School Improvement Project

School Improvement Project

Cedric B. Stewart

Sam Houston State University

School Improvement Project

I.  State of of the Project

My current employment position and location is as a teacher in an intermediate school located within the. It is a predominately minority school district and one in which eighty-eight percent of the students have been labeled economically disadvantaged and in which half of the students are limited in English skills. The district serves approximately 56,000 students within a grade-level structural setting of pre-kindergarten, elementary, intermediate, ninth-grade, and senior high school campuses. Currently, there are over 65 schools associated with this district and Aldine spends about $4,268 annually per pupil for instructional expenses.

After reviewing numerous ideas with my site administrator for a possible topic selection for this project, we began to focus our efforts on trying to identify, if possible, what factors or variables that could be labeled as significantly impacting student achievement on our campus. Our concerted task centered on trying to ascertain if a pattern could be detected by using declining student achievement test scores as the dependent variable. We begun by examining the preceding five year’s Academic Excellence Indicator System reports and discovered that a seemingly interrelated correlation did exist between teacher attrition rates and the overall level of student performance as indicated by their aggregated scores. While there were certainly no scientific rigor or methods employed to explain this relationship, the data simply revealed that a correlation in student scores either increased or decreased along the same patterns as the turn-over rate at our campus and with particular steep declines being noted when more experienced teachers either resigned or retired from the school. Using this phenomenon as the beginning point for change, this project attempted to isolate and identify several factors that could be interrelated to teacher retention on my current campus.

Research has shown that qualified and experienced teachers have a significant impact on overall student achievement (Jacob, 2007). Yet at my local campus, like many of those throughout the nation, we often struggle to keep teachers – particularly those with high levels of experience. Some past reasons that have been cited for the trend in teacher job dissatisfaction have included difficulty with student discipline, inadequate support from the administration, lack of sufficient monetary compensation, and poor induction and mentoring programs. Teacher attrition rates should be of particular concern to administrators since maintaining the continuity and quality of a school’s instructional program is paramount to its overall academic success.

In addition to the cost normally associated with lowered student achievement, a high teacher turnover rate also causes an additional financial burden (Monk, 2007; Xiaofeng, 2007). For the general taxpayers, the public investment in higher education tuition and tax supports for teacher preparation programs are ultimately wasted by those individuals that fail to maintain long-term careers in education. On the local levels, negative expenditures are realized through the associated organizational cost of terminations, substitute teachers, learning curve losses, and ongoing new teacher training. Instead of having the ability to allocate funds for other more pressing concerns such as much needed building improvements, on-going professional development, and technology advancements, schools are now forced to use their limited resources for recurring recruitment efforts and professional support for new teachers.

One important question that needed to be operationalized early on in this project was whether or not teacher retention rates being examined would be determined based on an individual’s decision to leave the campus, district, geographic area or profession all together? Unfortunately for the limited scope of this project, having access to this type of information was not readily available so it was decided that the retention rate being reviewed would be based solely on the individual’s decision to leave only their current school. Furthermore, factors such as declining enrollment figures, shifts in staffing patterns, and district or school reorganizations were also legitimate concerns that would have to be considered in any of the final analysis before any conclusive deductions could be ascertained.

Due to the fact that workplace conditions and the climate that it encompasses within a school building will either support or deter teacher attrition rates, it was equally important to establish before initiating any further components of this project that the campus administrators involved, at least superficially, understood the potential ramifications of the findings. Simply because they may have perceived their leadership style and roles as that of supporting all staff members, their efforts did not necessarily guarantee that the staff would be reporting a similar perception of their leadership style (Linn, Sherman, & Gil, 2007). Perhaps simply choosing to explore this topic in itself may actually be the beginning of a variation in leadership styles?

'''II. Activities Completed'''

            Because this project focused exclusively on the retention rates of faculty members at the local campus and its overall impact on student achievement, I chose to use two sources of data: the local turnover rates that are maintained internally and student achievement results as indicated by prior aggregated performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Test. Since both of these data sources are available to the general public, they have been used in such a manner that individual identification cannot be either construed or directly related to any employee or student. The following data is a synopsis of the Academic Excellence Indicator System report for 2003-2007 (Texas Education Agency, 2008):

TAKS Scores Teacher Experience This data demonstrated that the 2004-2005 testing year witnessed the greatest decline in test scores of any of the years reviewed. The preceding staffing year 2004-2005 also experienced the largest turnover rate of teachers for all of the years that were examined. In addition, special education, bilingual, and Spanish programs have consistently experienced the highest turnover rates among departments: a fact which also may help to explain their invariably low performance results on standardized test at this school. Again I must reiterate that without further scientific rigor, a true relationship between the two can only be construed as conjecture on the part of the examiner.

In trying to determine the best approach in order to solicit true feelings on job satisfaction, I decided to use an anonymous survey instrument. The blank surveys were placed on a table in the workroom and faculty members were allowed to place the completed forms in a box located in the teacher’s lounge. The respondents were given a two-week period in order to complete the questionnaires and all of the information gathered was kept confidential and without any means of identifying the individual respondents. The information below represents the questions, response options, and calculated results of the survey instrument: The results of this survey revealed that while teachers expressed an overall passion and interest for their jobs, additional duties, responsibilities, and excessive paperwork seemed to consume an inordinate amount of their daily schedules. Unfortunately, these perceptions seems to be contributing factors that has led to a decrease in morale, teacher effectiveness, and ultimately their commitment to improving and sustaining genuine student achievement. Teachers also indicated that they want to be able to end their duty days within a reasonable time after dismissal. Other factors contributing to their level of frustration were the number of faculty and departmental meetings and additional training that many felt was often redundant and unnecessary.

According to the results of the survey, relationships with coworkers tended to be rated ambivalently. While many other occupations have included this component as a major factor in job satisfaction, surprisingly on our campus, the majority of those responding indicated that they have little or no contact with coworkers other than in a professional capacity when they leave the school at the end of their duty days. However for those that did report that relationships were a significant factor in their overall job satisfaction, they cited daily peer interactions, support from one another, and extracurricular social events outside of school as the vehicles for providing deeper friendships that they hoped would eventually help positively impact their working relationships.

While historically teachers have been permitted to make instructional decisions within their individual classrooms, this survey revealed that many on our campus expressed a pervasive feeling of lack of empowerment on many levels. Teachers generally derive a great deal of both personal and professional satisfaction from their jobs when they are allowed to contribute to the decision-making process such as through professional development, content area scheduling, and selecting instructional materials. Professional responsibility plays a major role in what teachers do as far as their career paths. One recent study indicated that within a group of examined teachers that were leaving the profession, more than half reported greater influence over workplace practices and policies in their new positions (Marvel et al., 2007).

Clearly, teachers want the support and respect of the administration. Positive and supportive leadership by principals and assistant principals matters significantly to teachers. They crave administrators that will enforce established policies with students and support and articulate to the community high standards for student accountability. While they do not necessarily desire administrators in their respective classrooms on a daily basis or as a reminder of their authority, they would however like to see them on more than the occasional appraisal observation to underscore to both students and teachers alike the good things that are evident within the classrooms.

Teachers also want leaders that will recognize their many accomplishments other than at the end-of-year ceremonies. They desire leaders with the knowledge and skills to communicate both a support for and the belief in their activities as experts in the fields of instruction and learning. They want to be included as part of decision-making teams that devise and implement clear discipline procedures and policies that impact the day-to-day operations of the campus. Finally, they would like to receive up-to-date and regular communications about events, policies, and initiatives that impact the entire learning community.

'''IV. Reflection'''

I believe that as a result of working on this project, the trend data has revealed that the teacher retention rates on our campus does seems to negatively impact overall student achievement. The survey that I conducted with the staff members also revealed that there seems to be a disconnection between the administrators’ perceptions of the manner in which they relate to the staff and the staff members’ perceptions of their leadership skills and abilities. Therefore in order to become a more cohesive and productive unit, I feel that two changes would be appropriate.

First, the issues that are causing the faculty members to leave in large numbers annually must be clearly identified and articulated. One solution aimed to at least help to begin to understand this problem would be through the use of an exit interview. At this time, this is not something that is practiced at the campus level as part of a staff member’s exiting responsibilities. I feel that by implementing such a policy, a wealth of information could be obtained. Employees often have information about their companies that go far beyond the basic job description and the posted salary schedule.

This exit interviewed, if conducted to its maximum potential, should be completed in the most comfortable environment and manner that are available. All of the information that is solicited through this process should be gathered and collated in a structured manner. The resulting data should be aggregated for the organization as a whole to remove personal biases. The information should then be thoroughly analyzed to identify any trends, patterns, or themes that might emerge. All resulting findings should be used to plan future strategies that would help to increase employee retention rates.

Some sample questions could include:

1.  Did you get and accurate sense of the school and what it would be like prior to being hired?

2.      What factors led to your decision not to continue teaching at this school?

3.      Would anything have kept you at this school longer?

4.      At what point in the year did you decide to pursue a job at another school or in another district?

5.      How would you compare this year to last?

6.      Was the interaction with other teachers at this school helpful to you as a teacher?

7.      What support did you get at this job that helped you?

8.      What support do you wish that you would have gotten that would have helped you in this teaching position?

9.      What should we do differently to help the person that takes your place?

10.  Did any school or district policy or procedure make your job more difficult?

While the exit interview can be an invaluable tool to help evaluate the myriad of reasons an employee may choose to leave, those employees that have chosen to stay, at least for the time being, also must be included as part of a comprehensive approach that is designed to build a sense of loyalty and cohesion within the organization. The second strategy that I would employ to aid in teacher retention rates would be the use of an overnight retreat at a local resort as part of a comprehensive team building effort. The time that would be required to attend and participate could be used as the district’s annual requirement for a waiver day and the cost incurred could be underwritten from our grant from the Houston A+ Challenge Focus Impact Grant funds.

Though research and practice repeatedly demonstrate the clear advantages of using cohesive teams in order to reach goals, effective teams do not simply develop (, 2007). Building teams takes time, skill, and knowledge in order for them to be successful. Together, teams are able to generate more interest and energy in new areas and topics and have far more advantages than working in isolation.

In an effort to build such a team at our school and by utilizing a staff retreat at the beginning of the school year to launch this new leadership change, hopefully the leaders can begin to empower those staff members that may one day have chosen to leave due to feelings of disfranchisement. During the weekend activity, scheduled team building exercises could possibly include focusing on the mission of the school, delegating authority, stretching the ability of others, creating a climate of risk-taking, inventorying existing resources, and initiating clear and open lines of communication. Due to the skills required in order to facilitate the process and to remove any biases that may arise over group leadership, an outside consultant would probably be the most appropriate individual to plan, implement, and guide the activities. Hopefully by the completion of these exercises, the process would have resulted in the beginning of a team building approach that would eventually lead to clear, shared goals; a sense of commitment from the entire staff; mutual accountability for all involved; the ability to work together; and, open access to needed resources and skills.

The completion of this school improvement project has demonstrated, at least to me, the importance of leadership skills that are in-tuned with all staff members’ needs. In retrospect, the mass exodus of personnel and the resulting impact on student performance should have raised some level of concern prior to the initiation of this project. Though I understand that an organization cannot function solely on the dictations and whims of those individuals that comprise its workforce, blatantly and blindly ignoring the needs of the staff can have equally detrimental effects on the overall health of the organization.

Undergoing change can be difficult for all involved. Recognizing and acknowledging deficiencies in our skills and abilities can be equally painful. However, if contemporary schools are to not only survive but flourish, administrators must begin to recognize that change and growth are just as important to the overall health of the organization as is appropriate staffing or the management of resources. Large frequent turnover rates should signal that perhaps inquiries and interventions are needed. Employee satisfaction, an area in which local administrators exercise a large sphere of control, often can be a greater decisive factor in teacher attrition rates than simply salary alone.

References

Jacob, B. (2007). The challenges of staffing urban schools with effective teachers. Future of Children, 17(1), 125-154.

Linn, G., Sherman, R., & Gil, P. (2007, June). Making meaning of educational leadership: The principalship in metaphor. ''NASSP Bulletin, 91''(2), 161-171.

Marvel, J., Lyter, D., Peltola, P., Strizek, G., & Morton B. (2007). Teacher attrition and mobility: Results from 2004-05 teacher follow-up survey. Department of Education, for Education Statistics. , : Government Printing Office. Retrieved, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/2007307.pdf.

Monk, D. (2007). Recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers in rural areas. Future of Children, 17(1), 155-175.

, M. (2007, December). Beyond the basics of experiential learning. T+D, 61(12), 26-34.

Texas Education Agency (2008). Academic excellence indicator system. Retrieved, from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/

Xiaofeng, S. (2007). The effect of teacher influence at school on first-year teacher attrition: A multilevel analysis of the schools and staffing survey for 1999-2000. Educational Research and Evaluation, 13(1), 1-16.