Results of 2022 Impact Kentucky survey show COVID’s impact on the state’s educators

Feb

(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) on Feb. 10 released results from the 2022 Impact Kentucky Working Conditions Survey, which asks all certified school staff about their working conditions and helps improve the environment for educators across the Commonwealth.

The 2022 Impact Kentucky Survey, formerly the TELL Kentucky survey, is the sixth statewide survey of certified educators in Kentucky. Every two years, certified educators working at least half-time are given the opportunity to provide input on teaching conditions that can be used to inform improvements within schools, districts and statewide. This year, KDE and Panorama received feedback from the Commissioner’s Teacher Advisory Council and Principal Advisory Council to help shape the survey format and content.

This is the first working conditions survey that has been administered to teachers since the COVID-19 pandemic began. More than 38,000 certified employees responded to the survey, and approximately 33,000 of those were teachers. While educators reported most favorably on staff-leadership relationships at 76%, they reported least favorably on emotional well-being and belonging at 48%.

A total of 75% of respondents said they were, to some degree, concerned with the emotional well-being of their colleagues as a result of their work, and 64% said they were concerned about their own emotional well-being.

“While the results are not unexpected in the midst of a global pandemic, they clearly show the strong effect the pandemic has had on educators,” said Byron Darnall, associate commissioner in the Office Educator Licensure and Effectiveness at KDE.

“We are thankful to our teachers and other staff for taking the time to take the survey. We also appreciate our school leaders for being vulnerable enough to consider the feedback and use it to drive improvement.”

Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass said the survey results reflect an important issue with the educator workforce.

“Our educators are raising the alarm that they need urgent help,” said Glass. “Teachers across the state are stressed, overworked, underpaid and underappreciated. Our profession is hurting and we are at risk of losing more educators.”

A total of 40% of respondents said they didn’t feel effective at their job.

“Our educators are not getting what they need,” said Glass. “Now is the time for innovation and action to save the teaching profession and support them as they support our students and build the future workforce of Kentucky.”

The full 2022 report and results can be viewed on the Impact Kentucky website. The results are open to the public and include statewide, district and school-specific results. The survey was administered by Panorama Education, in partnership with KDE.

The survey, administered Nov. 1-Dec. 17, 2021, focused on:

Professional learning;
Feedback and coaching;
School leadership;
Staff-leadership relationships;
School climate;
Resources;
Managing student behavior;
Educating all students; and
Emotional well-being and belonging.

Darnall made it clear that this survey is a tool available to school-level personnel to make continuous improvements within their own schools and districts.

“This is not a statewide assessment; it’s a snapshot in time to be used as a tool at the local level,” said Darnall.

KDE is offering professional development opportunities to help schools and districts implement changes following the review of the 2022 survey data. These opportunities include: