KSBA is again one of the partner organizations in support of the statewide survey on school working conditions called TELL Kentucky. And it's making special training available to aid district leadership teams in using the results.
According to KDE, this second TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Kentucky Survey is designed to gather information from teachers, counselors, principals and other administrators who deal with teaching and learning conditions every day -- including the adequacy of facilities and resources; time; empowerment; school leadership; community support; student conduct; professional development; mentoring and induction services; and student learning. The Web-based survey is voluntary, anonymous and confidential.
As when the survey was first given in 2011, the results will be used to enhance school improvement efforts and student outcomes.
The survey provides each Kentucky school with a 50 percent or greater response rate its own data that can become a part of its ongoing improvement planning process. Kentucky had an 80 percent response rate to the TELL Kentucky Survey in 2011; state and local leaders are hoping for an even better response rate this year. The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
To encourage greater participation, KSBA, the Kentucky Education Association, Kentucky Association of School Administrators and the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents are again contributing prize money for weekly drawings. Every school that reaches a 50 percent response rate will be entered into a drawing for a $1,000 cash award for the school. Schools that reach a 100 percent response rate will be entered into a drawing for a $1,000 cash award that will go to an individual educator.
The TELL Kentucky Survey is administered by the New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit organization that supports the development of a high-quality teaching force.
The survey continues through March 29 online at www.tellkentucky.org.
Board TELL survey training:
As it did in 2011, KSBA is offering opportunities to schedule training to learn how to effectively use the results of the working conditions survey. The 75-minute training session assists board/superintendent teams as they reflect on the overall status of teaching conditions in their district, plan for improvements and develop strategies for improvements through the leadership roles of the school board.
A three-hour training session also is available that includes the board/superintendent team as well as other district stakeholders such as school councils and administrators. This session will focus on a collaborative look at the data from the TELL survey and the conversations necessary for planning improvements and developing the district’s next steps.
An opportunity for the community to learn about the results of the survey is available in a two-hour facilitated Community Discussion. The facilitator will help the participants better understand the results and will allow time for the board/superintendent team to gather input for developing district plans to improve student achievement through improved teaching and learning environments.
The KSBA staff or a member of the association’s Training Cadre will facilitate any of these sessions. The standard training fee of $150 per credit hour plus travel expenses of the trainer includes handouts and materials for the participants as well as credit toward the annual training requirement for board members. EILA credit is pending approval. For more information and to schedule a spring training session, please contact Jean Crowley [email protected] at KSBA at 800-372-2962.