.3%		75.4%
	f. Community support and involvement	83.9%		79.0%
	g. Managing student conduct	73.2%		67.2%
	h. Instructional practices and support	84.7%		79.7%
	i. New teacher support	79.4%		72.0%
Q7.4	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about the school council in your school.
	a. Teachers on the school council are representative of the faculty (i.e. experience, subject/grade, etc.)	88.6%		86.5%
	b. Parents on the school council are representative of the diversity within the school community.	74.4%		70.8%
	c. The school council makes decisions that positively impact instruction (i.e. curriculum, instructional practices, etc.).	87.7%		85.5%
	d. The school council makes decisions that positively impact school staffing and schedules.	84.3%		80.8%
	e. Overall, the school council provides effective leadership in this school.	85.7%		82.2%
Professional Development
Q8.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with statements about professional development in your school.
	a. Sufficient resources are available for professional development in my school.	71.3%		68.9%
	b. An appropriate amount of time is provided for professional development.	78.2%		75.4%
	c. Professional development offerings are data driven.	78.9%		79.5%
	d. Professional learning opportunities are aligned with the school’s improvement plan.	88.4%		88.5%
	e. Professional development is differentiated to meet the needs of individual teachers.	59.1%		56.2%
	f. Professional development deepens teachers' content knowledge.	74.4%		71.4%
	g. Teachers have sufficient training to fully utilize instructional technology.	67.9%		67.1%
	h. Teachers are encouraged to reflect on their own practice.	86.1%		85.5%
	i. In this school, follow up is provided from professional development.	60.8%		58.9%
	j. Professional development provides ongoing opportunities for teachers to work with colleagues to refine teaching practices.	72.7%		71.0%
	k. Professional development is evaluated and results are communicated to teachers.	53.8%		51.5%
	l. Professional development enhances teachers' ability to implement instructional strategies that meet diverse student learning needs.	81.2%		79.4%
	m. Professional development enhances teachers' abilities to improve student learning.	84.3%		83.4%
Instructional Practices and Support
Q9.1	Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about instructional practices and support in your school.
	a. State assessment data are available in time to impact instructional practices.	56.4%		57.8%
	b. Local assessment data are available in time to impact instructional practices.	82.4%		83.5%
	c. Teachers use assessment data to inform their instruction.	90.0%		91.2%
	d. The curriculum taught in this school is aligned with Common Core Standards.	96.1%		N/A
	e. Teachers work in professional learning communities to develop and align instructional practices.	86.7%		86.7%
	f. Provided supports (i.e. instructional coaching, professional learning communities, etc.) translate to improvements in instructional practices by teachers.	80.7%		81.2%
	g. Teachers are encouraged to try new things to improve instruction.	90.3%		88.4%
	h. Teachers are assigned classes that maximize their likelihood of success with students.	65.6%		60.1%
	i. Teachers have autonomy to make decisions about instructional delivery (i.e. pacing, materials and pedagogy).	79.1%		68.3%
Overall
Q10.6	Overall, my school is a good place to work and learn.	80.9%		79.1%
Q10.7	At this school, we utilize the results from the 2011 TELL Kentucky Survey as a tool for school improvement.	68.5%		N/A