Teacher survey shows frustration with CMS discipline

Teachers in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are generally less satisfied than counterparts across North Carolina,  according to the 2014 teacher working conditions survey.

In most cases,  the differences between CMS and state results are fairly small,  and CMS has an edge on some items,  such as resources for professional development.

But CMS lags significantly on items related to student behavior.  For instance,  about 60 percent of CMS teachers agreed that students follow rules and administrators consistently enforce those rules,  compared with about 72 percent of all N.C. teachers. Seventy-two percent of CMS teachers and 82 percent of N.C. teachers say school administrators support teachers' efforts to maintain classroom discipline.

As usual,  it's hard to know exactly what to make of the numbers because CMS teachers were also less likely to fill out the survey.  The state had a participation rate of almost 89 percent,  compared with 69 percent for CMS.  Charter schools were even lower at 60 percent.  Eighteen CMS schools,  including Butler,  Hopewell and Vance high schools,  fell below the 40 percent response rate required for school results to be posted.

To get results,  go to the website and click on any district name to get a list of schools.  The icon with horizontal bars gives a detailed breakdown of each response,  ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.  The icon that looks like a grid gives the percent who agreed or strongly agreed on each item,  with a comparison to state average and district averages.  And the one that looks like a square split in two compares 2012 and 2014 results.

So check it out and let us know what you see.