Participation in the Teaching, Leading and Learning (TeLL) Survey

INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO: 63
POLICY CODE: ILD

TO: Superintendents of Schools, Assistant Superintendents, Special Education Directors, Principals, and Curriculum Coordinators
FROM: Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
DATE: December 18, 2007
RE: Participation in the Teaching, Leading and Learning (TeLL)Survey

The purpose of this informational letter is to encourage all teachers, principals and certified school-based personnel to participate in a confidential 20-minute web-based survey about the presence of important teaching and learning conditions in their schools.

The Teaching, Leading and Learning Survey (TeLL) is a unique opportunity to gather information about school climate from those whose perception matters most—practicing educators. Survey results will be shared with schools, school units and the State to help make data-driven decisions about school improvement that ensure all educators are given the support and conditions they need to be effective.

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) and the Maine Education Association (MEA) ( http://www.maine.nea.org ) are working with the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz (NTC) ( http://www.newteachercenter.org ) to conduct the survey. NTC is a non-partisan group with a mission to support the development of an effective, dedicated and inspired teaching force. NTC also has vast experience conducting similar surveys across the country, which have been connected to improved student achievement and teacher retention.

Data from the Teaching, Leading and Learning Survey will help Maine schools balance efforts to improve student achievement with other school-reform agendas. Maine’s focus on standards and assessment, along with more recent efforts toward regionalization, have limited consideration of the influence many other significant contextual factors have on the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms throughout the State. This initiative will refocus much needed attention on how the conditions and climates of schools can better support effective leadership, encourage teacher retention and promote student learning needed for the 21st century.

Educators can respond to the TeLL online until January 18, and responses will be anonymous and confidential. Teachers will receive a personal security code which enables them to go online and provide their perceptions on the issues of time, empowerment, leadership, facilities/resources, professional development, and mentoring/induction programs. The initial data will be available in January 2008 for schools and school units to use in identifying strengths and recognizing areas in need of improvement.

For more information about the survey, please visit: http://TELLMaine.org . If you or anyone in your school needs help with the survey, or if they have LOST THE CODE and need a replacement code, please call the TeLL Maine helpdesk toll free at 1-800-427-2129, between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or email anytime at mailto:helpdesk@tellmaine.org .

I ask you to please encourage the certified school personnel, principals and teachers in your school unit to participate in this survey and embrace this opportunity to add their voice to our collaborative efforts to make Maine a model of high quality education.