News release - State survey shows most educators believe they work in good schools

April 27, 2018

State survey shows most educators believe they work in good schools

Educators say their biggest challenge is not having enough time to prepare

DENVER - Eighty-nine percent of Colorado educators believe their school is a good place to work and a beneficial place for students to learn, according to a statewide survey of teachers.

More than 35,000 educators filled out the anonymous Teaching and Learning Conditions in Colorado, or TLCC, survey this spring -- more than half of the 68,000 educators in the state.

“We appreciate everyone who took the time to complete the survey, which gives us valuable information that we can dig into to help us better support teachers and improve education for all students,” said Katy Anthes, Colorado’s education commissioner. 

A large majority of educators responding to the survey said they felt satisfied with instructional practices and support, as well as community support and involvement. In the categories that received the lowest favorable responses, only 57.9 percent of teachers believed they have adequate time to prepare for instruction. The other lowest-rated categories on the TLCC survey were opportunities for professional development and new teacher training.

About 57 percent of elementary and middle school educators responded to the survey as well as 53 percent of high school educators. All data results can be viewed online by categories and questions.

This was the first distribution of the TLCC survey, which replaced the TELL Colorado survey. While many of the topics in the survey were similar to the past survey, the TLCC was newly constructed. The topics can be compared over time but CDE cautions comparing individual items between the two surveys. A tool that provides comparisons over time is being developed with researchers now and should be released later this spring.

About the survey

The TLCC survey was developed by APA Consulting, districts and partner organizations including CDE, Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado Association of School Executives, Colorado Education Association, Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado League of Charter Schools and the Colorado Rural Alliance.

The survey was administered through Cambridge Education and provides feedback from educators on such indicators as school and teacher leadership, instructional practices and support, professional development, facilities and resources, managing student conduct, time for collaborative instructional planning, facilities and resources, community support, and involvement and other supports.

For more information and resources, visit the TLCC website.