Thursday, April 24, 2014

Metro Nashville scores “phenomenal” results on teacher survey

2014 TELL MNPS survey shows growth in all categories; research links satisfied teachers to increased student performance
Nashville, Tennessee - Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools teachers report increased community support, high professional standards and a curriculum aligned with Common Core State Standards according to the recent TELL MNPS survey of district teachers.

Survey results improved year over year across the board, with more respondents agreeing, “Overall, my school is a good place to work and learn,” 83.7% agree this year up from 79.0% last year.

“We want to be the best place to work so we can recruit and retain great teachers,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register. “The TELL survey is such a valuable tool because it tells us what we need to do and where we need to focus to reach that goal. This year’s results confirm that we are making great progress."

Among the survey’s highest-rated queries:

•         Teachers are held to high professional standards for delivering instruction (94.5% of respondents agree in 2014 vs. 92.9% last year)

•         The school leadership facilitates using data to improve student learning (95.6% vs. 94.9%)

•         Teachers in this school use assessment data to inform their instruction (95.8% vs. 94.2%)

•         The curriculum taught in this school is aligned with Common Core Standards—up 3 percentage points
to 93.3% from 90.3% last year.

Notably, Metro Schools educators report community support for schools is increasing and school conditions are improving.

•       Parents/guardians support teachers, contributing to their success with students: 73.0% agree, almost 7% more than last year (66.2%)

•       The community we serve is supportive of this school:  85.4% agree in 2014 v. 80.1% in 2013

•       Community members support teachers, contributing to their success with students: 83.2% agree vs. 79.1% in 2013

•       Teachers report improved student conduct with +6.1% agreeing, “Students at this school follow rules of conduct” (71.5% in 2014 v 65.4% in 2013)

•       The faculty work in a school environment that is safe, 92.5% agree v. 88.2% in 2013

The district invites current and prospective Metro Schools teachers to interview with hiring principals at the district’s annual teacher recruitment fair Saturday, April 26 at Lipscomb University.

•       Candidates from Teach for America, Nashville Teaching Fellows, MNPS early agreements, Aspiring Teachers, Lipscomb University (the event sponsor) and unassigned teachers are invited from 8 AM to 11 AM.

•       Teachers interested in transferring between Metro Schools, interim teachers, and recent college and university graduates are invited from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

Research has proven positive teaching conditions are essential to creating schools where teachers and administrators want to work and where students thrive. The TELL MNPS Survey provides data about school environments and whether educators are valued, trusted and have the time and ability to collaborate and improve instruction. Survey results are critical because:

Positive teaching and learning conditions have been tied to improved student achievement,
School conditions affect teacher retention, and
Survey results provide information to help the district and individual schools assess, celebrate and improve school environments.
The nonprofit New Teacher Center administers the survey on behalf of Metro Schools every other year in off years of the biennial TELL Tennessee Survey. This is the fourth iteration. This year, 79.17% of the district’s licensed educators responded compared to 83.41% last year.  NTC first conducted the survey in North Carolina in 2002 to assess statewide working conditions. It has gathered data from more than one million surveys with data reports to more than 26,000 schools. Metro Schools results are available online at www.tellmnps.org.

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is the nation’s 42nd largest district, preparing more than 83,000 students to excel in higher education, work and life. With the goal of being the first choice for Nashville’s families, Metro Schools is committed to providing a high quality education to every student. The district is earning a national reputation for urban school reform, its commitment to social and emotional learning and rising academic achievement, and currently ranks in the top 27 percent of districts in the state for academic performance. Its new strategic plan, Education 2018: Excellence for Every Student, sets the goal of becoming the nation’s top performing urban school system by 2018. The governing body for Metro Schools is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education, a nine-member elected body. For more information, visit www.mnps.org.

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