© 2014 k12 insight results and analysis cms school time task force survey — staff...

© 2014 K12 Insight

Results and Analysis

CMS School Time Task Force Survey — Staff

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

April 3 – 25, 2014

© 2014 K12 Insight 2

Overview

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools established the School Time Task Force to study current bell schedules and to make recommendations to help inform district leadership about potential changes in bell schedules. In order to gather as much feedback as possible, the task force surveyed staff members on school time schedules.

The survey explored various start and end times, and how school bell schedules might impact student learning, physical well-being, extracurricular activities and family schedules. Parents, staff members and students were asked to participate. This report details the findings from staff only.

The survey was open to participation April 3 - 25, 2014.

Staff members were emailed unique URL invitations to access the survey.


Technical Notes

Survey Development• In order to increase content validity, survey questions were jointly developed in collaboration with the

School Time Task Force which includes parents, teachers, school-based administrators and district leaders.

• Most questions were voluntary; however, individuals were required to identify their school level and school name. The required information was necessary for data analysis.

• Most items used 4-point Likert scales.

Survey Deployment• Pre-survey communications included a press release and a letter to teachers and staff announcing the

survey.• The survey was administered via email invitations with unique links. • Demographic information was pre-populated from information in school records for all participants.• Out of 10,328 emails, 10,326 were successfully delivered. Incorrect and bounced email addresses were

given to school district staff in order to update internal records. Three additional email reminders were sent to those who had not responded to provide greater opportunity for staff participation.


Technical Notes (Continued)

Data Analysis and Reporting • The findings for each item in the report exclude participants who did not answer the item.

• Results do not reflect random sampling; therefore, they should not be generalized to the entire population of staff members. Rather, results reflect the perceptions and opinions of just those staff members who responded to the survey.

• To enable ease of reporting, the top two response options (Very Positive Impact and Somewhat Positive Impact) are reported separately from the bottom two options (Very Negative Impact and Somewhat Negative Impact) and from No Impact responses.

• The denominator for all analyses is the actual count of responses to a given question or set of questions. This number may be the same or lower than the total number of survey responses.

• Stacked bar charts show the full distribution of responses across all statements in each topic area.

• Data labels of 5% or less are not shown on graphs and figures.

• Written responses to Other are available upon request.

• Theme analysis procedure: 10% or 100 (whichever is greater) of randomized open-ended responses were analyzed for common themes. Common themes are listed from most to least recurrent.


Participation

RespondingGroup

Number of Responses

(N)

Max Possible Responses

(Nmax)

ResponseRate (%)

Overall 5,309 10,326 51%

School Level Number of responses Total Responses Percent of Total Responses

Elementary School 3,010 5,309 57%

Middle School 1,085 5,309 20%

High School 1,214 5,309 23%


Staff Participation

Please select your school level. (N=5,309)

57%

20%

23%

Elementary School (N=3,010) Middle School (N=1,085) High School (N=1,214)


46%

12%

42%

Elementary School (N=2,986)

49%47%

High School (N=1,210)

It works for students at this school.

It is too early. A later start/end time is more appropriate for students at this school.

It is too late. An earlier start/end time is more appropriate for students at this school.

Current Bell Schedule Sentiment

45%

18%

37%

Overall (N=5,276)

38%

59%

Middle School (N=1,080)


Elementary Bell Schedule Preference

Below is a list of current CMS tiered elementary bell schedules. From the list, which do you prefer? (N=2,981)

51%

34%

7%

7%

7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. (N=1,525) 8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. (N=1,007)8:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. (N=202) 9:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. (N=48)Other (N=199)

Note: Only participants who answered that their work location was an elementary school were given the opportunity to answer this question.

Other: The majority of participants reported (in order of preference):8:00-3:007:15-2:15 7:30/7:45-1:457:15-1:457:30-2:307:00-2:00 (equal preference)

7:45-2:008:00-2:009:15-3:30

© 2014 K12 Insight

Themes from Open-Ended Responses

9

What do you feel are advantages or disadvantages of a shorter elementary school day?

Advantages reported by participating staff included:

Well-rested staff and students Increased free time to spend quality time with family, complete homework and attend to other

obligations More attentive students and fewer behavior problems Additional planning time for teachers

Disadvantages reported by participating staff included:

Less time for instruction

Elementary School Staff

© 2014 K12 Insight 10

Middle School Bell Schedule Preference

Below is a list of current CMS middle school bell schedules. From the list, which do you prefer? (N=1,079)

71%

14%

6%

8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. (N=763) 8:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. (N=156)9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (N=31) 9:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. (N=59)Other (N=70)

Note: Only participants who answered that their work location was a middle school were given the opportunity to answer this question.

Other: The majority of participants reported (in order of preference):• 8:00-3:00• 8:30-3:30• 7:15-2:15 or 7:45-2:45 (equal

preference)• 7:15-3:15 or 7:30-2:30 (equal

preference)

© 2014 K12 Insight


11

What do you feel are disadvantages or advantages of an earlier middle school end time for students?Advantages reported by participants included:

Increased free time to spend quality time with family, complete homework and attend to other obligations

More attentive students Well-rested staff and students Adequate childcare options

Disadvantages reported by participants included:

Student fatigue Lack of supervision of students after school

Middle School Staff

© 2014 K12 Insight 12

Factors Affecting Preferred Bell Schedule

Factor Relative Weighted Score Rank Number

Student academic achievement 100 1

Students’ health and sleep 94 2

CMS staff work schedules, such as time for lesson planning and parent conferences

77 3

Availability of transportation for students 61 4

Before- and after-school care for students 52 5

Timing of athletics, after-school activities or extracurricular activities

46 6

Please rank order the following factors when considering your preferred bell schedule.

© 2014 K12 Insight


13

Are there any other factors you consider?

Participating staff members reported considerations for the amount of free time students and staff have after school to complete homework, participate in extracurricular activities and attend to other obligations such as doctor appointments.

Participants also reported concerns over conflicting schedules for staff, students and parents, in addition to the health and well-being of staff members and traffic patterns.

Some reported concerns regarding teacher compensation for additional hours, childcare and student attentiveness.

A few participants express concerns for perceived student fatigue, low teacher morale and a lax tardy policy.

All Staff

© 2014 K12 Insight 14

Preferred Length of School Day

In 2011, CMS extended the elementary school day by 45 minutes, providing additional instructional time. This resulted in reduced transportation costs and avoided extra cuts to classrooms. The elementary school day was extended from 6.25 hours per day to 7 hours per day. The state of North Carolina requires a minimum of 5.69 hours. Please select your preferred length of school day from the list below.

6.25 hours (N=2,820)

6.50 hours (N=1,084)

6.75 hours (N=206)

7.00 hours (N=941)

Other (N=173)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

54%

21%

18%

Other: The majority of participants reported (in order of preference):• 5.69 hour day• 6 hour day• 5.75 or 6.25 hour day

(equal preference)

© 2014 K12 Insight 15

Future Scheduling

CMS is open to exploring changes to school schedules. One option is to "flip" schedules, so that elementary students would take on the high school schedule and high school students would take on the elementary school schedule. Below is a list of the current CMS schedules:

7:15 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. (High School)7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. (Elementary School)8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. (Elementary and Middle School)8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. (Elementary and Middle School)9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Middle School)9:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. (Elementary and Middle School)

© 2014 K12 Insight 16

Future Scheduling (Continued)Please indicate how strongly you disagree or agree with the following statements.

CMS should . . .

Replace the elementary school schedule with the high school schedule. (N=5,270)

Replace the high school schedule with the middle school schedule. (N=5,249)

Replace the middle school schedule with the elementary school schedule. (N=5,217)

Start and end the elementary school schedule 15 minutes earlier. (N=5,224)

Start and end the middle school schedule 15 minutes earlier. (N=5,218)

Start and end the high school schedule 15 minutes earlier. (N=5,230)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

25%

14%

12%

26%

20%

9%

17%

18%

18%

26%

25%

11%

20%

20%

22%

15%

12%

20%

27%

24%

24%

11%

8%

27%

12%

24%

24%

22%

36%

33%

Strongly Agree Agree DisagreeStrongly Disagree No Opinion

© 2014 K12 Insight 17

Current Schedule Perceived ImpactsThe School Time Task Force is charged with learning how staff feel about the current bell schedule, length of school day (school start and end times), and how the current school day schedule affects you and the students at your school.

How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?

There would be little impact on my students’ schedule with a change in the school bell schedule.

(N=5,212)

An earlier start time would improve student academic performance. (N=5,255)

A later start time would improve student academic performance. (N=5,241)

An earlier start time would have a negative impact on my students’ after-school care. (N=5,231)

An earlier start time would cause students to leave for school too early. (N=5,226)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

7%

23%

11%

14%

22%

21%

17%

11%

19%

33%

24%

32%

35%

36%

27%

19%

26%

21%

21%

11%

13%

14%

28%

10%

Strongly Agree Agree DisagreeStrongly Disagree Unsure

© 2014 K12 Insight 18

Current Schedule Perceived Impacts (Continued)The School Time Task Force is charged with learning how staff feel about the current bell schedule, length of school day (school start and end times), and how the current school day schedule affects you and the students at your school.


A late bell schedule and longer school day make it difficult for students to complete homework. (N=5,241)

A late end time for students would cause them to return home too late. (N=5,234)

A late bell and extended day negatively impact after-school activities, athletics and extracurricular activities. (N=5,246)

My current bell schedule may influence my decision to work at a different school. (N=5,243)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

48%

51%

48%

23%

27%

26%

27%

22%

14%

13%

10%

25%

6%

6%

10%

18%13%

Strongly Agree Agree DisagreeStrongly Disagree Unsure

© 2014 K12 Insight 19

Late Bell Schedule

Do you think the additional 45 minutes add value to your day? (N=2,979)

20%

80%

Yes (N=586) No (N=2,393)


© 2014 K12 Insight 20

Use of Additional TimeHow is the additional 45 minutes used at your school? (N=2,981)

Instructional Time (N=2,206)

Enrichment (N=913)

Remediation (N=993)

Extra physical activity (N=238)

Quiet reading (N=592)

Homework assistance (N=149)

Other (N=316)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

74%

31%

33%

8%

20%

5%

11%

Notes: • The sum of percentages may exceed 100% because participants could select more than one response option.• Only participants who answered that their work location was an elementary school were given the opportunity to answer this question.

Other: • Behavior management,

interventions, working to keep kids focused, character education, and personal inquiry.

• Provide additional instruction, math and literacy blocks, centers, and clubs.

• Some reported using the time for extra lunch, homework, and meetings.

• Some participants used the time to plan or additional specials classes.

© 2014 K12 Insight 21

Impact of Additional Time on Discipline

After 45 minutes were added, discipline issues at your school . . . (N=2,996)

Stayed the same (N=485)

Increased (N=1,333)

Decreased (N=24)

I don’t know (N=1,154)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

16%

44%

39%


© 2014 K12 Insight 22

Effect of Late Bell Schedule or Extended Day

To what extent has the late bell schedule or the extended day affected you professionally or personally?

Note: Only participants who answered that their work location was either an elementary or middle school were given the opportunity to answer this question.

Ability to attend workshops or professional development opportunities (N=4,052)

Ability to get to work on time (N=4,057)

Ability to have adequate planning time (N=4,041)

Ability to schedule personal appointments (N=4,054)

Ability to spend time with family (N=4,054)

Ability to tutor before and after school (N=4,049)

Ability to work a second job (N=4,042)

General health and well-being (N=4,049)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

31%

75%

37%

10%

14%

38%

33%

24%

66%

18%

55%

86%

82%

58%

64%

72%

7%

8%

Positive No Impact Negative

© 2014 K12 Insight 23

Late Bell Schedule or Extended Day Effect on Staff Morale

CMS is interested in understanding whether the late bell schedule or the extended day has affected staff morale at your school.

Please select the statement that best describes your morale since the change in bell schedule. (N=4,032)

36%

62%

My morale has remained the same. My morale has improved.My morale has deteriorated.

Note: Only participants who answered that their work location was either an elementary or middle school were given the opportunity to answer this question.

© 2014 K12 Insight 24

Time After School

The following statement best describes a majority of students in my school. At the end of the school day, students: (N=5,276)

17%

64%

19%

Seem to be energetic. Appear to be exhausted.Are neither energetic nor exhausted.

© 2014 K12 Insight


25

How might the current schedule be modified to allow adequate time for after-school activities?The majority of participants advocated an early start and dismissal time so that the day would be shorter for both staff and students.

Participants also reported a desire to eliminate the added 45 minutes.

Some expressed a desire to change the bell schedule, such as switching to an early bell schedule or returning to the original bell schedule before the added 45 minutes.

All Staff

© 2014 K12 Insight 26

Time After School (Continued)Below are statements about after-school activities.


Students have enough time to complete homework. (N=5,290)

Students have enough time to participate in extracurricular activities. (N=5,290)

Students have enough free time available to spend with their family. (N=5,287)

Students and staff have enough time to participate in community activities. (N=5,284)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

10%

10%

9%

7%

38%

35%

29%

26%

28%

27%

27%

31%

17%

21%

26%

30%

8%

7%

10%

Strongly Agree Agree DisagreeStrongly Disagree Don't Know

© 2014 K12 Insight 27

Potential Trade-OffsBased on a preliminary review, the district may need to increase the transportation budget in order to accommodate any bell schedule change. This may require reallocation from and/or cuts to other areas in the budget.

Please select potential trade-offs CMS should consider. (N=5,054)Increase class size (N=362)

Reduce school-based instructional staff (N=131)

Reduce non-instructional staff (N=1,288)

Reduce current levels of transportation (N=2,103)

Increase the length of bus rides (N=2,331)

Increase walk zone to bus stops (N=3,493)

Other (N=699)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

7%

25%

42%

46%

69%

14%

Note: The sum of percentages may exceed 100% because participants could select more than one response option.

© 2014 K12 Insight


28

Other (N=699): Please select potential trade-offs CMS should consider.

Participants favored a reduction in administrative positions and lower administrative salaries.

Participants recommended reducing or eliminating funding in a variety of areas including:

Professional development facilitators, school choice, using energy saving techniques, instructional staff and expenses, school subsidies for student taxi transportation, switching instructional programs, technology budget and unnecessary materials

Participants recommended using alternate funding sources such as bonds, advertisements on buses, fundraisers, fees to attend school/play sports, increase taxes, grants, additional government funding and proceeds from the lottery.

Participants also recommended a change to the current transportation system including the use of city buses, examining the efficiency of bus routes, filling buses to capacity and a suggestion that students provide their own transportation.

Some recommended no change to the current system, whereas others recommended increased walk zones, increases in staff pay and examination of the current budget.

All Staff

© 2014 K12 Insight 29

Altering the Current Tiered Bus ScheduleEstablishing start and end times for the school day is a complex process that must balance multiple factors that include instructional time, curriculum requirements, transportation and budgetary constraints.

In order for CMS to consider any school-day bell schedule adjustment, the current tiered CMS bell schedule and bus routes would need to be evaluated for feasibility.

Tier 1 7:15 - 2:15 Tier 2 7:45 - 2:45 Tier 3 8:00 - 3:00 Tier 4 8:15 - 3:15

Tier 5 8:30 - 3:30 Tier 6 8:45 - 3:45 Tier 7 9:00 - 4:00 Tier 8 9:15 - 4:15

Based on this information, do you think the district should consider altering the current tiered bus schedule? (N=5,250)

50%

15%

35%

Yes (N=2,615) No (N=772) Not Sure (N=1,863)

© 2014 K12 Insight


30

Please share any additional comments or suggestions related to school bell schedules.The majority of participants favored changing the entire bell schedule.

Participants reported that the work day is too long, and they would like to eliminate the added 45 minutes.

Participants reported a desire for additional free time after school to spend quality time with family and attend to other obligations such as doctor appointments.

Participants complained of working additional hours without compensation.

Some participants recommended no bell changes, whereas others were in favor of later start times for high school students, and early start and dismissal time for students in general.

All Staff

© 2014 K12 Insight 31

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