Further Information
Briefs
Teacher Working Conditions Are
Student Learning Conditions.
A Report on the
2006 North Carolina
Teacher Working Conditions Survey - Executive Summary
Governor Easley has made a sustained commitment to listening to educators and reforming schools to create
the working conditions necessary for student and teacher success. With three iterations of the working conditions
survey completed, analyses have been consistent and clear. The conditions teachers face in schools and classrooms
are essential elements to student achievement and teacher retention.
In 2006, 66 percent of school-based licensed educators (more than 75,000) responded to the voluntary North Carolina Teacher Working
Conditions Survey. More than 85 percent of the state's schools (1,985) reached the minimum response rate (40 percent) necessary to have
valid data, providing information needed to gauge the successes and areas of concerns in their own schools and communities.
Findings
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Teacher Working Conditions are Student Learning Conditions
The overall findings prove teacher working conditions are student learning conditions.
School leaders that can empower teachers, create safe school environments and develop supportive,
trusting climates will be successful in promoting student learning.
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Teacher Working Conditions Affect Teacher Retention
Effective leadership that provides sufficient planning time and empowers teachers
in a trusting environment where they feel supported is the key ingredient to retaining teachers.
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Teachers and Administrators View Working Conditions Differently
There are gaps between the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding how school leadership addresses teacher concerns.
The degree of these discrepancies is startling and must be taken into consideration for any working conditions reforms to be successful.
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Teacher Working Conditions in North Carolina Have Improved and Are Better Than in
Other States
Improvements between 2004 and 2006 are especially evident when working conditions in North Carolina
are compared to other states. Teachers in North Carolina noted more positive working conditions than educators
in Kansas, Arizona, Ohio and Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas), all locales that replicated the North Carolina Working Conditions Initiative.
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Working Conditions Results Were More Likely to Improve in Schools Where Teachers
Indicated that They Had Used Prior Survey Results
At the elementary and middle school levels, schools where results were not used saw, on average,
sharp declines in the proportion of teachers agreeing that leadership and empowerment conditions were in place.
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Schools Vary in the Presence of Teacher Working Conditions
Schools serving a lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students consistently had more
positive working conditions on critical issues such as school safety and trust.
But, teachers in high-poverty schools were more likely to note the presence of sufficient class sizes
and resources for professional development that provided enhanced knowledge and skills.
More in-depth analyses of each of the five working conditions areas (along with mentoring and
induction) are also provided within the body of this report.
 Read full "Teacher Working Conditions Are Student Learning Conditions" report
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