兰德-Results-from-the-Teach-For-America-2015-National-Principal-Survey_100页_2mb

Summary of Teach For America 2015 National Principal Survey

Core Content

The 2015 National Principal Survey, conducted by the RAND Corporation on behalf of Teach For America (TFA), collected responses from over 1,800 U.S. principals who work with TFA corps members. The survey aimed to assess the effectiveness of TFA in providing high-quality, appropriately prepared corps members to support its mission of eliminating educational inequity.

Main Findings

Principal Satisfaction with Corps Members

• High satisfaction: 81% of responding principals reported satisfaction with TFA corps members at their schools, a slightly lower rate than the 94% from the 2013 survey.
• Positive impact: Most principals believed TFA corps members positively influenced academic achievement, classroom culture, parent relationships, school culture and faculty collaboration, and socioemotional development.
• Skill comparison: Over 60% of principals rated corps members' skills as equal to or better than those of other novice teachers, particularly in developing relationships with colleagues and administrators, having high expectations for all students, and impacting student performance.

Hiring Intentions

• Willingness to hire: 86% of principals indicated they would be willing to hire another TFA corps member if there was a teaching vacancy.
• Recommendations: 66% of principals would definitely recommend hiring a corps member to a fellow school leader.
• Reasons for not hiring: Classroom management (50%) and the two-year commitment (57%) were the main reasons cited for not hiring additional corps members. Other factors like teaching ability, content knowledge, and support from TFA were more frequently cited as reasons to hire.

Support from TFA

• Satisfaction with support: 87% of principals were satisfied with the support TFA provides to corps members.
• Complementary support: Over 75% of principals felt that TFA's support complements their school's induction and training programs.

Alumni Perception

• Alumni presence: Just over half (53%) of the respondents reported that TFA alumni worked at their schools.
• Positive contributions: Over 80% of principals felt that TFA alumni made a positive contribution to their schools in various areas.

Key Information

Survey Administration

• The survey was conducted online from January to April 2015.
• TFA provided a list of schools with corps members and their principal contact information.
• Some principals did not receive the survey due to unavailability of email addresses or changes in school staffing.

Response Rates

• The overall response rate was 54%, slightly lower than the 66% from the 2013 survey.
• Regional response rates ranged from 39% to 100%, with some areas experiencing lower participation due to spam filters or outdated contact information.

Responding Principals

• Demographics: Principals in the survey were more racially and ethnically diverse compared to the 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) sample.
• Gender: 63% of respondents were female, compared to 52% in the SASS sample.
• Race/ethnicity: 38% were Black or African American, 14% were Hispanic, and 54% were White.
• Experience: On average, respondents had five years as principals, with experience ranging from 0 to 40 years. They had less teaching experience than the national average.

Role in Hiring

• Major involvement: 93% of principals reported having major involvement in hiring new full-time teachers.
• Interviewing corps members: 82% of respondents participated in interviewing TFA corps members.

School Characteristics

• School size: Average school size was 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, with up to 95 teachers in some schools.
• Corps member distribution: 32% of schools had one corps member, up slightly from 27% in 2013.
• School governance: 71% of respondents led traditional public schools, 27% led charter schools, and a small percentage led other types of schools.
• Common planning time: 94% of principals reported that teachers in their schools had common planning time, which is higher than the 73% reported in the SASS.

Subgroup Analysis

• Experience with TFA: Principals with more years of teaching and principal experience were more likely to report positive feelings about corps members.
• Alumni status: TFA alumni and charter school principals were less likely to report positive perceptions of corps members.
• School type: Charter schools were overrepresented in the survey, though they constitute only 6.2% of schools nationally.

Conclusion

The survey highlights the generally positive perceptions of TFA corps members among principals, with high satisfaction levels and willingness to hire. It also identifies areas for improvement, such as addressing concerns about classroom management and the two-year commitment. The findings suggest that TFA's support is viewed as complementary to school training and that alumni are seen as valuable assets. The data also point to the importance of personalized communication and up-to-date contact information in improving survey response rates.

Appendix Overview

• Appendix A: Significance-test results related to principal and school characteristics.
• Appendix B: Overall survey responses.
• Appendix C: Survey responses by alumni status.
• Appendix D: Survey responses by charter and non-charter school status.