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.  

Teacher to NC: It's breakup time

The best-read item I've ever posted on this blog wasn't written by me but by Justin Ashley, a dynamo of a fourth-grade teacher at McAlpine Elementary.  His letter to House Speaker Thom Tillis captured the passion, hope and frustration of so many teachers across North Carolina that it lit up social media.

I've enjoyed getting to know Ashley during the past school year.  So it's sad to report that he's planning to leave Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for a better-paying job in South Carolina.

Ashley

And since I've learned he can speak for himself quite well, I'll simply share the letter he posted on Facebook Friday, telling this state he's calling it quits.  As of Sunday evening, it had been shared more than 300 times.

Dear North Carolina,

I'm leaving you.

To be honest, it isn't me; it's you. 

I've given you all I have to give: my days, nights, and weekends. I've sacrificed my money and hobbies for you.

I've done my best to please you over the years, but no matter how much I gave you, you always asked for more. In return, you gave me less and less.

Even worse, you refused to truly listen to me. I've tried, time after time, to explain my frustrations, but you always tuned me out.

And you frequently questioned me as if I'm unfaithful. With all that I do for you and the kids, how in the world would I have time for anyone else?

You've taken me for granted.

I deserve to be regarded as a partner in this relationship; Instead, you've treated me like a servant.

If you ever want us to be together again, you are going to have to make some serious life changes:

Treat me as an individual with my own perspective (no more top-down approaches to decision-making).

Respect my voice (don't remove my rights in this union between us).

Continually appreciate and repay me for all that I do for you (don't spend the money you owe me on someone else).

Trust me (don't measure me with unfair and inaccurate comparisons to others).

Call me crazy, but I believed I'd one day become a priority to you. And if not me, at least our kids! How were they never at the top of your priority list?

I used to love you, but I really can't do this anymore. I deserve better.

It's over.

I'm leaving you for your sister state, South Carolina.

If you ever decide to change your ways, call me.

You know the number.

Sincerely and No Longer Yours,
Justin Ashley
2013 North Carolina History Teacher of the Year
2013 North Carolina Social Studies Teacher of the Year
2011 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools East Zone Teacher of the Year

CMS teachers being polled -- again

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is polling teachers on school climate in hopes that the data will help principals create a better workplace.

The survey was created by TNTP (The New Teacher Project),  a nonprofit that focuses on training and supporting excellent teachers.  Earlier this school year,  Superintendent Heath Morrison brought TNTP's president in to talk to principals about the group's report on "The Irreplaceables,"  which highlighted how districts fail to do enough to reward great teachers while making it too easy for bad ones to stay.

Barnes

CMS Accountability Chief Frank Barnes says the TNTP survey will be given this spring,  next fall and in spring of 2014. "Its focus is the instructional culture of a school, which can impact student performance and teacher retention,"  he writes.  "Our intent is to use this survey ... as a tool for continuous improvement.  The results of this survey will be shared with each school principal this spring in a formal,  yet readable,  report.  The reports are structured to give school leaders actionable feedback that can be tracked over time."

At the start of the school year,  CMS polled all employees on morale,  as part of a yearlong,  $140,250 polling and communication contract with K12 Insight.  Although the new survey is titled Insight,  it's not part of that contract  (I've asked about the cost, but haven't gotten an answer yet).

Teachers are also taking the annual CMS survey,  which is used in principal evaluations  (the TNTP survey will not be).  They also take the state Teacher Working Conditions Survey every two years,  but this is an off year.
 
Barnes acknowledges that the level of surveying is  "more than normal and more than there will be next school year."  The big question is whether it will make life better for teachers. Reaction I've heard has been mixed,  with some teachers skeptical and others thrilled that the new leadership team is listening.