Research Reports

	Creating a Comprehensive Teacher Data System "Having a well-developed staff data system would help educators and policymakers answer many questions about the teaching profession and the impact staff have on student achievement." Click here to learn how a staff data system benefits teachers and students. ________________________________________________________________
	Click here to read the summary of Creating A Comprehensive Teacher Data System.

Click here to see New Teacher Alliance page. Teacher Retention and Mobility in Washington’s Educational Service District 105 A Technical Report Prepared for the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession This report provides information to Educational Service District 105 (ESD 105) regarding the retention and mobility of teachers in the 25 public school districts it serves. In this study, we examine teacher retention and mobility statewide, regionally, and in individual districts and schools during a recent five-year period (2001-02 to 2005-06). Click here to read the report Click here to view the Powerpoint presentation Trends in Teacher Retention and Mobility in Selected Washington Middle and High Schools A Technical Report Prepared for the Washington State Board of Education Prepared by: Ana M. Elfers Margaret L. Plecki Gahram J. Yeo Michelle L. McGowan Click here to read the report Teaching Math in Washington's High Schools: Insights from a Survey of Teachers in High Performing or Improving Schools A Report Prepared for The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction   This study is based on a survey administered in spring 2007 to mathematics teachers in 90 Washington high schools that have demonstrated strong or improving performance on state mathematics assessments over time. The report provides information regarding what mathematics teachers can tell us about effective classroom practices and the areas in which they believe additional support and training may be needed. The discussion also includes connections between subject matter preparation, experience and teachers' confidence in their knowledge and skills, as well as the key factors teachers attribute to their school's success. Improving student performance in mathematics is the focus of considerable attention in Washington state. Most agree that improving mathematics teaching and support for mathematics instruction is key, but there is a lack of consensus on how best to accomplish these goals. This study, commissioned by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, provides Washington educators and policymakers with information regarding the nature and context of mathematics teaching in Washington high schools. The study is based on a survey administered in spring 2007 to mathematics teachers in high schools that have demonstrated strong or improving performance on state mathematics assessments over time. Given this sampling strategy, the teachers surveyed are not representative of all math teachers statewide. However, the views of these teachers are particularly instructive about what may be working well for them and what their school or district is doing to support math instruction. Click here to read the report (PDF 290 KB). High School Teachers in the Workforce: Examining Teacher Retention, Mobility, School Characteristics and School Reform Efforts The research presented in this report has a three-fold purpose: 1) to describe Washington’s high school teachers and the institutions in which they serve, 2) to investigate the retention and mobility patterns of high school teachers in relation to teachers statewide, and 3) to examine whether differences exist among staff at high schools that have focused on specific reform strategies. To conduct this study, we draw on prior work about the teacher workforce in Washington state (Plecki, et al., 2005) as a comparison for examining high school teacher retention, attrition, and mobility. Click here to read the report (PDF 246 KB).
Who’s Teaching Washington’s Children? A 2006 Update Teachers are a crucial part of Washington’s efforts to provide a high quality education for the state’s school children. In order to consider how Washington’s educational system might be improved, it is important to understand the nature and characteristics of the teacher workforce and the student population it seeks to serve. This report updates information we provided in an initial report on the Washington teacher workforce in 2003. The earlier report, Who’s Teaching Washington’s Children? What We Know – and Need to Know – About Teachers and the Quality of Teaching in the State, presented baseline information and other analyses about the workforce to help inform state and district policy. In this report, we offer new information on a variety of aspects of teaching quality, including trend data on the composition of the workforce, rates of teacher retention and mobility, and teachers’ perspectives on policy-relevant issues. Also new in this report is a spotlight on two groups of teachers: novice teachers and National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs). Click here to view the report. Press release on February 26, 2007 "Statewide Study of Teaching Corps Finds Stability, Inequity and Need for Additional Supports" Click here (PDF 19.7KB) to learn more. Click here to learn more Teachers' Views: Professional Development That Improves Teaching and Learning Every school year in Washington brings with it the opportunity for teachers to learn something new. In the time devoted to professional development, teachers learn new strategies for teaching math, listen to lectures on integrating English and science, and review their district’s emergency procedures, harassment policies or textbook selections. For many teachers, whatever has to be learned must be learned in two days because that’s all the time that Washington state funds. Washington has identified several criteria for quality professional development, drawing in part from the yardstick created by The National Staff Development Council.Another set of criteria that is useful for measuring the professional development experience comes from the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), one of 10 federally supported research laboratories. Washington doesn’t grade the efforts of school districts in meeting these criteria, but teachers do.Teacher surveys commissioned over the past three years by the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP) help establish the match that exists — or not — between some of these criteria and the professional development that Washington teachers experience. This publication describes teachers’ views on the value of the professional development they receive and gives us a picture of what’s working well — and where there is room for improvement.
Examining Teacher Retention and Mobility in Small and Rural Districts in Washington State Small and rural schools face a distinct set of challenges with regard to locale, regional socio-economic conditions and trends, and attracting, retaining and supporting talented teachers. This study provides information about small and rural districts in Washington state with respect to the retention and mobility of their teacher workforce during a recent five-year period (2000-01 and 2004-05) and compares data from these districts to statewide conditions and patterns. Click here to read the report.
(October, 2006)	In order to more deeply understand teacher leadership dimensions and other issues pertinent to accomplished teachers, a survey was designed specifically for NBCTs in Washington state. The web-based survey was administered in the spring of 2006. Participants responded to a series of questions about their professional background, roles and responsibilities prior to and following Board certification and the influence their National Board (NB) certification has had on their work, both inside and outside of the classroom. The sample included 48 percent of NBCTs statewide and closely approximates the characteristics of all NBCTs in Washington state. Click here to learn what the research discovered.
National Board Certified Teachers in Washington State: Views of Teaching (March, 2006) Ana M. Elfers and Margaret L. Plecki, from University of Washington College of Education, prepared this report for CSTP based on a study from a series of six surveys administered over a two-year period to classroom teachers and NBCTs who work in classroom roles. This report looks at how the views of National Board Certified Teachers may differ from their peers with respect to issues of education reform, professional development, preparation to serve diverse student populations, teacher leadership and teacher retention. Click here to read the report.

Making Gains - With an Eye on the Gap (November, 2005) Expect more, get more. This mantra was shorthand in Washington state for the 1993 Education Reform Act - legislation that raised expectations for what all students should learn and prompted the creation of a rigorous assessment that they all must pass to graduate. Although higher standards and a high-stakes test are evidence that the state is expecting more, a reasonable question to ask after 10 years of implementation is whether the premise is sound. We're expecting more - are we getting more? Are students achieving more at higher levels? Click here (PDF 1.43 MB) to read what we have found in our research.

Supporting Classroom Teachers (March, 2006) Click here (PDF 209 KB) to learn more about what teachers need and want to improve instruction. Teachers Count: Support for Teachers' Work in the Context of State Reform (September, 2005) Teachers are the central agents of change in the movement towards the highquality education system that so many desire in Washington state. Without them, what is envisioned by the state's decade-long reform movement can not be realized. High expectations and standards-based reform prompt many questions about how well classroom teachers are supported in their efforts to offer a high-quality education to the state's schoolchildren. Answering such questions presumes good data about the teacher workforce as a whole, and a mechanism for gathering accurate information directly from teachers about their practice, working conditions, and response to reform. The analyses contained in this report-derived from multiple surveys of a representative sample (n=400) of Washington's classroom teachers, supplemented by analyses of a database of all 55,000 teachers in the state-demonstrates what these kinds of information sources can do. Click here (PDF 637 KB) to view the report.

Teacher Retention and Mobility: A Look Inside and Across Districts and Schools in Washington State (March, 2005)

This report examines teacher retention and mobility in Washington’s teaching force at state, district and school levels during a recent period. For 20 districts, representing a range of size, poverty and geography, we examined mobility and retention in relation to student demographics, measures of student learning, and other school and district characteristics. This reports addresses these questions: • What percentage of Washington teachers stay in the same school, move to another school or district, or leave the Washington education system after five years? • How do districts differ on measures of retention and mobility? • Do teachers of varying experience levels, ages or ethnicity stay, move or leave at different rates? • How is teacher retention or mobility related to student poverty, race or performance?

We have posted two versions of the research – Teacher Retention and Mobility: A Look Inside and Across Districts and Schools in Washington State contains all the district tables (pdf 1.67 MB) In addition, Teacher Retention – A Problem in Your District? A Guide to Analyzing Teacher Retention is a tool created by CSTP to help districts consider their own data (pdf 459 KB). View the PowerPoint presention Teacher Retention and Mobilityin Washington State: A Look Inside and Across Districts and Schools (pdf 157 KB) View PowerPoint from June 2, 2005 presentation Retaining and Supporting Teachers in the Context of State Reform (pdf 194 KB) Retention and Mobility Research Brief (179 KB)

Using surveys to capture the perspective of teachers

To understand teachers' work and how to support it in greater depth, one must get information directly from teachers and from the sites of their daily practice. Our research team constructed a "Fast Response" survey system, as a means of "hearing" directly from teachers regarding teaching assignment, professional development and other working conditions, and the school policy environment. Approximately 400 teachers, drawn through random sampling to represent the work force across the state, expressed their thoughts their thoughts using six electronic questionnaires during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years. The high response rate and quick turnaround of information makes this system especially useful for gaining information that informs policy debate.

Preparation and Support for Teaching: Teachers' Response to State Education Reform (March, 2005)

This survey presents a picture of state education reform that offers some encouragement for Washington's long-term commitment to reform goals. Teachers report positive effects on the quality of student learning and changes in teaching practice, while identifying concerns that deserve to be
heard and understood. Click here (PDF 350 KB) to learn more.

Click here (PDF 23.3 KB) for media release.

To learn the results of the survey work from 2003-2004, see:

• Supporting Classroom Teachers "What They Need and Want to Improve Instruction" (summary of report) PDF (2.18 MB)

• Preparing for Reform: Supporting Teachers' Work: Surveys of Washington State Teachers, 2003-2004 School Year PDF (381 KB).

To see results about specific topics in more detail:

About Professional Development:

• Preparation and Support for Teaching: A Survey of Support for Teachers' Professional Learning PDF (332 KB).

About Working Conditions:

• Preparation And Support For Teaching: Working Conditions Of Teachers PDF (385 KB)

• Preparation and Support for Teaching: A Survey of Teachers' Assignment and Certification
PDF (469 KB)

• Committed to Teaching: Staying the Course in Washington's Challenging Classrooms (summary of report) PDF (3.2 MB)

To read more about how the survey sample was developed: Development and Deployment of a "Fast Response" Survey System in Washington State: Methodological Notes PDF (207 KB)

Mining Data for Answers

In 2003 CSTP commissioned researchers at the University of Washington to tell us what can be learned about the teacher work force from data currently collected by the state. The report, Who's Teaching Washington's Children? , draws a snapshot of the teaching force in 2000 by using data available through the state personnel database as well as district fiscal data, demographic information and student achievement data. Researchers also tracked two cohorts of beginning teachers to examine questions of retention.

Among the findings from this research:
•The teaching force looks quite similar across the state, from region to region and district to district.
•Supply is sufficient — in most cases — to meet demand.
•The majority of new teachers stay on the job.
•Washington may be gaining more teachers than it loses to other states.
Read a synopsis of the research findings (PDF 580 KB) or download a copy of the full report "Who's Teaching Washington's Children? Mining data for answers." (PDF 1.7MB)