The State of Education in Halifax County 17
While it is not a perfect indicator, the Reportable Act rate in each district provides some idea of the frequency of more severe forms of misbehavior likely resulting in long-term suspension or expulsion. The Reportable Act rate in HCPS is highest at 16.43 per 1,000 students.129 The Reportable Act rate in RRGSD is significantly less than that of HCPS at 8.26 per 1,000.130 WCS’s reportable act rate in 2009-‘10 was 6.90 per 1,000 students.131
Disciplinary issues are primarily identified and reported by classroom teachers; therefore, teacher perceptions of discipline are reliable indicators of how schools manage student behavioral issues. In addition, issues related to student conduct and discipline can be substantial factors in school selection and employment decisions for teachers. Consequently, teacher perceptions of student conduct and discipline are critical not only with regard to the application of discipline policies in schools, but also in recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers.
The Teacher Working Conditions survey is an annual, online, anonymous questionnaire accessible to all public educators in North Carolina. Funded by the General Assembly, the survey is conducted under the leadership of the Governor’s Office, State Board of Education and the N.C. Teacher Working Conditions Advisory Committee and administered by the N.C. Professional Teaching Standards Commission. The survey measures teacher and principal perceptions of student conduct, school discipline, general school environment and a variety of other topics that are used to shape local and state education policy. The State Board has emphasized the importance of this survey as a tool for student achievement, recognizing that teacher working conditions are the same as student learning conditions. If used properly, the survey results can be a powerful catalyst for school and district reform.
One hundred percent of teachers in all three districts in Halifax County completed the 2010 Teacher Working Conditions survey. As reflected in the other statistics in this section, there are vast differences between how teachers perceive what is happening in schools in the three districts in Halifax County. The following chart illustrates the different perceptions in student conduct and discipline in HCPS, WCS and RRGSD.
Figure III.12 Percentage of Teachers that Agree or Strongly Agree with Selected Statements Regarding Student Conduct and Discipline in HCPS, WCS and RRGSD
Source: 2010 Teacher Working Conditions Survey, http://www.ncteachingconditions.org/reports/