At Education Forward DC, we know that students thrive in schools led by great teachers and leaders. That’s why our strategy includes supporting initiatives to help leaders nurture and retain excellent teachers. One of the tools that we have supported is the TNTP Instructional Culture Insight Survey, which uses teacher feedback to measure the conditions and leadership practices at schools that set teachers and students up for success. This year, more than 180 District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools participated in Insight. By measuring and monitoring key leadership practices and instructional culture, TNTP helps school leadership teams identify levers for future improvement.
TNTP has administered the Insight survey in DC and nationally since 2010, collecting data twice a year from teachers at participating schools. This July, TNTP convened participating charter school leaders to debrief results from the 2016 end-of-year survey. Leaders referenced their individual school reports and aggregate data on city-wide performance, representing 80% of local schools, to discuss possible improvement strategies.
This year’s Insight survey revealed several key findings that highlight the importance of creating a strong instructional culture in order to retain and develop great teachers:
- DC schools with stronger instructional cultures have fewer teachers planning to leave within the next two years.
- Among schools that participated in Insight for the past three years, schools that increased their Instructional Culture Index score saw a decrease in teachers planning to leave within the following two years.
- ~70% of DC charter teachers who plan to leave their schools within the next two years expect to find another role as a teacher or school leader; few plan to leave the field of education.
You can visit the TNTP website to learn more about their work supporting great teaching across the country. To learn more about Insight or to join the 1,300 schools across 25 cities learning from each other on how to best support great teaching and learning, reach out to insight@tntp.org.
