Survey outlines teachers' opinions on schoolsDate: 7/9/2012 July 9, 2012
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
GREATER SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently released the results of the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning in Massachusetts (TELLMass) survey it conducted earlier this year.
The survey, conducted through an online questionnaire, was designed to give school department employees a chance to give their perspective on the working conditions of the schools.
Results of the survey were released for schools that had a minimum of 50 percent participation and at least five participants on the TELLMass website, www.tellmass.org, according to Cynthia Mompoint of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
TELLMass results were released for all East Longmeadow schools with the exception of Meadow Brook Elementary, which did not meet the minimum participation standards.
"It's information that we are currently sorting through," East Longmeadow Superintendent Gordon Smith told Reminder Publications. "We don't have a ton of concrete points that we're taking from it but we do hope as we go through the summer to break it down and use it as a way to establish initiatives or enhance initiatives that already exist."
The survey showed that overall, nearly 85 percent of East Longmeadow Public Schools employees that completed the questionnaire considered their school to be "a good place to work and learn," more than the state average of 82.6 percent.
East Longmeadow employees' answers reflected that the school department is above board in nearly every area in education, from facilities and resources to community support to school leadership.
Participants were especially pleased with community involvement in the schools as more than 90 percent stated that the town was supportive of the school, that parents were influential decision makers in the schools, that the school maintains good communication with the town and encourages community involvement, and that the teachers provide useful information to parents regarding student learning.
Nearly 98 percent of East Longmeadow participants felt they were working in a safe environment and nearly 90 percent stated they felt the students at the school understand the expectations for their conduct.
East Longmeadow also posted strong numbers in terms of teaching standards, the use of data to improve student learning and that assessments are conducted objectively.
One area in which the district lagged behind the state average was in the belief that the faculty and leadership have a shared vision. Only 57.9 percent of East Longmeadow faculty agreed that this was true, 10 points lower than the state average.
Only 64 percent believed that the teachers are relied upon to make educational decisions and 49.3 percent believed that the faculty had an effective process for making group decisions to solve problems.
Employees at Mountain View and Mapleshade elementary schools reflected a strong belief that "class sizes are reasonable such that teachers have the time available to meet the needs of all students," posting scores well above state averages.
However, middle and high school employees did not share the sentiment. Only 27 percent of Birchland Park employees and less than 50 percent of high school employees felt class sizes were adequate. More than 57 percent of middle schools and 62 percent of high schools in Massachusetts were content with their class sizes.
Less than 50 percent of respondents at Birchland Park felt there were efforts to reduce the amount of paperwork required of teachers and that there was enough instructional time to meet students' needs.
Teachers across the board, however, felt their school was well maintained, with adequate workspace, technology and classroom environments that were conducive to learning. In fact, 100 percent of Mountain View employees surveyed felt they had sufficient access to instructional technology.
More than 85 percent of participants at each school, with the exception of Mountain View, felt the school's curriculum was in line with the new Common Core standards. Nearly 78 percent of Mountain View teachers felt this way.
In Longmeadow, only reports for Williams Middle School and Wolf Swamp Road School were released, as they were the only two out of the district's six schools to meet the minimum participation requirements.
At Williams, 82.6 percent of employees said they felt their school was a good place to work and learn, a half a point higher than the Massachusetts average for middle schools.
Employees' responses reflected high praise for the school's leadership, stating that the faculty and administration have a shared vision, foster an atmosphere of trust and respect and the leadership consistently supports it teachers.
The survey result also suggested a high level of confidence with the teachers at the school. Every respondent stated that the school's teachers were recognized as educational experts and as such, they are trusted to make instructional decisions. Nearly every employee responded that teachers are effective school leaders with an appropriate level of influence on the school's decision making.
One hundred percent of employees felt the school had enough accessible technology and equipment and the vast majority of them believed the school offered a broad range of professional support personnel and an adequate space to work productively.
The school also received high marks in student conduct with all Williams' employees stating that they felt they worked in a safe environment and that the school administration supported teachers' efforts to maintain classroom discipline.
An area of concern at Williams is the school's cleanliness. Only 30.4 percent of participants stated that the school environment was clean and well maintained — the state average for middle schools was 75.6 percent — and only half of the respondents said they felt they worked in an environmentally healthy school — 18.5 points below the state average.
More than 87 percent of Wolf Swamp Road employees said their school was a good place to work and learn.
Like Williams, the staff's answers indicated a strong level of confidence in the leadership of the administration and the teachers while also praising community involvement.
Unlike Williams, however, 100 percent of respondents said that Wolf Swamp was clean and well maintained and that teachers and staff work in an environmentally healthy environment.
The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District did not reach minimum participation levels at any of its schools.
Longmeadow School Superintendent Marie Doyle did not return a message for comment as of press time.
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