Teachers play a vital role in establishing the culture of a school. These questions are designed to help you understand a school’s ability to recruit and retain a diverse teaching staff, which will help you better understand the health of a school’s environment.
These questions should be used to assess the general health of a school. These questions gauge a school's ability to retain experienced teachers and administrators. These questions address how much support is provided to each teacher. These questions also help you understand in more detail what classes are offered at each school.
General Questions
*Please choose the questions that are the most relevant for you and your child.
How many total teachers are at the school?
How many teachers are returning from the last school year?
- How many teachers have been with the school between 1 - 2 years?
- How many teachers have been with the school between 3 - 4 years?
- How many teachers have been with the school for 5 or more years?
How many first-year teachers are going to start the school year?
- Will the first-year teachers be teamed up with a teacher with more than 3 years of teaching experience?
Does your school pair co-teachers with the lead teachers during instructional time?
- What subjects have a co-teacher?
How many administrators are at the school?
- How many years has the principal been at the current school?
- How many years of teaching experience does the principal have?
- How many years of teaching experience does the Assistant Principal have?
What subjects are taught in addition to mathematics and language arts/reading?
- Students are required to complete Math and Language Arts/Reading PARCC assessments.
- While exposure to diverse areas of study is necessary for student development, some schools may place less emphasis on subject areas not tested by PARCC.
What Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Montessori classes are offered?
- How many teachers are certified to teach AP classes?
- How many teachers are certified to teach IB classes?
- How many teachers are certified to teach Montessori classes?
Does your school offer dual-enrollment opportunities?
- Only for high schools.
Things to Consider:
- If an administrator is hesitant answering these questions, this may indicate that they are still trying to fill teacher positions or that they do not know who is returning.
- An administrator who is able to provide concrete information about its teaching staff may be an indicator of a healthy school environment for the teaching staff.