Principal Questionnaire – English

Instructions

Principal Questionnaire

Principals of schools including grades 7, 8, and/or 9

About TALIS 2018

The third Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2018) is an international survey that offers the opportunity for teachers and principals to provide input into education analysis and policy development. TALIS is being coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The United States, along with more than 40 other countries, is taking part in the survey. In the United States, TALIS is being conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education.

Cross-country analysis of this data will allow countries to identify other countries facing similar challenges and to learn from other policy approaches. School principals and teachers will provide information about issues such as the professional development they have received; their teaching beliefs and practices; the review of teachers’ work and the feedback and recognition they receive about their work; and various other school leadership, management and workplace issues.

Being an international survey, it is possible that some questions do not fit very well within your national context. In these cases, please answer as best as you can.

Confidentiality

NCES is authorized to collect information from the questionnaire under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). You do not have to provide the information requested. However, the information you provide will help the U.S. Department of Education’s ongoing efforts to understand better how the educational system in the United States compares to that in other countries. There are no penalties should you choose not to participate in this study. All of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). Your responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

About the Questionnaire

• This questionnaire asks for information about school education and policy matters.
• The person who completes this questionnaire should be the principal of this school. If you do not have the information to answer particular questions, please consult other persons in this school.
• This questionnaire should take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
• When questions refer to 'this school' we mean by 'school': a division of the school system consisting of students in one or more grades and organized to give instruction of a defined type. One school may share a building with another school or one school may be housed in many buildings.
• Guidelines for answering the questions are typed in italics. Most questions can be answered by marking the one most appropriate answer.
• When in doubt about any aspect of the questionnaire, or if you would like more information about the questionnaire or the study, you can reach us by using the following contact details:

TALIS Help Desk:
Phone: 1-855-545-1163
Email: TALISHelp@westat.com

Or write to us directly at the following mailing address:

Teaching and Learning International Survey
National Center for Education Statistics
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education
Potomac Center Plaza
550 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20202, USA

Thank you very much for your participation!

Personal Background Information

These questions are about you, your education and your position as school principal. In responding to the questions, please mark the appropriate choice(s) or provide figures where necessary.

1. Are you female or male?

Please mark one choice.

Female

Male

2. How old are you?

Please write a number.

Years

3. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?

Please mark one choice.

Yes

No

4. What is your race?

Mark one or more races to indicate what you consider yourself to be.

White

Black or African American

Asian

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

American Indian or Alaska Native

5. What is the highest level of formal education you have completed?

Please mark one choice.

I did not complete high school

High school

Associate’s degree (2-year college program)

Bachelor’s degree (4-year college program)

Master’s degree or professional degree (MD, DDS, lawyer, minister)

Doctorate (Ph.D., or Ed.D.)

6. How many years of work experience do you have, regardless of whether you worked full-time or part-time?

Do not include any extended periods of leave such as maternity/paternity leave.

Please write a number in each row. Write 0 (zero) if none.

Please round up to whole years.

a) Year(s) working as a principal at this school
b) Year(s) working as a principal in total
c) Year(s) working in other school management roles (do not include years working as a principal)
d) Year(s) working as a teacher in total (include any years of teaching)
e) Year(s) working in other jobs

7. What is your current employment status as a principal, in terms of working hours?

Please mark one choice.

Full-time (more than 90% of full-time hours) without teaching obligation

Full-time (more than 90% of full-time hours) with teaching obligation

Part-time (up to 90% of full-time hours) without teaching obligation

Part-time (up to 90% of full-time hours) with teaching obligation

8. Did the formal education or training you completed include the following and, if yes, was this before or after you took up a position as principal?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Before	After	Before and after	Never
a) School administration or principal training program or course
b) Teacher training/education program or course
c) Instructional leadership training or course

9. During the last 12 months, did you participate in any of the following professional development activities aimed at you as a principal?

Professional development is defined as activities that aim to develop an individual's professional skills, knowledge and expertise.

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Yes	No
a) Courses/seminars about subject matter, teaching methods or pedagogical topics
b) Courses/seminars about leadership
c) Courses/seminars attended in person
d) Online courses/seminars
e) Education conferences where teachers, principals and/or researchers present their research or discuss educational issues
f) Formal qualification program (e.g., a degree program)
g) Peer and/or self-observation and coaching as part of a formal arrangement
h) Participation in a network of principals formed specifically for the professional development of principals
i) Reading professional literature
j) Other

10. For each of the areas listed below, please indicate the extent to which you currently need professional development.

Please mark one choice in each row.

	No need at present	Low level of need	Moderate level of need	High level of need
a) Knowledge and understanding of new developments in leadership research and theory
b) Knowledge and understanding of current national/local policies on education
c) Using data for improving the quality of the school
d) Designing the school curriculum
e) Designing professional development for/with teachers
f) Observing classroom instruction
g) Providing effective feedback
h) Promoting equity and diversity
i) Developing collaboration among teachers
j) Human resource management
k) Financial management

11. How strongly do you agree or disagree that the following present barriers to your participation in professional development?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a) I do not have the prerequisites (e.g., qualifications, experience, seniority).
b) Professional development is too expensive.
c) There is a lack of employer support.
d) Professional development conflicts with my work schedule.
e) I do not have time because of family responsibilities.
f) There is no relevant professional development offered.
g) There are no incentives for participating in professional development.
h) The professional development offered is of poor quality.
i) Professional development is not readily accessible to me.

School Background Information

12. Which best describes the community in which your school is located?

Please mark one choice.

A village, hamlet or rural area (up to 3,000 people)

Small town (3,001 to 15,000 people)

Town (15,001 to 100,000 people)

City (100,001 to 1,000,000 people)

Large city (more than 1,000,000 people)

13. About what percentage of this school's total funding for a typical school year comes from the following sources?

Please enter a number in each row.

Write 0 (zero) if none.

a) Government (including departments, municipal, local, district, state, national and supranational levels)
b) Student fees or school charges paid by parents or guardians
c) Benefactors, donations, bequests, sponsorships, parent/guardian fundraising
d) Other

14. Is this school publicly- or privately-managed?

Please mark one choice

Publicly-managed
This is a school managed by a public education authority, government agency, or governing board appointed by government or elected by public franchise.

Privately-managed
This is a school managed by a non-government organization (e.g., a religious institution, trade union, business or other private institution).

15. For each type of position listed below, please indicate the number of staff (head count) currently working in this school.

Staff may fall into multiple categories.

Please write a number in each row. Write 0 (zero) if there are none.

a) Teachers, irrespective of the grades/ages they teach Those whose main professional activity at this school is the provision of instruction to students
b) Personnel for pedagogical support, irrespective of the grades/ages they support Including all teacher aides or other non-teaching professionals who provide instruction or support teachers in providing instruction, professional curriculum/instructional specialists, educational media specialists, school psychologists and nurses
c) School administrative personnel Including receptionists, secretaries, and administrative assistants
d) School management personnel Including principals, assistant principals, and other management staff whose main activity is management
e) Other staff

16. Please indicate the number of staff (head count) in this school for each of the categories below.

Include part-time staff and staff that began work during the year.

Count any staff member for any reason, including retirement, maternity/paternity leave,
and temporary teaching.

	0	1-5	6-10	11-15	16 or more
a) Teachers who began work at this school during the last 12 months
b) Teachers who permanently left this school during the last 12 months
c) Teachers absent for the most recent Tuesday that school was in session

17. Are the following education levels and/or programs taught in this school and, if yes, are there other schools in your area that compete for students at that education level and/or program?

Please indicate ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in part (A) for each of the levels and/or programs listed below.

If ‘Yes’ in part (A), please indicate in part (B) the number of other schools in this area that compete for your students.

(A) Level/program taught	Yes	No
a) Pre-primary education (prekindergarten, preschool, or kindergarten)
b) Primary education (any of grades 1-6)
c) Lower secondary education (any of grades 7-9)
d) Upper secondary (any of grades 10-12) general education programs
e) Upper secondary (any of grades 10-12) vocational or technical education programs

(B) Competition	Two or more other schools	One other school	No other schools
a) Pre-primary education (prekindergarten, preschool, or kindergarten)
b) Primary education (any of grades 1-6)
c) Lower secondary education (any of grades 7-9)
d) Upper secondary (any of grades 10-12) general education programs
e) Upper secondary (any of grades 10-12) vocational or technical education programs

18. What is the current school enrollment (i.e., the number of students of all grades/ages in this school)?

Please write a number.

Students

19. Please estimate the broad percentage of students in grades 7, 8, and/or 9 in this school who have the following characteristics.

Students with special needs are those for whom a special learning need has been formally identified due to mental, physical, or emotional characteristics. Often they will be those for whom additional public or private resources (personnel, material or financial) have been provided to support their education.

'Socioeconomically disadvantaged homes’ refers to homes lacking the basic necessities or advantages of life, such as adequate income, housing, nutrition or medical care.

A ‘refugee’ is one who, regardless of legal status, fled to another country seeking refuge from war, political oppression, religious persecution, or a natural disaster.

Students may fall into multiple categories.

Please mark one choice in each row.

	None	1% to 10%	11% to 30%	31% to 60%	More than 60%
a) Students whose first language is not English
b) Students with special needs
c) Students from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes
d) Students who are refugees

School Leadership

20. Does this school have a school management team?

´School management team’ refers to a group within the school that has responsibilities for leading and managing the school in decisions such as those involving instruction, use of resources, curriculum, assessment and evaluation, and other strategic decisions related to the appropriate functioning
of the school.

Please mark one choice.

Yes

No -->You will be directed to Question 22.

21. Are the following currently represented on the school management team?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Yes	No	Not applicable
a) Principal
b) Vice/deputy principal or assistant principal
c) Financial manager
d) Department heads
e) Teachers
f) School governing board
g) Parents or guardians
h) Students
i) Representatives of businesses, religious institutions, or other private institutions
j) Other

22. Regarding this school, who has a significant responsibility for the following tasks?

A 'significant responsibility' is one where an active role is played in decision making.

Please mark as many choices as appropriate in each row.

	Principal	Other members of the school management team	Teachers (not as a part of the school management team)	School governing board	Local school district or state education authority
a) Appointing or hiring teachers
b) Dismissing or suspending teachers from employment
c) Establishing teachers' starting salaries, including setting pay scales
d) Determining teachers' salary increases
e) Deciding on budget allocations within the school
f) Establishing student disciplinary policies and procedures
g) Establishing student assessment policies, including state and district assessments
h) Approving students for admission to the school
i) Choosing which learning materials are used
j) Determining course content, including state and district curricula
k) Deciding which courses are offered

23. On average throughout the school year, what percentage of time in your role as a principal do you spend on the following tasks in this school?

Rough estimates are sufficient. Please write a number in each row. Write 0 (zero) if none.

Please ensure that responses add up to 100%.

a) Administrative tasks and meetings Including regulations, reports, school budget, preparing timetables and class composition, responding to requests from district, regional, state, or national education officials	%
b) Leadership tasks and meetings Including strategic planning, leadership and management activities such as developing school improvement plans, and human resource and personnel issues such as hiring staff	%
c) Curriculum and teaching-related tasks and meetings Including developing curriculum, teaching, classroom observations, student evaluation, mentoring teachers, teacher professional development	%
d) Student interactions Including counseling and conversations outside structured learning activities, discipline	%
e) Parent or guardian interactions Including formal and informal interactions	%
f) Interactions with local and regional community, businesses and industries	%
g) Extra-curricular planning and supervision	%
h) Other	%
	100    %

24. Please indicate how frequently you engaged in the following activities in this school during the last 12 months.

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Never or rarely	Sometimes	Often	Very Often
a) I collaborated with teachers to solve classroom discipline problems.
b) I observed instruction in the classroom.
c) I provided feedback to teachers based on my observations.
d) I took actions to support cooperation among teachers to develop new teaching practices.
e) I took actions to ensure that teachers take responsibility for improving their teaching skills.
f) I took actions to ensure that teachers feel responsible for their students’ learning outcomes.
g) I provided parents or guardians with information on the school and student performance.
h) I reviewed school administrative procedures and reports.
i) I resolved problems with the lesson timetable in this school.
j) I collaborated with principals from other schools on challenging work tasks.
k) I worked on a professional development plan for this school.

Teacher Formal Appraisal

In this section, ‘appraisal’ is defined as when a teacher’s work is reviewed by the principal, an external inspector or by his or her colleagues. Here, it is defined as a more formal approach (e.g., as part of a formal performance management system, involving set procedures and criteria) rather than a more informal approach (e.g., through informal discussions).

25. On average, how often is each teacher formally appraised in this school by the following people?

Please mark one choice in each row.

If none of the response choices reflect this school's situation, please choose the one that is closest to it.

	Never	Less than once every two years	Once every two years	Once per year	Twice or more per year
a) Principal
b) Other members of the school management team
c) Assigned mentors
d) Teachers (who are not part of the school management team)
e) External individuals or bodies (e.g., inspectors, local or state education authorities, or other persons from outside the school)

If you answered ‘Never’ to all of the above -->You will be directed to Question 28.

26. Who uses the following types of information as part of the formal appraisal of teachers’ work in this school?

Please mark as many choices as appropriate in each row.

	External individuals or bodies	Principal	Member(s) of the school management team	Assigned mentors	Other teachers (not a part of the school management team)	Not used in this school
a) Observations of classroom teaching
b) Student survey responses related to teaching
c) Assessments of teachers’ content knowledge
d) Students’ external results (e.g., national test scores)
e) School-based and classroom-based results (e.g., performance results, project results, test scores)
f) Self-assessments of teachers’ work (e.g., presentation of a portfolio assessment, analysis of teaching using video)

27. Please indicate the frequency that each of the following occurs in this school following a formal teacher appraisal.

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Never	Sometimes	Most of the time	Always
a) Measures to remedy any weaknesses in teaching are discussed with the teacher.
b) A development/training plan is developed.
c) Material sanctions such as reduced annual increases in pay are imposed.
d) A mentor is appointed to help the teacher improve his/her teaching.
e) A change in a teacher’s work responsibilities (e.g., increase or decrease in his/her teaching load, administrative/managerial responsibilities or mentor responsibilities)
f) An increase in a teacher’s salary or a payment of a financial bonus
g) A change in the likelihood of a teacher’s career advancement
h) Dismissal or non-renewal of contract

School Climate

28. How strongly do you agree or disagree with these statements as applied to this school?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a) This school provides staff with opportunities to actively participate in school decisions.
b) This school provides parents or guardians with opportunities to actively participate in school decisions.
c) This school provides students with opportunities to actively participate in school decisions.
d) This school has a culture of shared responsibility for school issues.
e) I make the important decisions on my own.
f) There is a collaborative school culture which is characterized by mutual support.
g) The school staff share a common set of beliefs about teaching and learning.
h) The school staff enforces rules for student behavior consistently throughout the school.
i) This school encourages staff to lead new initiatives.
j) Teachers and students usually get along well with each other.
k) Teachers can rely on each other.

29. To what extent do the following statements apply to this school?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Not at all	To some extent	Quite a bit	A lot
a) Teachers understand the school’s curricular goals.
b) Teachers succeed in implementing the school’s curriculum.
c) Teachers hold high expectations for student achievement.
d) Parents or guardians support student achievement.
e) Parents or guardians are involved in school activities.
f) Students have a desire to do well in school.
g) The school cooperates with the local community.

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

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a) This school quickly identifies the need to do things differently.
b) This school quickly responds to changes when needed.
c) This school readily accepts new ideas.
d) This school makes assistance readily available for the development of new ideas.

31. To what extent is this school’s capacity to provide quality instruction currently hindered by any of the following issues?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Not at all	To some extent	Quite a bit	A lot
a) Shortage of qualified teachers
b) Shortage of teachers with competence in teaching students with special needs
c) Shortage of vocational teachers
d) Shortage or inadequacy of instructional materials (e.g., textbooks)
e) Shortage or inadequacy of digital technology for instruction (e.g., software, computers, tablets, smart boards)
f) Insufficient internet access
g) Shortage or inadequacy of library materials
h) Shortage of support personnel
i) Shortage or inadequacy of instructional space (e.g., classrooms)
j) Shortage or inadequacy of physical infrastructure (e.g., classroom furniture, school buildings, heating/cooling, and lighting)
k) Shortage of teachers with competence in teaching students in a multicultural or multilingual setting
l) Shortage of teachers with competence in teaching students from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes
m) Shortage or inadequacy of necessary materials to train vocational skills
n) Shortage or inadequacy of time for instructional leadership
o) Shortage or inadequacy of time with students

32. In this school, how often do the following occur among students?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Never	Less than monthly	Monthly	Weekly	Daily
a) Vandalism and theft
b) Intimidation or bullying among students (or other forms of verbal abuse)
c) Physical injury caused by violence among students
d) Intimidation or verbal abuse of teachers or staff
e) Use/possession of drugs and/or alcohol
f) A student or parent/guardian reports postings of hurtful information on the internet about students
g) A student or parent/guardian reports unwanted electronic contact among students (e.g., via texts, emails, online)

Induction and Mentoring

The following section includes questions on induction and mentoring.

‘Induction activities’ are designed to support new teachers’ introduction into the teaching profession and to support experienced teachers who are new to a school, and they are either organized in formal structured programs or informally arranged as separate activities.

‘Mentoring’ is defined as a support structure in schools where more experienced teachers support less experienced teachers. This structure might involve all teachers in the school or only new teachers.

33. Do new teachers at this school have access to induction activities?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Yes	No
a) There is a formal induction program for new teachers.
b) There are informal induction activities for new teachers.

If you answered ‘No’ to a) and b) -->You will be directed to Question 36.

If you answered ‘No’ to only a) -->You will be directed to Question 35.

34. Which teachers at this school are offered a formal induction program?

Please mark one choice.

All teachers who are new to this school

Only teachers new to teaching

35. Which of the following provisions are included in teacher induction at this school?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Yes	No
a) Courses/seminars attended in person
b) Online courses/seminars
c) Online activities (e.g., virtual communities)
d) Planned meetings with the principal and/or experienced teachers
e) Supervision by the principal and/or experienced teachers
f) Networking/collaboration with other new teachers
g) Team teaching with experienced teachers
h) Portfolios/diaries/journals
i) Reduced teaching load
j) General/administrative introduction

36. Do teachers at this school have access to a mentoring program?

Please mark one choice.

Yes, but only teachers who are new to teaching (i.e., in their first job as teachers) have access.

Yes, all teachers who are new to this school have access.

Yes, all teachers at this school have access

No, at present there is no access to a mentoring program for teachers in this school.

-->You will be directed to Question 39.

37. Is the mentor’s main subject field(s) the same as that of the teacher being mentored?

Please mark one choice.

Yes, most of the time

Yes, sometimes

No, rarely or never

38. How would you generally rate the importance of mentoring for teachers and schools?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Not important at all	Of low importance	Of moderate importance	Of high importance
a) To improve teachers' pedagogical competence
b) To strengthen teachers' professional identity
c) To improve teachers' collaboration with colleagues
d) To support less experienced teachers in their teaching
e) To expand teachers' main subject(s) knowledge
f) To improve students' general performance

Schooling in Diverse Environments

The following section includes questions about school policies and practices concerned with diversity, with an emphasis on cultural diversity.

'Diversity' refers to the recognition of and appreciation for differences in the backgrounds of students and staff. In the case of cultural diversity it refers most notably to cultural or ethnic backgrounds.

39. Does this school include students of more than one cultural or ethnic background?

Please mark one choice.

Yes

No -->You will be directed to Question 41.

40. In this school, are the following policies and practices in relation to diversity implemented?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Yes	No
a) Supporting activities or organizations that encourage students’ expression of diverse ethnic and cultural identities (e.g., artistic groups)
b) Organizing multicultural events (e.g., cultural diversity day)
c) Teaching students how to deal with ethnic and cultural discrimination
d) Adopting teaching and learning practices that integrate global issues throughout the curriculum

41. In this school, are the following policies and practices implemented?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Yes	No
a) Teaching students to be inclusive of different socioeconomic backgrounds
b) Explicit policies against gender discrimination
c) Explicit policies against socioeconomic discrimination
d) Additional support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds

42. In your view, approximately how many teachers in this school would agree with the following statements?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	None or almost none	Some	Many	All or almost all
a) It is important to be responsive to differences in students' cultural backgrounds.
b) It is important for students to learn that people from other cultures can have different values.
c) Respecting other cultures is something that children and young people should learn as early as possible.
d) Children and young people should learn that people of different cultures have a lot in common.

43. In your view, approximately how many teachers in this school would agree with the following statements?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	None or almost none	Some	Many	All or almost all
a) Schools should encourage students from different socioeconomic backgrounds to work together.
b) Students should learn how to avoid gender discrimination.
c) It is important to treat female and male students equally.
d) It is important to treat students from all socioeconomic backgrounds in the same manner.

Job Satisfaction

44. For how many more years do you want to continue to work as a principal?

Please write a number.

Years

45. Thinking about your job at this school, to what extent are the following sources of stress in your work?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Not at all	To some extent	Quite a bit	A lot
a) Having too much teacher appraisal and feedback work to do
b) Having too much administrative work to do (e.g., filling out forms)
c) Having extra duties due to absent school staff
d) Being held responsible for students' achievement
e) Maintaining school discipline
f) Being intimidated or verbally abused by students
g) Keeping up with changing requirements from local school district or state education authorities
h) Addressing parent or guardian concerns
i) Accommodating students with special needs

46. We would like to know how you generally feel about your job. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a) The advantages of this profession clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
b) If I could decide again, I would still choose this job/position.
c) I would like to change to another school if that were possible.
d) I regret that I decided to become a principal.
e) I enjoy working at this school.
f) I wonder whether it would have been better to choose another profession.
g) I would recommend this school as a good place to work.
h) I think that the teaching profession is valued in society.
i) I am satisfied with my performance in this school.
j) All in all, I am satisfied with my job.

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

Please mark one choice in each row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a) I am satisfied with the salary I receive from my work.
b) Apart from my salary, I am satisfied with the terms of my principal contract/employment (e.g., benefits, work schedule).
c) I am satisfied with the support that I receive from the staff in this school.
d) I need more support from municipal, local, regional, state, or national authorities.
e) I cannot influence decisions that are important for my work.

48. We are interested in the importance you place on various educational goals. From the following ten goals, which do you consider the most important, the second most important, and the third most important?

1. Building basic literacy skills (reading, math, writing, speaking)

2. Encouraging academic excellence

3. Preparing students for postsecondary education

4. Promoting occupational or vocational skills

5. Promoting good work habits and self-discipline

6. Promoting personal growth (self-esteem, self-knowledge, etc.)

7. Promoting human relations skills

8. Promoting specific moral values

9. Promoting multicultural awareness or understanding

10. Fostering religious or spiritual development

a) Most important
b) Second most important
c) Third most important