1. Met Life Teacher Survey
Carla Poole
Vernellia Wade
Jenn Rau

2. Chapter 1: Responsibilities and Challenges of Leadership
Top Challenges identified by 500 principals
Managing budget and resources (78%)
Engaging parents and community in order to improve education (72%)
Addressing individual needs of students (83%)
Implementing Common Core Standards (67%)
Evaluating teacher effectiveness (53%)
Creating and maintaining a rigorous learning environments (64%)
Maintaining enough effective teachers (48%)
Provide guidance and opportunities for teachers to build their competence and skills (49%)

3. Chapter 1: Responsibilities and Challenges of Leadership
Top Challenges identified by 1,000 teachers
Managing budget and resources (86%)
Engaging parents and community in order to improve education (73%)
Addressing individual needs of students (78%)
Implementing Common Core Standards (59%)
Evaluating teacher effectiveness (56%)
Creating and maintaining a rigorous learning environments (62%)
Maintaining enough effective teachers (52%)
Provide guidance and opportunities for teachers to build their competence and skills (50%)

4. Challenges of Principals
Principals more likely to find it challenging to engage parents and maintain an adequate supply of effective teachers when:
They are from secondary schools
They are from urban schools
More than 2/3 of the students are from low income homes
2/3 of students are minority
Most students are not performing at grade level or above in English Language Arts and Math

5. Parent and community engagement
Involvement has increased but still a challenge
1/3 of teachers and almost ½ parents believe parents take little interest in their child’s education
1/3 of teachers and 4 in 10 parents believe parents fail to motivate their child to learn
4 in 10 teachers and parents say parents leave child alone too much after school

6. School Budget 23% 35% Budget stayed the same in last year 13% 2%
Not sure 7% 9%
Budget increased in last year
56%
53%
Budget decreased in last year
Teachers
Principals

7. Professional Development
Professional Learning and Collaboration Changes from 2011 to 2012 Teacher survey results
Decreased
18%
Increased
35%
Stayed same
45%
Collaboration Time
Professional Development
36%
24%
41%

8. Chapter 2: The Changing Roles of Principals
Most principals state their job as changed as to compared to 5 years ago
Principals job has increased in complexity
500 principals surveyed 2%
Don’t know
41% 3%
Strongly disagree
28%
22%
Somewhat disagree
25%
52%
Somewhat agree 5%
23%
Strongly Agree
Principal’s responsibilities are similar to 5 years ago
Job of principal has become too complex

9. Principals Survey Results
500 principals surveyed 2%
Don’t know
41% 3%
Strongly disagree
28%
22%
Somewhat disagree
25%
52%
Somewhat agree 5%
23%
Strongly Agree
Principal’s responsibilities are similar to 5 years ago
Job of principal has become too complex

10. Noticeable Differences in Perceptions of being a Good Principal
Teachers rank that principals need to have been a classroom teacher at 1 while principals rank it at 4
Principals rank that principals need to be able to use data about student performance to improve instruction at 1 while teachers rank it at 6
Principals rank having strong operational skills, such as managing facilities, schedules, budgets, etc. at 6 while teachers rank it at 3

11. Elementary Versus High School Rankings of Skills
Elementary school educators are more likely to rank the following as important skills when compared to high school educators
Uses data about student performance to improve instruction
Evaluates teacher effectiveness using multiple measures
Has been a classroom teacher
Understands how to use technology to improve instruction

12. Leadership of Schools
89% of principals agree that principals are responsible for everything that happens in their schools
Most teachers (74%) agree that principals are accountable for everything in a school

13. Decisions made by Principals
22% report have control in financial decisions
43% report having a say in removing teachers and 42% in curriculum and instruction
79% report having a say in teacher’s schedules and 74% in hiring teachers

14. Stress of Principals
48% of principals feel stressed several days a week or more
58% for high school principals
44% for elementary school
57% at schools where students are performing below grade level
43% at school where students are performing at or above grade level

15. Principal Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction among principals has drastically declined over the past ten years.
This in turn is due to stress and control in decision making.
If change does not come soon, one – third of the principals are likely to leave the profession.

16. Chapter 3 Teachers, Professional Satisfaction, and Leadership
Teachers are essential and most notable for influencing student achievement.
Not surprisingly, at least 98% of all administrators provide positive ratings to their classroom educators for their hard work and dedication to the field of education.
However, teachers that are employed at high-needs schools are more likely to be awarded lower ratings by their principals regardless of their accomplishments.
Notably, educators will receive a high score from principals if their teacher performance indicates that school is performing well.

17. Teacher Job Satisfaction
Teacher job satisfaction continues to be on the declining end.
The number of educators reporting satisfaction with their job has dramatically decreased over the past 25 years.
Regrettably, factors that contribute to this decline include low teacher morale, decrease in budget, and stress.

18. Leadership
It is known that principals who have a tendency to rate their educators low do not share the same views about leadership challenges.
As a matter of fact, some administrators don’t feel they have a significant input when it comes to decisions pertaining to the school’s family and community.

19. Teachers as School Leaders
Even though educators are hired to teach students, most take on additional duties and responsibilities during the academic day.
Other roles may include but are not limited to being a mentor/ coach, team leader, or providing instructional resources.

20. Responsibilities Beyond the Classroom
51% of educators have indicated that he/she is somewhat interested in the hybrid teacher model.
A hybrid teacher model is teaching part-time in the classroom and performing/ combining other duties / responsibilities at the school or district level.

21. Challenges for a School Leader
Parental involvement and community support
Evaluating teacher effectiveness
Decreasing the number of teachers who wish to leave the school / system
Creating and maintaining a learning environment that utilizes higher order thinking skills

22. Chapter 4: Implementation of Common Core State Standards
In the area of student performance there is always room for improvement.
Currently, only about 63% of students will graduate high school without the need for remedial classes.
The current outlook is grim.
Cue Common Core State Standards

23. Answers...
Everyone can agree that core reading, writing, and math skills are extremely important. With that, however, comes high expectations.
Students should also have a significant focus on higher-order thinking skills, problem-solving, critical thinking, and writing skills versus rote memorization of information.

24. Adopt Common Core State Standards
In order to address the diverse populations teachers encounter, the Common Core was developed.
CC is a shared set of standards that set forth clear educational learning goals in ELA and Math.
It contains rigorous content and focuses on the application of knowledge.

25. Confidence is Key
Educators believe that they are knowledgeable about the Common Core standards. In fact, more than 90% of teachers and administrators believe that they are knowledgeable in the implementation of CC.
It is noted that due to the diversity of learners and varying roles of the community and parents, that CC can be challenging to implement.
Regardless, most principals believe that teachers have the academic abilities to teach CC standards.

26. Already Using Common Core?
A large majority of the 46 states that have adopted common core are already in the early implementation phase.
62% of teachers and administrators believe that they are teaching the CC.
Schools with students performing at or above grade level are more likely to be using the Common Core standards. Presumably because remediation on core skills is not as necessary as with lower performing schools.

27. What the Experts Say
46 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core.
The school year will also bring about common assessments from one of the two participating consortiums.
Implementation is a significant challenge.
It is important for teachers not to underestimate the large shift in curriculum.

28. What the Experts Say (continued)
The Common Core demands a fundamental shift in teaching and learning. Teachers assume the standards are not that different, but they are.
The rigor of the Common Core is much harder and demanding.
It is essentially “culture shock.”
True benchmarks should be compared to where teachers actually think they are in the curriculum.

29. Skills and Knowledge
Teachers who use Common Core are assumed to be very knowledgeable and it is also recognized that teachers are confident in their academic abilities.
Teachers are focusing on skills and knowledge consistent with the Common Core - literary and informational texts and problem-solving (math).
There is a larger focus on higher-order skills in instruction with higher levels of student achievement.

30. High Needs Schools - CAUTION!
Students not performing at or above grade level varies by school and district.
The focus on remedial and core knowledge base may interfere with the implementation of the Common Core and/or might delay the implementation of the standards.

31. Morale Matters
Teachers who are content in their jobs are more likely to have higher levels of student achievement.
Administrators and teachers who are labeled as doing an excellent job correlates to higher levels of student achievement and performance.

32. Focus on the Real-World
Common Core should focus on real-world problem solving.
It is also important for teachers and administrators to believe in the benefits - increased student achievement and preparedness for college and the workforce.

33. Conclusion
In order to fully implement the Common Core with fidelity, leadership is needed to instill confidence in teachers and their academic abilities.