Teaching, Leading, Learning (TeLL) Survey

As of the end of January more than 5,000 educators from across the state took time to complete a confidential on-line survey designed to assess the teaching and learning climates within their school buildings.

Approximately one year ago, representatives of the MEA, the Maine Department of Education, and others traveled as a team to North Carolina to attend a conference which highlighted the work that has been underway in North Carolina since 2002 to improve teachers’ working conditions and students’ learning conditions. In a groundbreaking report, "Teacher Working Conditions Are Student Learning Conditions," Governor Mike Easley has spearheaded efforts to increase funding for teacher-directed professional development work; to reorganize the school day to allow teachers time to collaborate over successful instructional techniques, and improve graduate programs for school administrators that are designed to improve leadership skills.

Since the first survey was completed in 2002, more than 200,000 educators in six states have completed this survey. Maine became the seventh state to participate in the survey and we are excited about what the results may tell us. Once the data are reviewed and analyzed by researchers at the University of California’s New Teacher Center, preliminary results will be available where the participation rate was high enough to assure confidentiality.

According to MEA President Chris Galgay, "By using the TeLL data we can identify what works and what doesn’t work from the classroom perspective. We can identify exemplar schools as well as problem areas to be addressed. These data will provide Maine schools with more than a new theory; they will provide hard data with positive correlations to improve student achievement."

The full benefit of this work will be available later this year once the responses are correlated with student achievement data later this spring.

A few TeLLing facts: 5,136(26.8%) educators completed the TeLL survey statewide, an extraordinary accomplishment. On December 13, 2007 leading up to Christmas break when it was decided to extend the survey time, only 2400(10.5%) responses had been received statewide. On January 7, 2008 there were still only 3,000(15.7%) responses. Thanks to a concerted effort by local leaders and staff the response rate was increased by 58% over the last three weeks.

161 schools and 35 local associations topped the 40% mark. At the February 2, 2008 Board Meeting the names of two winners of $250.00 gift cards were drawn from the 35 associations. Congratulations to the Blue Hill EA and Massabesic EA, our lucky Association winners.