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Results from the Teach for America 2017 National Principal Survey

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Results from the Teach for America 2017 National Principal Survey Research Report Results from the Teach For America 2017 National Principal Survey School Leader Perspectives on Induction, Support, and School Partnerships Amanda Edelman, Rachel Perera, Jonathan Schweig Sponsored by Teach for America RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark. For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2192 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2018 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface Teach For America (TFA) recruits, selects, and trains recent college graduates and professionals to teach for a two-year commitment in high-needs schools across the United States in order to address the racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps that persist in the public education system. As of 2016–2017, TFA has nearly 7,000 corps members working in 53 regions across the United States. There are more than 50,000 TFA alumni, and TFA estimates that corps members have taught more than 10 million students since the organization’s founding. To evaluate the program and gather data that can be used to improve induction, support, and school partnerships, TFA contracts an organization to conduct an independent biennial survey to all partner principals currently employing TFA teachers (called corps members) in their schools. This report summarizes results from TFA’s 2017 National Principal Survey. We first describe principals’ overall satisfaction with corps members, their participation in the school community, and their classroom practices. Then we review principals’ perceptions about the hiring process and the training and support that corps members receive from TFA. Finally, the report examines trends in the responses of principals who are themselves TFA alumni and principals who work in charter schools. This report responds directly to TFA’s interest in using principal perceptions to inform continuous program improvement and will be of most interest to TFA’s national and regional staff members, who are responsible for developing and sustaining relationships with schools and school districts. However, the findings of this report may also be of interest to current and future public and private funders of TFA, as well as to TFA’s state and local partners. Additionally, given the size of the TFA program, its visibility, and its prominence in national policy conversations about alternative certification programs, the findings in this report may be of interest to policymakers working on issues of teacher preparation, teacher certification, and national service and education researchers studying TFA or other alternative certification programs. This research has been conducted by RAND Education, a division of the RAND Corporation, with funding from TFA. For more about RAND Education, visit www.rand.org/education. iii Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................................ iii Figures............................................................................................................................................ vi Tables ............................................................................................................................................ vii Summary ...................................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... xii Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... xiii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Key Components of the TFA Program ......................................................................................................3 Study Purpose and Approach ....................................................................................................................5 Report Organization ..................................................................................................................................6 2. Overview of the Survey Process ................................................................................................. 7 Survey Administration ..............................................................................................................................7 Response Rates ..........................................................................................................................................7 Limitations .................................................................................................................................................9 Characteristics of Responding Principals ..................................................................................................9 Demographics ........................................................................................................................................9 Work Experience .................................................................................................................................10 Role in the Hiring Process ...................................................................................................................11 Characteristics of School Sites ................................................................................................................12 3. Principals’ Satisfaction with Corps Members and Alumni ....................................................... 14 Corps Members .......................................................................................................................................14 Overall Satisfaction with Corps Members Was High .........................................................................14 Factors Potentially Contributing to Principal Satisfaction with Corps Members ...............................15 Teach For America Alumni .....................................................................................................................19 4. Principals’ Thoughts About Hiring Teach For America Corps Members and the Training and Support Corps Members Receive ..................................................................................... 21 Future Corps Member Hiring ..................................................................................................................21 The Majority of Principals Would Hire or Recommend Hiring Corps Members in the Future .........21 Most Principals Are Satisfied with the Quality and Diversity of the Pool of TFA Corps Members from Which to Choose ..................................................................................................................23 Principal Feedback on Teach For America’s Support of Corps Members ..............................................24 Most Principals Are Familiar with One or More of the Supports and Training That TFA Provides Corps Members .............................................................................................................................24 Principals Reported Overall Satisfaction with Teach For America’s Corps Member Support Network ......................................................................................................................................................25 5. Alumni and Charter School Findings ....................................................................................... 27 Teach For America Alumni Principals ....................................................................................................27 iv Principal Alumni Status and Satisfaction Ratings ...............................................................................28 Principal Alumni Status Related to Hiring Decisions and Corps Member Preparation ......................30 Charter School Principals ........................................................................................................................31 Charter School Status and Satisfaction Ratings ..................................................................................31 Charter School Status Related to Hiring Decisions and Corps Member Preparation .........................34
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