The 2010 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey concluded April 16th with a record-breaking 105,688 licensed educators (88.81%) completing the survey.

CLICK HERE to view 2010 school, district, and state results. NEW! 2010 research briefs are available here.

New reporting for results! This year on the results page are icons beside your school's name that show your data in three new ways:

1. Detailed Results for your school are presented that show your school's results in a bar with colors that indicate the response breakdown for each question on the survey. The district and state results are also shown for each question for comparison.
2. Summary Results are presented for your school as a snapshot view in each of the main constructs of the survey.
3. Summary Comparison Results are provided to you this year so that you may compare to the 2008 results to determine areas of growth.

New tools available to assist you

The New Teacher Center has provided an Activity Guide for School District Leaders in North Carolina to assist in use of their 2010 TWC Data. Also designed for 2010 is a Parent Guide to School Improvement. For schools, revised tools and case studies of schools that have improved working conditions are available to help guide working conditions conversations in school improvement efforts. An evaluation guide is now available to help teachers, principals and superintendents utilize the working conditions survey as a data artifact as part of the educator evaluation processes.

"As a former teacher, I understand what an important part working conditions play in the success of the school, the teacher, and, ultimately, the student. The Teacher Working Conditions Survey allows you, as an educator, to make your voice heard. Your responses are anonymous, and they will be used to directly improve the education system in North Carolina. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. My continued thanks for all you do to educate our children." - Governor Bev Perdue

The fifth iteration of the statewide NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey was a record-breaking success. Over 105,600 educators responded (88.81%), providing every regular public school in the state with data to use in their annual school improvement plans to improve student achievement and attract and retain quality teachers.  All districts in the state had at least 72% participation.

Educators are more positive about their working conditions in 2010 than all prior years. Eighty-five percent agree that their school is a good place to work and learn.  Only three percent of responding teachers indicate that they plan to leave education. The greatest improvement in conditions is in the areas of teacher and school leadership. Eight out of 10 educators agree that teachers are relied upon to make decisions about educational issues and that the school improvement team provides effective leadership, up from six out of 10 in 2008.

Educators are more likely to note that school leadership makes sustained efforts to address teacher concerns about working conditions. More than nine out of 10 educators agree that professional development enhances teachers’ abilities to improve student learning, up from two-thirds in 2008.

Less positive conditions are reported on two questions (and by less than two percent). These are in the area of time: ‘class sizes are reasonable’ and ‘efforts are made to minimize paperwork’. This could be an indicator of the impact of budget reductions. Positive improvements in teacher and school leadership may be attributed to the emphasis by the NCPTSC and State Board on aligning standards and integrating survey data into educator evaluations and preparation program review.  

Click here to view school results and here to see a presentation of preliminary survey results. Analyses of the survey data are available on the 2010 Research Results page.