Findings for North Carolina

The results from the 2002, 2004 and 2006 iterations of the North Carolina teacher working conditions surveys indicate that improving teacher working conditions – time, leadership, professional development, empowerment and facilities and resources – will improve student learning and help retain teachers.

More than 75,000 North Carolina educators, representing 66 percent of the state’s teaching force, completed the 2006 working conditions survey. The full report, which details findings and recommends actions to improve working conditions, describes six primary trends:

• Teacher Working Conditions are Student Learning Conditions
• Teacher Working Conditions Affect Teacher Retention
• Teachers and Administrators View Working Conditions Differently
• Teacher Working Conditions Have Improved and are Better than in Other States
• Working Conditions Results were More Likely to Improve in Schools Where Teachers Indicated that They Had Used Prior Survey Results
• Schools Vary in the Presence of Teacher Working Conditions

At a conference on February 1, 2007 Governor Easley recognized 10 schools for excellence in both teacher working conditions and student achievement. These Real DEAL (Dedicated Educators Administrators and Learners) schools from across North Carolina shared their insights and experiences in creating the most exemplary working conditions in the state.

In addition to compiling narratives describing working conditions in Real DEAL schools, CTQ and Governor Easley published a series of briefs that provide user-friendly analysis of:

• working conditions in redesigned and early college high schools;
• how data results should and should not be used to drive school reform;
• working conditions in turnaround high schools across the state;
• specific policy and practice outcomes achieved during six years of the working conditions initiative;
• major trends from the full working conditions report; and
• how high performing elementary schools across the state are creating sufficient non-instructional time for teachers to plan and collaborate.