So, I just completed the 2024 Teacher Working Conditions Survey.

Really felt heard.

Not really.

There is still one glaring shortcoming about the Teacher Working Conditions Survey issued by the state every two years in the spring: it should ask about teachers’ views not only of their school, but of their perceptions of the state leadership.

You can see the questions that were administered on the 2022 version and the results here.

The results from this 2022 version do nothing more than demonstrate the disconnect that those who want to re-form schools have with the reality of schools; they displayed that what really drives the success of a school are the people – from the students to the teachers to the administration to the support staff and the community at large.

It is hard to take a survey very seriously from DPI when the questions never get beyond a teacher’s actual school. There is never any way to convey in this survey from the state what teachers think about the state’s role in education or how standardized testing is affecting working conditions.

It should ask teachers’ views not only of their school, but MORE of their perceptions of the county / LEA leadership and state leadership.

Below are the main questions (there are subsets) asked on the survey that actual teachers answer.

• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about the use of time in your school.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about your school facilities and resources.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about community support and involvement in your school.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about managing student conduct in your school.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about teacher leadership in your school.
• Please indicate the role teachers have in each of the following areas in your school.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with statements about leadership in your school.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with statements about professional development in your school.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about instructional practices and support in your school.

There is nothing about how teachers feel about the state’s role in how public schools operate or are funded. If Truitt and DPI were really keen on “listening” to teachers concerning their views about working in NC public schools, then the questions need to go beyond the “School” and explore the “state.”

Imagine if we as teachers got to answer questions such as:

• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about how the state helps schools with facilities and resources.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about the state’s support and involvement in your school.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about state leadership at the Department of Public Instruction.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with statements about state leadership.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with statements about professional development sponsored by the state.
• Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about  support for schools from the state.

When NC public schools receive a majority of their funds, mandates, stipulations, guidelines, and marching orders from the state, then should not the NC Teacher Working Condition Survey include teacher perceptions on the role of the state and its influence?

Yes.

Simply put, we need more pointed questions.

And this teacher wouldn’t mind having one to fill out.