Recently, my principal sent out a survey to the staff using an online service called, Survey Monkey. He was looking for feedback on how the staff felt about the new collaborative idea he was trying to implement to improve student achievement called Professional Learning Communities or PLC. You can find out more about PLC here.
As I travel on my journey toward School Administration Mastery, I am always looking to learn new techniques and strategies to be a more effective leader. This survey was something that I thought was a valuable tool that a school administrator could use to get some feedback from the staff.
I asked my principal about the reasons behind the survey, and what he expected to gain from its results, and I found myself taking a few more steps on my journey.
He told me that the survey provides him feedback, but also demonstrates transparency to the staff. He didn’t want there to be any kind of mistrust of the administration from the staff. He feels that if an administrator demonstrates that he/she is open to criticism, there is a trust that develops among the teachers and the administration.
I’ve been member of staffs where there wasn’t any trust between administration and the teachers. It made for a very negative work environment. Teachers could not be asked to do more than the minimum and administration was seen as “one of them” instead of “one of us.”
I’m still learning about the line between administration and staff, but that’s for another post.
Here are 16 Questions that School Administrators can use to Survey Their Staff:
Answer with the following:
Somewhat | 50% | To a large degree | To a great extent
1. The staff is consistently involved in discussion and making decisions about important school issues.
2. Administrators incorporate advise or input from staff to make decisions.
3. The staff has access to key information.
4. Administrators are proactive and address areas where support is needed.
5. Opportunities are provided for staff to initiate change.
6. Administrators share responsibility and reward innovative actions.
7. Administrators practice shared leadership with staff by sharing power and authority.
8. Leadership is promoted and nurtured among staff.
9. Decision making takes place through leadership teams (i.e. Team Leaders, Dept Chairs) and is communicated effectively across Teams and Departments.
10. Administrators hold all staff members to clear and appropriate standards of performance.
11. Administrators respect and value dissenting opinions.
12. Administrators recognize the personal and professional accomplishments of all staff members.
13. Administrators actively engage teachers in conversations about effective instructional strategies.
14. Administrators promote a collective responsibility for results.
15. Administrators hold all members of our school’s faculty accountable for student achievement.
16. The school leadership keeps the school focused on shared purpose, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
Are there any questions that you would add to this list?
Please add them to the comments below.
Sending out a survey to the staff can be a great way to get a pulse of the campus, but it can also be a time to reflect on our effectiveness as an administrator.
I think it would be a good strategy to turn these questions around and ask them of myself. “Am I consistently involving the staff in discussions and making decisions about important school issues?” Etc.
I hope this was helpful. I would appreciate any feedback.
Thanks,
Sam
