What Washington Teachers Think About “Race to the Top” Issues Highlights From a Statewide Survey

1. What Washington Teachers Think About “Race to the Top” Issues Highlights From a Statewide Survey December 2009

2. A Collaboration Between a Consortium of Non-Profits Advocating for Public Education In Washington DHM |2

3. METHODOLOGY • Telephone Survey • 500 interviews with public K-12 teachers across the state • Quotas set by age, gender, area of state, and school type based on the total number of teachers to assure a representative sample • Conducted November 14 to 15, 2009 • Margin of error for n=500 is +/- 4.4%, at the 95% confidence level DHM |3

4. DEMOGRAPHICS DHM |4

5. DEMOGRAPHICS DHM |5

6. SECTIONS Section 1:STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS Section 2: DATA SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT INSTRUCTION Section 3: GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS Section 4: TURNING AROUND LOWEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS DHM |6

7. STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS Do you oppose or support the Obama administration’s priority of adopting internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace?

8. STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS Should students who graduate from high school have the credits to apply to one of Washington’s publically funded four year universities? DHM |7

9. STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS Do you oppose or support raising high school graduation to 24 credits so that all high school graduates have the option of applying to college?

10. DATA SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT INSTRUCTION Do you oppose or support the Obama administration’s priority of building data systems that measure growth in student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices?

11. GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS Do you oppose or support the Obama administration’s priority of recruiting, developing, retaining, and rewarding effective teachers and leaders?

12. GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS We need a fair way to differentiate teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance.

13. GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS Teacher effectiveness should be the predominant factor when making staffing decisions, such as placement, transfers, and reduction in force. That means seniority and other factors would be secondary considerations.

14. GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS Reform teacher compensation, including higher starting teacher pay, paying more to teachers for increased responsibility, growth in student achievement, and teaching in shortage subject areas like math, science, and special education.

15. GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS (split sample) Do you oppose or support extending the probationary period of teachers to five years and allowing principals to grant, deny, or extend contracts based on evaluations?

16. GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS Teachers should have access to multiple career pathways including increased compensation, instead of just receiving stipends or bonuses for taking on increased responsibility.

17. TURNING AROUND LOWEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS Do you oppose or support the Obama administration’s priority of turning around the lowest performing schools?

18. TURNING AROUND LOWEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS (split sample) We need a comprehensive system of school improvement that includes voluntary and required actions for schools that chronically underperform year after year.

19. TURNING AROUND LOWEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS Low performing schools should have more flexibility in their ability to hire teachers.

20. TURNING AROUND LOWEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS Effective teachers who teach in high poverty schools should be paid more than other teachers.

21. TURNING AROUND LOWEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS Incentives for teachers to teach in high poverty or troubled schools.