POSITIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS FOR TEACHERS: COMPARING TWO SCHOOLS by Lana Pas A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, Utah April 13, 2020 Approved ______________________________ Peggy J. Saunders, Ph.D. ______________________________ Dee Dee Mower, Ph.D. ______________________________Sun Young Lee, Ph.D. Positive School Environments for Teachers 1 Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude for the guidance and encouragement I received from my instructors and professors who helped me accomplish this dream of mine. For Dr. Peggy Saunders being the most constructive and supportive professor and chair and for Dr. Caitlin Byrne for igniting the fire of research within me. For my husband and his endless support and guidance throughout this whole process. He helped me overcome walls I thought I would never get over. For my sisters, Holly and Tonya, who read and reread this project for me. Their editing expertise and constructive criticism were greatly appreciated. For the participants and the school districts who made this project possible. I truly couldn’t do it without their participation. Positive School Environments for Teachers 2 Table of Contents NATURE OF THE PROBLEM.......................................................................................... 6 Literature Review.................................................................................................... 7 Positive School Environments ......................................................................... 7 Positive Student-Teacher Relationships ..................................................... 8 Collaboration ............................................................................................... 8 Enhanced Job Satisfaction .......................................................................... 9 Better Job Performance ............................................................................... 9 Negative School Cultures .............................................................................. 10 Psychological Effects on Teachers ........................................................... 10 Physical Effects on Teachers .................................................................... 12 Strategies to Promote Positive School Culture .............................................. 12 Building Trust ........................................................................................... 13 Knowing the Staff ..................................................................................... 13 A Community of Learners ........................................................................ 14 The Power of Mentorship ......................................................................... 15 Finding Purpose ........................................................................................ 17 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 17 PURPOSE ......................................................................................................................... 19 METHOD ......................................................................................................................... 20 Setting ................................................................................................................... 20 Participants ............................................................................................................ 20 Researcher as a Participant ............................................................................. 21 Positive School Environments for Teachers 3 Instruments ............................................................................................................ 21 Procedure .............................................................................................................. 22 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 22 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 23 Staff to Staff Connections ..................................................................................... 23 Staff to Student Connections ................................................................................ 26 Staff to Administrator Connections ..................................................................... 26 Open Ended Questions .......................................................................................... 31 School Environments ...................................................................................... 31 Other Thoughts about School Environments .................................................. 32 Summary ............................................................................................................... 34 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 35 Comparison of School Environments ................................................................... 35 Working Conditions ............................................................................................. 38 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 39 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 39 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 39 Self-reflection ................................................................................................. 40 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 41 APPENDIX I .................................................................................................................... 45 Positive School Environments for Teachers 4 List of Tables Table 1. Staff to Staff Connections Results for Both Schools ......................................... 24 Table 2. Staff to Student Connections for Both Schools ................................................. 26 Table 3. Staff to Administrator Connections for Both Schools ....................................... 28 Positive School Environments for Teachers 5 Abstract This survey project was designed to expand on previous research compiled from secondary schools on the impacts of positive and negative school environments and retention of teachers. The survey project sought to understand both qualitatively and quantitatively the commonalities and differences of two elementary school environments along with determining the preferred working conditions in both school settings. The results from the 40 Likert-scaled questions were analyzed in three sections: staff to staff connections, staff to student connections, and staff to administrator connections. The results from the staff to staff connections indicated a desire among staff members to treat each other with respect and work collaboratively. Staff to student connections showed a need for support by colleague and administration when handling challenging behaviors in the classroom. These results also indicated a need for strategies to support staff members with challenging behaviors. The staff to administrator results showed a desire to have a relationship with the administrator and to feel supported by the administrator. The results from the open-ended questions indicated the two working conditions that the participants in this study desired most in their school environments were support by colleagues and administration and to be seen as an educational professional. More research has yet to be done in this area in order to increase retention of our educators. Positive School Environments for Teachers 6 NATURE OF THE PROBLEM In order for teachers to thrive in their profession, they need a work environment that promotes a positive atmosphere (McCarthy, Lambert, Lineback, Fitchett, & Baddouh, 2016). Some benefits of a positive school culture include enhanced job satisfaction, increased job performance, and improved student-teacher and teacher-teacher relationships (Lavy & Bocker, 2018; Maior, Szamosközi, & János, 2015; Oakes, Lane, Jenkins, & Booker, 2013; Teasley, 2016). Teachers are a key component in upholding a positive atmosphere and are motivated to create environments that maximize student learning and foster collaboration when they feel supported by colleagues and administration (McCarthy et al., 2016; Teasley, 2016). One reason that teachers leave the profession is due to a negative work environment (Maior et al., 2015; McCarthy et al., 2016; Peterson, 2002). Negative work environments “lack a clear sense of purpose, have norms that reinforce inertia, blame students for lack of progress, discourage collaboration, and often have actively hostile relations among staff” (Peterson, 2002, p. 11). A lack of clear purpose and feeling of self-worth can negatively impact the learning environment, leading to a decline in teacher-student relationships and job satisfaction (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). Negative work environments can lead to stress (Grayson & Alverez, 2008; Oakes et al., 2013; Peterson, 2002). Teacher burnout is real and is heavily impacted by the teachers feeling high levels of stress and lack of self-efficacy (Grayson & Alverez, 2008; Oakes et al., 2013). This high level of stress, which the teachers unconsciously exert into the work environment, impacts the psychological climate within the school setting (Bălănescu, 2019; Grayson & Alverez, 2008). One teacher’s negative attitude can affect the whole school environment, influencing other staff members, students, and families to have similar negative Positive School Environments for Teachers 7 attitudes towards the school or engage in similar negative behavior (Bălănescu, 2019; Maior et al., 2015; Oakes et al., 2013). In order to prevent teachers from leaving the profession due to a negative work environment, schools can implement strategies to promote a positive school culture (Oakes et al., 2013). School administration and staff must work together to discourage toxic school environment, which ultimately impacts the students’ learning. Teachers feel empowered in environments that feel like a community working towards the same goal (Grayson et al., 2008; Hollingworth, Olsen, Asikin-Garmager, & Winn, 2018; Peterson, 2002; Oakes et al., 2013; Teasley, 2016). Unfortunately, there is little research that has been done in the elementary settings regarding teacher attrition. A majority of the research done has been in secondary education, but even this research is limited. The teacher shortage is a complex crisis, but from what little research is out there, teachers are leaving because of poor working environments. Literature Review The literature review will begin with a discussion about positive school environments and some of the factors that support this environment. Next will be a discussion about negative school environments and its impact on teacher retention. The literature review will conclude with a discussion about how school administrators can implement strategies to improve the school culture. Positive School Environments Teachers thrive when they work in an environment that promotes and supports positivity (McCarthy al., 2016). Research has found that teachers are more inclined to stay in the field if they work in a school that encourages a positive culture (McCarthy et al., 2016). High levels of positivity lead to stronger student-teacher and collegial relationships, enhanced job satisfaction, Positive School Environments for Teachers 8 and job performance (Lavy & Bocker, 2018; Maior et al., 2015; Oakes et al.,2013; Teasley, 2016). Teaching, along with other occupations, have a high potential of positivity due to the ability to highly impact individuals’ lives (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). Positive student-teacher relationships. Waters, Marzano, and McNulty (2004) found a strong correlation between the school’s culture and students’ performance. Strong student-teacher relationships give teachers the opportunity to be more involved in the students’ educational and personal growth and development (Lavy & Bocker, 2018; Roby, 2011). Feeling involved with the students’ educational and personal growth leads teachers to higher job satisfaction and job performance. Teachers’ relationships with their students are considered the core of the educational process (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). It is pertinent that teachers understand how their relationships with their students, both intentionally and unintentionally, can greatly contribute to their job satisfaction and to the students’ social competence, academic achievement, and personal well-being over time (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). Collaboration. Collegiality among teachers is another important element of a positive school culture, which is also connected to higher job performance and job satisfaction (Bălănescu, 2019; Grayson & Alvarez, 2008). Collaborative school environments foster and create a sense of openness, trust, and support among teachers (Forte & Flores, 2014). When teachers feel they can make changes as a collaborative team, both school culture and student learning are enhanced (Dumay & Galand, 2012; Forte & Flores, 2014). However, collaboration of team members and knowledge-sharing are different (Fullan, 2001). Knowledge-sharing is the concept that knowledge is continuously being given and received, as long as the opportunities are open to do so (Fullan, 2001). In a positive environment, administrators who see knowledge-sharing as an essential element, model and reinforce positive exchanges among the staff leading Positive School Environments for Teachers 9 to creative responses to school problems (Forte & Flores, 2014; Fullan, 2001). As Fullan (2009) stated, “use the group to change the group” (p. 52). Enhanced job satisfaction. Like with any job, individuals want to feel satisfied with their job. Forte and Flores (2014) found collaboration to be a key aspect of enhanced job satisfaction. The study stated that when teachers can see their work being recognized by colleagues, it helps teachers feel good about what they are doing (Forte & Flores, 2014). Having a sense of meaning at work and seeing their work as important leads to higher job satisfaction (Lavy & Bocker, 2017), and a productive school culture helps teachers overcome the uncertainty of their work (Roby, 2011). Another aspect to teachers feeling satisfied with their performance is through clear rules from administration for students and teachers to follow in order to spend more time in the classroom teaching instead of being interrupted by behaviors (Grayson & Alvarez, 2008). When teachers were able to teach instead of stopping to redirect behaviors, they felt “personal accomplishment” (Grayson & Alvarez, 2008, p. 1357) meaning they felt successful with their work, which lead to higher job satisfaction. Better job performance. As teachers feel more satisfied with their work, they are more likely to perform better (Fullan, 2001). However, when teachers fall below their satisfactory state, they have an implementation dip (Fullan, 2001). An implementation dip is when individuals are unable to perform at the same level before due to a lack of knowledge/skills and assurance of their work (Fullan, 2001). Teachers can fall into these implementation dips when their work does not get recognized, or they do not feel supported in their efforts. During these times it is critical for administration to be sensitive to these dips and provide opportunities for the Positive School Environments for Teachers 10 individual to work with other team members to guide the individual back to success through the development of knowledge/skills in order to gain confidence (Fullan, 2001) Negative School Cultures A negative work environment can lead to poor outcomes for teacher and student performance and affect the sense of community (Chamberlin & Hodson, 2010; Roby, 2011). In a negative work environment, it is difficult for teachers to lean on colleagues and administration. Chamberlin and Hodson (2010) described three types of toxic interpersonal conditions, “conflict with supervisors, leadership and communication, and customer interaction” customer interaction (p. 457). These three conditions heavily influence the work environment. Conflict with supervisors can be identified when there is a lack of or inadequate supervision or when supervision is seen as micromanaging. The tone of the environment often depends on the way supervisory persons lead and direct the teachers. Teachers want clear communication and expectations from their supervisor (administrator). Having knowledgeable, respectful, and encouraging leadership can lessen the ambiguity and uncertainty that teachers may feel in the environment (Chamberlin & Hodson, 2010). Customer interaction, or student, parent, or colleague, interactions, can be emotionally draining. Teachers have to set aside their genuine feelings on a regular basis. Hiding away emotions for too long can slowly or quickly impact the school environment. Psychological effects on teachers. One psychological effect for teachers is depersonalization. This problem happens when teachers have disdainful attitudes towards colleagues, students, parents, and the school as a whole (Grayson & Alvarez, 2008). With this depersonalization comes a faded feeling of accomplishment and self-efficacy, which distances teachers’ relationships with students and colleagues. This distancing happens when teachers no Positive School Environments for Teachers 11 longer feel as though their efforts are making a difference in the school. The continuous feeling of defeat leads to emotional exhaustion, and then spreads from the class and impacts the entire school culture. This emotional exhaustion is psychologically, physiologically, and psychosocially problematic (Grayson & Alvarez, 2008). In Grayson & Alvarez’s (2008) study, emotional exhaustion was found to be the leading cause of teacher burnout. Teacher burnout has been attributed to teachers feeling that their impact on student success is limited due to the restrictions of the school culture, such as “high workload, role conflict, and ineffective school climate” (Lavy & Bocker, 2018, p. 1488). Teachers’ workloads are already daunting with trying to fit everything in and when administrators put more on teachers, this can be defeating (Grayson & Alvarez, 2018). Emotional exhaustion from a feeling of being overworked can hinder interpersonal relations between teachers and administrators, leading to role conflicts and a negative work environment (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). Teachers are highly impacted by their student’s behavior, which when teachers feel is not taken seriously by administration, becomes emotionally exhausting (Loeb, Darling-Hammond, & Luczak, 2005). Grayson & Alvarez’s (2008) research determined that school administration interruptions were a big factor in teachers’ emotional well-being. Decline in student-teacher relationships can negatively impact the teacher’s well-being as well as lack of a relationship with administration (Chamberlin & Hodson 2010; Lavy & Bocker, 2018). Having negative working conditions can greatly increase teachers working in isolation (McLaurin, Smith, & Smillie, 2009). Students are sensitive to teachers’ emotions and can act off of the teachers’ lack of enthusiasm, leading to more behavior problems in the classroom (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). Positive School Environments for Teachers 12 Physical effects on teachers. Negative working conditions can lead to increased amounts of stress, which can actually lead to physical illness (Geiger & Pivovarova, 2018). This feeling of being overworked and underappreciated by teachers can lead to absenteeism, late arrivals/early departures and ultimately lead to teacher attrition (Geiger & Pivovarova, 2018; Khumalo, 2018). This concept has a spiraling affect that impacts the students’ learning and colleagues. Colleagues grow frustrated with chronic absenteeism, leading to more negativity within the work environment as teachers feel they must take on the absent teacher’s workload (Khumalo, 2018). Strategies to Promote Positive School Culture Although some may think that offering a high salary is the largest motivating factor for teacher retention, working conditions are typically what matter the most (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, & Carver-Thomas, 2019). Teachers leave the education profession because there is a lack of administrative support, opportunities for collaboration with colleagues, and the ability to voice teacher insight into decisions made for the school (Sutcher et al., 2019). Teachers are more committed to staying at a school when they see their principal is open, collaborative, and inspiring (Adams & Miskell, 2016). When teachers feel they can work collectively towards high academic goals for their students and when they feel there is a collective teacher efficacy that defines the school culture, there is a higher correlation to teachers staying within the profession (Adams & Miskell, 2016). In order to prevent teachers from leaving the profession due to a negative work environment, school administrators should implement strategies to promote a positive school culture (Oakes et al., 2013). School administrators should provide opportunities to develop trust through collaboration in which teachers feel like they are an integral part of a system that is having a positive impact on the students’ development (Hollingworth et al., 2018; McLaurin et Positive School Environments for Teachers 13 al., 2009; Oakes et al., 2013; Teasley, 2016). Not only do school administrators have the ability to shape the culture within the school, but if they are operating from a moral mindset, they have an obligation to do so (Roby, 2011). Building trust. When administrators cultivate trust, know their staff well, and engage in explicit and purposeful communication, a community of trust is built (Hollingworth et al., 2018). A feeling of strong, trusting relationships must be cultivated before a community can make change. If there is a lack of trust, individuals will fear change, avoid risks, and stick to themselves (Hollingworth et al., 2018; McLaurin et al., 2009). Therefore, administrators should aim to create a work environment for teachers and staff that promotes a positive culture for learning and supporting each other (Bălănescu, 2019; Grayson et al., 2008; Hollingworth et al., 2018; Oakes et al., 2013; Teasley, 2016). Some strategies to develop trust is for schools to provide opportunities for yearly orientations, school unity, and professional learning communities (McLaurin et al., 2009). Fullan (2009) encouraged school administrators to “go slow to go fast,” (p. 49); meaning school administrators need to begin the school year by finding a balance between creating a sense of a community of learners (trust) and a sense of urgency to reduce inequity. Teachers need to feel that their administrators trust them in what they are doing but also feel that their administration is creating reasonable decisions for the students and staff (Adams & Miskell, 2016). System-wide decisions cannot be made without teachers. Teachers depend on their administrators to help maximize teacher potential with effective support in the classroom (Adams & Miskell, 2016). Knowing the staff. In order to increase teacher retention, school administrators need to periodically assess their staff, on a case by case basis, on how each staff member is feeling in Positive School Environments for Teachers 14 regards to collaboration and trust in order to adjust as necessary. Administrators can assess their school culture through surveys and informal/formal interviews in order to develop and cultivate trust, which will lead to teachers wanting to stay. Fullan (2001) calls this “reculturing” (p. 44). Administrators need to see this reculturing as an opportunity for growth for their teachers and not as a failure (Roby, 2011). An important aspect of reculturing is allowing teachers to feel “off-balance” (p. 44) in order to grow (Fullan, 2001). These off-balance times are learning moments for all who are involved. Another technique for developing trust between administrators and their staff is to establish a more personal relationship. These relationships will help teachers and staff feel safe to discuss difficult and sensitive issues (Hollingworth et al., 2018). According to research found by Grayson and Alvarez (2008), teachers who felt connected to their administrators were satisfied with decisions and felt support showed more positive attitudes towards their job. A community of learners. Research done in the field of educational sociology has found that a community of learners, which involves families, teachers, and students who are a cohesive group greatly impact the success of the school (Ingersoll, 2001). No matter the size of the school, the school’s personal can thrive if there is a sense of community that is filled with positivity (Ingersoll, 2001). Teachers feel that they are part of a community where their thoughts and ideas are heard (Peterson, 2002). School administrators should develop a sense of one school, one voice, by allowing time at staff meetings and professional learning communities for teachers and staff to express their concerns in order to find solutions (Takkaç Tulgar, 2015). In these staff meetings, teachers should have a part of the decisions being made at their school (Hollingworth et al., 2018). It is important that school administrators share the complexities of the decisions being made so that all members are aware (Neihoff, 2018). Throughout the year, school Positive School Environments for Teachers 15 administrators should provide weekly professional learning community meetings for each teaching level to meet and collaborate to improve student outcomes (McLaurin, Smith, & Smillie, 2009). Having common planning time and scheduled collaboration with teachers of the same subject or grade level, enhances teacher’s practice (Sutcher et al., 2019). The school principal at one Jersey Public School’s found that having focused development on teacher leaders (advisors) and involving all members of the staff helps energize the culture of the school (Fullan, 2009). This development took planning purposeful interactions day in and day out by all members of the community (Fullan, 2009). Roby (2011) found that having an open discussion between school administrators and teachers helped change key issues within the school. This communication helped teachers feel involved in the decisions making process where they could “potentially change the negative aspects of the school culture” (Roby, 2011, p. 788). Teachers are the ones that are in the classrooms following decisions made by administration. It is important teachers have a say in decisions being made for the classroom environment (Loeb et al., 2005). One way to increase collaboration and build trust is for teachers to have an opportunity to evaluate the administrators, both formally and informally (Roby, 2011). The impact of this feedback creates a continuous learning loop for all individuals within the school. Focusing on meaningful work and purpose, school administrators should offer opportunities for teachers to share their gifts and talents with the school beyond their professional learning communities (Roby, 2011). The power of mentorship. Having a mentor in the first years of teaching has a powerful impact on teachers being retained (McLaurin et al., 2009). Researchers have found that new teachers, after the first year, stayed in the profession if they had a mentor (DeAngelis, Wall, & Positive School Environments for Teachers 16 Che, 2013; McLaurin et al., 2009). More specifically, teachers stayed in the profession longer if they had a mentor who taught the same subject (DeAngelis et al., 2013). They found a significant correlation between the number of interactions with the mentor, formally and informally, increased the perception of helpfulness by mentees. Mentorship needs to be an ongoing, directed program to help novice teachers feel successful. The Utah State Board of Education (USBE, 2019) requires that all teachers with no license or a level 1 license have a mentor through the Entry Years Enhancement (E.Y.E.) program. Teachers in the E.Y.E program have a mentor for a three-year period in order to provide structured support. The goal of the E.Y.E program is to help novice teachers develop teaching strategies that support the Utah Effective Teaching Standards. Mentoring novice teachers goes beyond the mentorship learning, though. Fullan (2009) stated there must be an organization-embedded and system-wide embedded learning to really make a difference in the school culture. School administrators can bring in new strategies after new strategies, but until the structure and process of the school changes, the culture will not change. Jersey Public School in Ontario worked on the organization-embedded learning level where the literacy coach, principal, and teachers worked hand-in-hand to increase their 3rd and 6th grade students’ scores in writing (Fullan, 2009). By the end of three years, after teachers had been coached (job-embedded learning) and were working closely with the principal and literacy coach (organization-embedded learning), the school was able to double the proficiency scores for the writing assessment. Through this process, teachers learned strategies through coaching and developed an understanding of the importance of effective teaching as a whole (Fullan, 2009). The hardest part of a cultural shift is how to even get started. School transformation is a slow, but deliberate process that should not be rushed. It is important for school administrators to build trust, Know their staff and build community through mentorships (Fullan, 2009) Positive School Environments for Teachers 17 Finding purpose. When teachers cannot find their purpose within the school, their behaviors can become negative, which greatly impacts those around them (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). Teachers need to have a sense of meaning at work. Lavy and Bocker (2018) found that a major indicator in the experience of meaningful work is the opportunity to have self-expression in work-related activities. An example of self-expression in the classroom is having the freedom to design the classroom walls or seating. Teachers need their work to be recognized and their ideas shared to have meaning in their work (Forte & Flores, 2014). Lavy and Bocker (2017) found when teachers had a strong relationship with their students and their meaning in work increased, they had higher job satisfaction. Interestingly enough, this study also found that job satisfaction may be the driving force of meaning of work and relationships between students and teachers (Lavy & Bocker, 2017). Conclusion Teachers play an important role in society. Teachers help future generations to become successful citizens. Teachers help mold and shape individuals to see their potential. Without teachers, society will not only greatly impacted from the lack of academic achievement, but also from the lack of emotional support that some students only in the classroom. The teacher shortage is a nationwide crisis that needs to be fixed. As of late, there is a significant shortage of teachers in Utah (Cortez, 2019). Unfortunately, teacher attrition is a driving contributor to the teacher shortage the United States is seeing (Geiger & Pivovarova, 2018). With any job, individuals leave when the environment in which they are working does not support their needs, whether they be financial or emotional. Schools need experienced teachers willing to stay in the field of education long term, not only to provide strong opportunities for future students to grow, but to help mentor new teachers (Lavy & Bocker, Positive School Environments for Teachers 18 2008). A number of research projects have indicated the necessity of schools to have transformative leadership to build teacher commitment (Dumay & Galand, 2012). What can school administrators do to promote a positive school culture that will attract, retain, and support teachers? Positive School Environments for Teachers 19 PURPOSE Retaining teachers is a necessary task in order to prepare our students to be successful citizens in society. Research has shown that teachers want to have a working environment that promotes healthy and positive student-teacher relationships, collaboration of colleagues, and enhances their job performance (Forte & Flores, 2014; Fullan, 2001; Grayson & Alvarez, 2008; Lavy & Bocker, 2017). Unfortunately, teachers are known to leave schools due to a negative work environment in which they do not feel there is a positive community or have a purpose within the school. In order to retain teachers, school administrators can create a school environment they know will build trust, a community of learners, and strong mentorships DeAngelis et al., 2013; Fullan, 2009; Hollingworth et al., 2018; McLaurin et al., 2009; Oakes et al., 2013; Teasley, 2016). The purpose of this project was to survey teachers in an elementary charter school environment and teachers in a traditional elementary public school environment in northern Utah to see which environmental factors promote a positive school culture. Specifically, the survey examined how each environment promoted positive and negative environmental components that affect teacher retention. The research questions were 1. How does an elementary charter school environment compare to a traditional elementary public school environment? 2. What are the working conditions that teachers care about? Positive School Environments for Teachers 20 METHOD This project used a survey to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. Teachers and administrators from two schools were asked to participate. These two schools are an elementary charter school and a traditional elementary public school in northern Utah. Setting The charter school is located in an affluent neighborhood in northern Utah. The charter school uses an instructional design of which many staff members have been trained in. The charter school received a new principal in the middle of the 2019-2020 school year. The traditional public school is in a less affluent neighborhood of northern Utah. This traditional public school is a dual immersion school where any student can choose to participate in a dual language program at the school. Although it is a dual language school, this does not mean this is the primary language of individuals at this school. This traditional public school is on its second year with the same principal. Participants The participants for this survey were teachers and administrators from an elementary charter school and from a traditional elementary school. Of the eight participants at the charter school, four were teachers and four were classified/other staff members. Of the four teachers, two participants had 0-5 years of teaching experience, and the remaining two had 6+ years of teaching experience. One teacher-participant held a master’s degree, and the remaining three teachers held bachelor’s degrees. At the traditional elementary school, seven of the 14 participants were teachers. The remaining seven participants were certified staff members/administrators. Four of the seven teachers had 0-5 years of teaching experience. The remaining three teachers had 6+ years of Positive School Environments for Teachers 21 teaching experience each. Four of the seven teachers hold a bachelor’s degree, and three teachers hold a master’s degree. Two of the five certified staff members/administrators had 0-5 years of experience. The other three certified staff members/administrators have more than 15 years of experience. Two of the five certified staff members/administrators hold bachelor’s degrees, and the other three hold master’s degrees. Throughout the research paper all participants will be stated as “staff members” to keep the unanimous nature of the survey. This category includes teachers, classified staff member/administrator, and classified/other staff members. Researcher as a Participant When I began this research paper, I was an assistant director at a school in Utah. The environment of which I was working in was one that prompted me to do this type of research. When it was time to do my survey, I had transitioned to a being teacher at a different school. Throughout this research paper you will read my self-reflections as I have personal experience in both a charter and traditional school setting. Instrument The survey was developed by adapting Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) school climate survey (PBIS, 2018), along with New Jersey State school climate staff survey (State of New Jersey Department of Education, 2019). Student behavioral questions were selected from PBIS and teacher and administrator questions were selected from New Jersey State school climate staff survey. The questions selected focused on trust, community of learners, mentorship, and purpose, which analyzed to determine the climate of each school. Positive School Environments for Teachers 22 Procedures All participation for this survey was voluntary. The research design and survey were approved by Weber State University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and both school districts’ IRB. An email was sent out to both schools two weeks prior to the dispersal of the survey. All participants were provided one week to complete the survey. A follow-up email was sent out midway through the survey window, along with an email the day before was due. Following the return of surveys, all participants were emailed a thank you letter for their participation. The surveys were reviewed and analyzed. Data Analysis Data were collected from the surveys. Likert-scaled questions were analyzed using the mean and mode to determine common tendencies. Open-ended questions were analyzed to identify codes, which were then placed into themes. Surveys were divided, coded, and themed for each school. Themes identified key factors that promote a positive and/or negative work environment and identified what conditions teachers prefer. Themes from both schools were analyzed together to determine common themes for what working conditions teacher prefer and which environment is most positive. Positive School Environments for Teachers 23 RESULTS The survey was composed of 40 Likert-scaled questions and four open-ended questions. These questions sought to determine which environment, either a charter elementary or traditional elementary school, promoted a positive culture, along with determining which working conditions teachers prefer. The survey was broken into four sections: staff to staff connections, staff to student connections, staff to administrator connections, and open-ended questions. Descriptive analysis of each individual response from the open-ended questions was reviewed for common themes from both schools. Each open-ended question had a major focus -- the administrator’s effect on the environment, the preferred working conditions, and professional learning communities. The final open-ended question was an opportunity for participants to share any other ideas related to working environments for staff members. All quotes used in the following sections are directly from the anonymous survey participants. Staff to Staff Connections Questions 1-10 on the survey focused solely on staff to staff connections within the school and perspectives outside of the school. Table 1 shows the results for both the charter elementary and the traditional public elementary. Reviewing the results, questions 1-6 came back with a mean of 3.43 for the charter school and a mean of 3.45 for the traditional public school. The theme of these questions was the feeling of connection by all staff members to each other. These data are very telling in that individuals at both schools feel there are strong relationships among staff members, which helps in the positivity of the environment. Question 7 focused specifically on how staff members talk about one another. The charter school’s mean for this question was 2.63; what a telling statistic Positive School Environments for Teachers 24 when looking at the mean of the traditional public school’s mean of 3.21. When looking at how the staff members talk among each other, there is a significant decrease in the relationships at the charter school. Questions 8 and 10 focused on individuals’ perceptions of how others see them within the school setting from an outside perspective. For question 8, the charter school had a mean of 3.00 whereas the traditional public school has a mean of 3.21. Thus, individuals at the charter school feel less of a professional than those at the traditional public school by .21. Question 10 asked if the individuals felt proud of telling others where they work. The charter school showed a 3.38 mean, which is .26 difference from the traditional public school mean of 3.64. Question 9 looked at the individual’s ability to share their strengths and/or interest at their school. The charter school results showed a mean of 3.00. The traditional public school results came back with a 3.43 mean. Thus, this traditional public school offers more opportunity for their staff members to share their interests and strengths with the school community. Table 1 Staff to Staff Connections Results for Both Schools Question Charter Traditional Mean Mean 1 I have close working relationships with teachers at my school. 3.63 3.50 2 I feel supported by other teachers at my school. 3.25 3.50 3 I feel supported by the administration at my school. 3.50 3.07 4 I feel welcomed among staff members at my school. 3.25 3.64 5 I enjoy participating in professional learning communities… 3.25 3.42* 6 I feel I am needed at my school. 3.75 3.57 7 I feel staff members talk positively among each other. 2.63 3.21 8 I feel teachers are treated as educational professionals. 3.00 3.21 9 I am able to share my strengths and/or interests in my school. 3.00 3.43 10 I am proud to tell others I work at my school. 3.38 3.64 Note. The charter school had eight participants, and the traditional school had 14. The number that has an asterisk is based on only 12 participants because two chose N/A for their answer. Positive School Environments for Teachers 25 Looking at the data as a whole, the charter school mean was 3.62 and the mean for the traditional public school was 3.41. The traditional public school comes back slightly higher, by .21, than the charter school as a whole for staff to staff connections. In analyzing the qualitative data that relates to this section, the teachers and staff members expressed the need for grade-level teams and professional learning communities. Participants were asked to explain their perspective on grade level meetings and the impact these learning communities have on the school environment. A staff member at the charter school expressed that PLCs are “beneficial and help us as a team stay connected and on the same page. We know what is going on with each other and can be more of a support to one another.” A staff member at the charter school stated that, “these meetings function well when objectives are clear and personally relevant to the teachers. These meetings fail when goals are unclear or unimpactful.” Having these meetings become even more important when schools are large and staff members may be farther away from their team such as the individual at the traditional public school who stated, “I felt like I was on my own especially since I was out in the portables when everyone else was inside the school. I think having a grade level team that supports each other and is willing to share resources and ideas with one another helps to unify a team.” A staff member at the traditional public school mentioned a need to have “more open sharing of students based on highest needs…I’d prefer if we could think outside the box to be more creative how we meet student’s needs.” It is imperative that these meetings have clear expectations and objectives with a focus on all student goals. Positive School Environments for Teachers 26 Staff to Student Connections Questions 11-19 of the survey focused on staff to student connections. Table 2 shows the results for both the charter elementary and traditional public elementary school. Table 2 Staff to Student Connections for Both Schools Question Charter Traditional Mean Mean 11 Teachers at my school frequently recognize good behavior… 2.88 3.43 12 My school has high expectations for all students. 3.00 3.14 13 Teachers treat all students, regardless of race, ethnicity… 2.88 3.50 14 Teachers promote academic success for all students. 3.13 3.71 15 Teachers at my school build strong relationships with students. 3.50 3.57 16 Teachers at my school have high standards for achievement. 2.88 3.57 17 Teachers promote and model conflict resolution for their students. 2.88 3.29 18 Students at my school demonstrate behaviors that allow teachers… 2.50 2.43 19 Students at my school show respect to other students. 2.75 2.50 Note. The charter school had eight participants, and the traditional school had 14. Table 2 shows lower mean scores for the charter school, for every question except questions 18 and 19. Questions 11-17 focus on the teacher and school providing and promoting high expectations and strong beliefs that students can be and will be successful. Looking at question 11, the mean for the charter school is .55 lower than the mean of the traditional public school. This score demonstrates that the charter school should establish a school environment in which teachers encourage and recognize good behavior in students. Along these same lines, question 13 focused on teachers treating students with respect regardless of their race, ethnicity, culture, or ability. The charter school results show a .62 negative difference from the traditional public school mean. This result is concerning as an educator because all staff members should be treating all individuals, regardless of these circumstances, the same. We are all humans, thus we all deserve the same respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, or ability. Positive School Environments for Teachers 27 A commonality can be seen between the charter and traditional public school in relation to questions 18 and 19. The results show that students at both schools are disrespectful towards one another (question 19), which could be impacting the teachers’ ability to teach (question 18). Interestingly enough, looking at question 17 “Teachers promote and model conflict resolution for their students,” the charter school comes in .41 behind the traditional public school’s mean. This question could correlate to the students’ behaviors and the way students are able to use strategies modeled for conflict resolution. Staff to Administrator Connections Questions 20 through question 40 focused on the relationships staff members have with their administrator. This section has the largest amount of questions due to my research focus on administrators impact on the school environments. Positive School Environments for Teachers 28 Table 3 Staff to Administrator Connections for Both Schools Question Charter Traditional Mean Mean 20 My administrators know me. 3.63 3.23* 21 School administrators allow adequate time for whole school… 3.00 3.00** 22 School administrators allow adequate time for teams to collaborate. 3.29* 3.15* 23 School administrators communicate effectively about deadlines. 3.25 3.38* 24 School administrators hold themselves to the same high expectations… 3.63 3.46* 25 School administrators back me up. 3.38 3.38* 26 School administrators are aware of what happens in the classrooms. 3.13 3.17** 27 I can ask my school administrator for guidance and/or strategies. 3.50 3.46* 28 I can openly express my concerns to my school administrators. 3.38 3.23* 29 My school administrator follows through on agreements… 3.48 3.38* 30 School administrators provide useful feedback on my teaching. 2.50** 3.08** 31 I have autonomy in my classroom. 3.50** 3.25** 32 I have access to tools I need to be successful in my job. 3.13 3.31* 33 I have opportunities for professional development. 2.88 3.69* 34 I feel safe at my school. 3.50 3.62* 35 I feel I have a purpose at my school. 3.63 3.69* 36 I have a mentor who guides me to my highest potential. 2.75 2.64*** 37 I feel that I can teach and not have to worry about extra duties… 1.71* 3.17** 38 I feel my school administrators put extra work on me. 3.00 1.92* 39 I look forward to coming to my school every day. 3.00 3.23* 40 I trust my administrator(s). 3.63 3.31* Note. The charter school had eight participants. The number that has an asterisk is based on only seven participants because one chose N/A for their answer. The number that has two asterisks is based on only six participants because two chose N/A for their answer. The traditional school had 14 participants. The number that has an asterisk is based on only 13 participants because one participant chose N/A for their answer. The number that has two asterisks is based on only 12 participants because two participants chose N/A for their answer. The number that has three asterisks is based on only 11 participants because three participants chose N/A for their answer. Two data points that stood out were on questions 37 and 38. The charter school mean was 1.71; whereas, the traditional public school mean was 3.17 for question 37. That 1.46 difference between the schools shows that the charter school’s teachers and staff are aware of the extra work that they are assigned to do each day and that work may hinder their teaching. Similarly, the charter school had a mean of 3 and the traditional public school had a mean of 1.92 for Positive School Environments for Teachers 29 question 38. These two questions are similar in nature, yet the school’s results are drastically different. Question 37 focuses on extra duties such as carpool (pick-up) and question 38 speaks in general terms of feeling like more work is put on the staff members. The qualitative data from the open-ended question about the administrator’s effect on the environment support the quantitative data. Each school had their specific thoughts of the new administrator's effect on the school. Many participants from the traditional public school mentioned the importance of a strong relationship with their new administrator. One staff member from the traditional public school said, The most crucial factor, I feel, is new in this case often means less time to have built and fostered relationships with the faculty…I need to know that I have assistance when needed, and I need to know I have value. This is really hard unless there’s been a relationship established before this is necessary. Other participants brought up the importance of hearing the why for changes in programs or the way things are done in order to alleviate the strain it has on the students and staff members. One staff member at the traditional school explained this idea well, “I think new admin can really affect the school environment because teachers get so use to the why things are, sometimes it is super hard to accept changes with the way things have been done for years.” Another public school staff member said, …Sometimes the new administrators’ vision is different from the previous administration and a time for adjustment and change is needed…What may have been important and of value to one set of administrators may be different from the other. It is hard when you have invested a lot of time and energy into creating programs and lessons that a previous Positive School Environments for Teachers 30 administrator valued, only to have to change or abandon things you have created because the new administration has a different point of view. The common themes found within the traditional public school participants were the importance of building relationships among staff and students through the transition along with having clear expectations and explanations of changes being made. The charter school perspectives of a new administrator were then analyzed to find common themes from the charter school. Time for the teachers was mentioned a few times throughout the survey. One charter school staff member summed up what several participants said, I wish my administrator had more time for teachers. It seems everyone is taking care of the students, but no one is taking care of the teachers. Making sure they have what they need emotionally and structurally. It is just fend for yourself and then be criticized if you [your students] don't pass the state exams. Teachers are left to help each other, with not enough time to do that. Administrators should not focus on discipline, the teachers do plenty of that. They should focus in their very important managers (the teachers) and the teachers should focus on the customer (the students). Another charter school staff member stated, New administrators can be concerned about administrative-level concerns to the point that teachers suffer. For example, drastic changes can be made in order to meet student accommodations, behavior plans and standardized testing scores. The resulting lack of predictability and routine for teachers does not result in decreased performance (teachers will meet these goals), but rather low job satisfaction (teachers will quit). Positive School Environments for Teachers 31 The disruption of transition is both hard on the students and the staff members. Another charter school participant mentioned, “When new administrators come in it affects the ‛family’ feel until everything evens out.” Although transitions can be trying on the teachers, two participants discussed how the change can bring good to the school environment. One charter school staff member said, “Depending on their flexibility and humility they can be an amazing addition or really hurt the environment.” Another person from the school explained, They are very instrumental in the whole dynamic of the school. They help create a positive or negative environment based on their attitude and their leadership skills. A strong administrator can strengthen the staff and make the school a better place when they have proper leadership skills. The common themes found from the charter school participants were a new administrator affects the family feeling and can negatively impact the school if drastic changes are put into place without the right support for both students and teachers. Open-ended Question: School Environments This open-ended question focused specifically on what participants want in their school environments that best support their working experience. Participants were asked to outline what working conditions they care most about at their school. The first identified theme was the importance of having the right amount of support within the class and school environment. It came through responses such as this staff member at the traditional public school stating, “Having the appropriate amount of staff support”; “I want to feel like admin has my back and will support me and not throw me under the bus in front of parents”; and “…I need to know that my job isn't dependent on parents/students' whims. I need to know that when I come in with an issue, I'm going to be listened to and believed, rather than brushed off….” Positive School Environments for Teachers 32 The second theme identified was the desire to feel respected as a professional. One staff member from the charter school explained, “Respect. Respect is the most important thing in a professional environment.” Whereas, a staff member from the traditional public school stated, “I want to work with others in a non toxic environment and to not be judged or ridiculed by what I do, and how I do it.” The third theme identified was the availability of supplies and tools needed to support the learning in the classroom. One teacher at the charter school stated, I think we as teachers need to have access to the materials we need to do our jobs. We spend a lot of our own money buying things we need for the classroom. We can ask parents to donate materials, but I hate to ask for too much and I don't think parents should have to feel the burden of supplying us with what we should already have to work with. Asking families for donations can be an economic disadvantage for certain families who would like to help but cannot. It becomes an issue because staff members, depending on the district, are only allotted a certain amount of money towards classroom supplies. Like one staff member at the traditional school mentioned, “Having supplies readily available is also important to me. I feel like I shouldn’t have to use my own money to supply my classroom with the necessities like tissues, glue sticks, pencils, etc.” Other Thoughts about School Environments This question was the most open-ended. Participants were able to express their final thoughts about school environments. At the charter school, the common themes found were the important of a family feel. One staff member at the charter school stated, “We are a family at our school and that in turn makes the students feel loved and motivated.” Along these same lines another staff member at the charter school mentioned, “A positive school Positive School Environments for Teachers 33 environment can be so important in the growth of students as well as the growth of staff and faculty.” At the traditional public school, a common theme mentioned was ensuring teachers are getting the social and emotional (SEL) support just as their students are receiving. At this school they have started a SEL program for their students with a staff member who comes in monthly to each class to teach lessons. The school has also created an SEL team for teachers. One staff member at the school stated, …Right now, it [SEL for teachers] feels very much like a band-aid on a gaping, infected wound… We cannot neglect the teachers. I'm not sure what safeguards we can put in place to ensure that we are supporting each other more fully, and what we can do to lessen the stress of the profession without neglecting the children, but I hope that we can find it as we share ideas. At the traditional public school, there was an added stress of having to find the connectedness among staff and students with the dual-immersion foreign language program. Areas discussed in this section were the concerns of creating a school culture that meshed the two together. One staff member at the school stated, I feel like there's a divide in our school of the [immersion] classes and just the normal classes. The students that are in the [immersion] program are all together for 7 years. The kids in the regular classes are more spread out between classes and students aren't with all of their same peers year to year. I think as a school we need to have some more opportunities for students to get to know their peers across their grade level and not just in their classroom. Positive School Environments for Teachers 34 Summary The two results sections for the open-ended questions provided insight as to what staff members are seeking in school environments they work in. The three themes identified in the school environments section were (a) having enough support by staff members, (b) being treated as an educational professional and (c) having the need supplies to support the classroom. The second open-ended question allowed staff members to express any other thoughts they had about school environments that were not mentioned in my survey. The theme found at the charter school was the importance of a family feel in the environment. At the traditional school, the main theme was the importance of staff members receiving SEL services along with having a more collaboration between students and staff in dual foreign-language program. Positive School Environments for Teachers 35 DISCUSSION This survey sought to compare two schools’ environments by examining the teachers’ perceptions of their interpersonal connections in the workplace. The survey also used open-ended questions to determine what working conditions teachers prefer. Having personally experienced both charter and traditional elementary school settings, I wanted to have more insight into how school environments affect teachers and staff members at the school. Comparison of School Environments I compared two school environments in Utah with different styles of oversight to see if there was a significant difference in the teachers’ perception of their interpersonal connections. I compared the two schools in three sections: staff to staff connections, staff to student connections, and staff to administrator connections. When looking at the results from staff to staff connections in Table 1, the charter school participants struggled with staff members talking positively about one another. Having negative conversations about one another in an environment that needs collaboration can be detrimental. Several studies have shown that staff to staff connections play a vital role in building a community within a large system (Bălănescu, 2019; Forte & Flores, 2014; Fullan, 2001; Grayson & Alvarez, 2008). Having strong working relationships amongst staff members increases collaboration, job performance, and job satisfaction (Bălănescu, 2019; Forte & Flores, 2014; Fullan, 2001; Grayson & Alvarez, 2008). Overall, the staff to staff connections from both schools came back positive (agree and strongly agree), which provided evidence for the staff’s desires to have healthy, positive connections among staff members. When staff members feel that they are one with the school environment, their overall happiness and job performance increases (Bălănescu, 2019; Forte & Positive School Environments for Teachers 36 Flores, 2014; Fullan, 2001; Grayson & Alvarez, 2008). Therefore, staff members will perform better in such environments that are meeting their needs through interpersonal relations with other staff members. The staff to staff connections are vital, but so are the staff to student connections. The staff to student relationships are crucial in student success and teachers’ job performance (Lavy & Bocker, 2018). It is vital that teachers can teach, and students can learn in an environment that promotes such positive relationships. Staff members need to be in a school environment of which promotes healthy relationships amongst staff members as well as students to staff members and students to students. I found from the survey that teachers felt their teaching was greatly hindered by student behaviors. I have experienced this situation when I must focus on positive behavior support in the classroom to manage behavior, and I am unable to provide the curricular instruction needed by all students. When teachers experience these discipline issues daily, they can become overwhelming, leading to a negative perspective of the teaching profession. If student behavior overtakes teaching and learning on a daily basis without support from school administrators, it could lead to staff members increased desire to leave the profession. Another factor in the staff to student relationships is the respect amongst the students. The data show that participants from both schools saw respect as a concern. Students at their schools show low levels of respect to their peers. I have even heard students at the traditional public school say, in an unkind manner, “You cannot play with us on the playground because we are the French kids.” I have personally seen this divide and it takes a large amount of effort and collaboration to bring a grade level together. The team I was on planned monthly rotations where students were divided up from every class and put into groups. The groups rotated from each classroom teacher, 20 minutes at a time, with their group. The team and I saw a decrease in Positive School Environments for Teachers 37 segregation on the playground when we began this monthly activity. In my eight years of teaching, I have seen an increase in students showing less respect for one another and for their teachers and parents. I feel that this is an area of weakness in the school environments of which needs a closer examining of how to improve these peer relationships. The staff to administrator connection is an important contributor to staff feeling a connectedness to the school (Sutcher et al., 2019). Strong relations between staff to staff, staff to student, and staff to administrator can greatly impact the desire to continue at the school or in the profession. Table 3 shows a drastic difference in responses when looking at both schools to the following questions: (a) I feel that I can teach and not have to worry about extra duties (e.g. carpool, recess duty) and (b) I feel my school administrators put extra work on me. In response to the first question, over half of the charter school participants selected “strongly disagree” or “disagree”. From the results, it is evident that the charter school administration puts more on their employees than the traditional public school administration does. Only three of the fourteen public school participants put “strongly disagree” or “disagree”. Being a former teacher at a charter school, I felt overworked when asked to partake in recess duty, carpool duty, and meetings that extended beyond my contract hours. When I stepped into the assistant director position at a charter school, I saw the other side of things. With less resources than public schools and being our own district, our school did not have access to crossing guards and recess aides to support our teachers. In order for all systems to flow, we needed our staff to help with these extra duties. Both schools’ staffs’ responses to the staff to administrator data showed that a relationship between administrator and staff to be of importance along with respecting the school feel and traditions. For new administrators, building trusting relationships at the beginning and Positive School Environments for Teachers 38 gathering ideas of how the school environment runs and understanding the traditions would help to make the transition as smooth as possible. Having trusting relationships and a feel for the school culture, I feel will support the changes that need to be made within the school Working Conditions Working in a large system and pinpointing desired working conditions can be quite hard as I found through the results from the open-ended questions in the survey. There was a variety of responses on desired working conditions, but I was able to identify two common working conditions the participants desired. The first working condition identified was the desire to have adequate support for teachers and staff. The second working condition identified was the desire to feel respected as an educational professional. Participants expressed their need to feel supported within the school environment. When teachers feel unsupported, they may isolate themselves, limiting their interactions with those around, which in turn, can create a negative working environment (McLaurin et al., 2009). A sense of community must be created within the school so that staff members can seek guidance for difficult student behaviors or support in their classrooms to meet student or personal needs; people thrive when there is a safe community to express such concerns (Ingersoll, 2001). Participants mentioned a desire to feel respected as an educational professional (Alvy, 2005). Individuals want their hard work and successes celebrated. In my own experiences, individuals have stated that anyone can teach, but these individuals have not been in the classroom to see the everchanging challenges teachers face. I am not sure what it will take to help individuals see the importance of teachers and staff at school who ultimately help build the future leaders of our world. Positive School Environments for Teachers 39 Limitations One potential limitation of the present study was the small number of participants from each school. These data are not adequate to make big changes at either of these two schools; however, they serve as a starting point for further development and discussion of this topic. Situational variables such as time of day, mood, current life events, or place may have significantly influenced a more positive or negative response to the survey questions. I believe the biggest limitation was the fear of responding to the survey and having the results impact the staff member within the school they are currently at based on personal interactions with staff members at both of these schools. Recommendations As this topic is a highly sought after one, the future work to be done with this topic is far reaching. This survey is one of the initial investigations as to what environments are most supportive for teachers. An important first step in increasing teacher retention involves the development of strategies by school administrators, which target both individual and system-wide needs to improve the school environments (Oakes et al., 2013). This beginning step may be a focus on school-wide PBIS, enforced PLCs, or a development of SEL for the staff members. The need for retention of teachers can be improved when positive school cultures are promoted (Lavy & Bocker, 2018; Maior et al., 2015; Oakes et al., 2013; Teasley, 2016). Conclusion Though this research study was small, it was apparent that teachers and staff members are in dire need of feeling supported at their schools, having a close community feeling, and a great feeling of respect for all that they do within their schools. Through the analyzation of both the Positive School Environments for Teachers 40 quantitative and qualitative data, school administrators must create positive and professional environments in order to retain their staff members. Self-Reflection Being a former administrator and active teacher, this information is critical in ensuring those I work among stay in the profession. I worked in a negative work environment of which I chose to leave to work in a more positive environment elsewhere. It began to create and shape a lack of interest to continue in the profession of teaching. Luckily an opportunity opened and I followed. The school I moved to was in transition. A new school administrator was in their first year. The personality of this administrator was more rigid than the previous administrator I interviewed with. The drastically different personalities of administrators caused tension within the school, however, this change in administration was what I, personally, needed. I was so inspired that I applied to be the assistant director. I saw a need for reform within the school and worked tirelessly with my director to make changes for a more positive environment. What I found through this beautiful, yet exhausting process, was that more research needed to be done to determine what teachers needed for a thriving, positive environment. These experiences are how this project came about. Teaching is an incredibly difficult job to begin with and if there are negative working conditions, which can be removed from the staff members, I truly believe more individuals will stay in the profession. My hope is that more schools will analyze their environments to determine the needs within to best support their staff members. Positive School Environments for Teachers 41 References Adams, C. M., & Miskell, R. C. (2016). Teacher trust in district administration. Educational Administration Quarterly, 52(4), 675–706. doi:10.1177/0013161X16652202 Alvy, H. (2005). 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Understanding teacher shortages: An analysis of teacher supply and demand in the United States. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27(35), 1-40. doi:10.14507/epaa.27.3696 T Takkaç Tulgar, A. (2015). I am an instructor now. But, where is my mentor? Journal of Graduate School of Social Sciences, 19(2), 209–220. Teasley, M. L. (2017). Organizational culture and schools: A call for leadership and collaboration. Children & Schools, 39(1), 3–5. doi: 10.1093/cs/cdw048 Utah State Board of Education [USBE]. (2019). Early years enhancement (E.Y.E.) brochure. Retrieved from https://www.schools.utah.gov/file/d92aa857-1452-4f43-899a-86c4a24c6e7e Waters, J. T., Marzano, R. J., & McNulty, B. (2004). Leadership that sparks learning. Educational Leadership, 61(7), 48–51. Positive School Environments for Teachers 45 Appendix 1 Please answer all the following questions. If you prefer not to answer a specific question related to you, please select “I prefer not to answer.” Thank you for taking the time to do this survey. Demographics What is your gender or gender you identify with? Male Female Other I prefer not to answer What is your ethnicity? Hispanic or Latino/a Not Hispanic or Latino/a I prefer not to answer What is your race? (mark all that apply) American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black/African American Hispanic Pacific Islander Caucasian Multi-racial Job classification. Teacher Certified Staff Member/Administrator Classified/Other Staff Member I prefer not to answer Grade taught. Pre-K K 1 2 3 4 5 6 I prefer not to answer Area(s) taught. (mark all that apply) Traditional K-6 Immersion ELA Science Social Studies Math Special Education Music PE Art Other, please specify: ________________ I prefer not to answer Years of work experience. 0-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years More than 15 years I prefer not to answer Highest degree earned. High School Diploma Associate’s Degree Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree Educational Specialist Degree Doctoral Degree Other, please specify: ____________ I prefer not to answer Positive School Environments for Teachers 46 Survey Questions Scale: 1 (strongly disagree) 2 (disagree) 3 (agree) 4 (strongly agree) Staff to Staff Connections Q1: I have close working relationships with teachers at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q2: I feel supported by other teachers at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q3: I feel supported by the administration at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q4: I feel welcomed among staff members at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q5: I enjoy participating in professional learning communities (e.g. teams, grade level, content) at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q6: I feel I am needed at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q7: I feel staff members talk positively among each other. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q8: I feel teachers are treated as educational professionals. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q9: I am able to share my strengths and/or interests in my school. 4 3 2 1 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q10: I am proud to tell others I work at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Staff to Student Connections Q11: Teachers at my school frequently recognize good behavior by students. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q12: My school has high expectations for all students. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q13: Teachers treat all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or ability with respect. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Positive School Environments for Teachers 47 Q14: Teachers promote academic success for all students. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q15: Teachers at my school build strong relationships with students. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q16: Teachers at my school have high standards for achievement. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q17: Teachers promote and model conflict resolution for their students. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q18: Students at my school demonstrate behaviors that allow teachers to teach, and students to learn. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q19: Students at my school show respect to other students. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Staff to Administrator Connections Q20: My administrators know me. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q21: School administrators allow adequate time for whole school collaboration. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q22: School administrators allow adequate time for teams to collaborate. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q23: School administrators communicate effectively about deadlines. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q24: School administrators hold themselves to the same high expectations as others. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q25: School administrators back me up. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q26: School administrators are aware of what happens in the classrooms. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q27: I can ask my school administrator for guidance and/or strategies. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q28: I can openly express my concerns to my school administrators. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Positive School Environments for Teachers 48 Q29: My school administrator follows through on agreements and expectations. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q30: School administrators provide useful feedback on my teaching. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q31: I have autonomy in my classroom. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q32: I have access to tools I need to be successful in my job. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q33: I have opportunities for professional development. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q34: I feel safe at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q35: I feel I have a purpose at my school. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q36: I have a mentor who guides me to my highest potential. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q37: I feel that I can teach and not have to worry about extra duties (e.g. carpool, recess duty). 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q38: I feel my school administrators put extra work on me. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q39: I look forward to coming to my school every day. 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Q40: I trust my administrator(s). 1 2 3 4 Not applicable/prefer not to answer Open-ended Essay Questions Please answer the following questions with your greatest detail, if they apply to you and your position. E1: How do new administrators (3 years or less) affect the school environment? E2: What specific working conditions do you care about in your position at your school? Please elaborate. Positive School Environments for Teachers 49 E3: How do grade level meetings (i.e. professional learning communities) impact your experience at school? E4: Do you have any other thoughts not mentioned in the survey, that relate to your school environment, that you would like to share?