Assistant Teacher survey

APPENDIX 19

ASSISTANT TEACHER SURVEY

OMB # Expiration:

MSHS Assistant Teacher Survey

Spring 2017

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information is voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is [0970-XXX ] which expires XX/XX/XXXX. The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the collection of information. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: Abt Associates Inc. 55 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 Attention: Linda Caswell.

SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS FOR TEACHING ASSISTANTS

The Administration for Children and Families is conducting the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) Study under contract with Abt Associates Inc., in partnership with Westat and The Catholic University of America.

Please complete this brief survey, which asks about your classroom and your background as well as your thoughts about teaching. It will take about 20 minutes of your time to complete. As a thank you, we will give you $15 for your time.

When completing the survey, please keep in mind:

• There are no right or wrong answers.

• Your responses will not be used for monitoring purposes.

• To answer a question, check the box next to your response with an “X”, or write in your response on the line.

• Some questions may not apply to you, so you may be instructed to skip some questions

• Your participation in the study is voluntary and you may refuse to answer any questions you are not comfortable answering.

Your participation will make an important contribution to this nationally representative study of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs, although there is no direct benefit to you from participating in the study. There is minimal risk for participation in the study. There is a minimal risk of breach of privacy and we have many procedures in place to minimize this risk. For example, survey responses will be kept in secure and protected data files; encryption technology will be used whenever files are transferred electronically; data security scans will be conducted regularly; and only a very limited number of project staff will have access to these data.

Please be assured that all information you provide will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. To help us protect your privacy, we have obtained a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health. We can use this Certificate to legally refuse to disclose information that may identify you in any federal, state, or local civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, or other proceedings, for example, if there is a court subpoena. We will use the Certificate to resist any demands for information that would identify you.

We will not personally identify either you in any report or materials developed from this study. We will use the information that we collect in this study only for research purposes. We will make sure that study researchers respect the privacy of the data and adhere to safeguards for security and privacy.

If you decide to be in this study, the study researchers will have information that links you to your survey responses, but this information will be kept secure and available only to selected members of the research team. The study researchers may also link MSHS survey responses to administrative data from the Head Start Enterprise System and Program Information Report datasets.

At the end of this study, we will give the information we collect to The Administration for Children and Families. We will also give this information to authorized researchers who will store the data, and who may use the data to answer other research questions. Any personal information that could identify you will be removed or changed before files are shared with The Administration for Children and Families and other researchers. However, The Administration for Children and Families and other researchers will receive MSHS center-level zip codes. These zip codes may be used to link MSHS survey responses and information about the MSHS center to information about the community, such as other resources in the community. This means that there is a possibility that centers could be identified in these datasets. To minimize this risk, other researchers will be required to sign a data use agreement before accessing the data. This means they must respect the privacy of the data, agree to use the data for research purposes only, and follow the rules for keeping your information secure and private.

If you have questions about the MSHS Study, please call us toll-free at 1-888-xxx-xxxx. A study staff member will be happy to talk with you. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a study participant, please call the Abt Institutional Review Board toll-free at 1-877-520-6835.

When finished, please return survey to study team by giving the survey to your on-site liaison, or mailing the survey to the following address: Address here

CONTENTS

A. STAFF BACKGROUND, EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND BELIEFS 1

B. STAFF LINGUISTIC ABILITIES 8

C. STAFF WELL-BEING 10

D. INSTRUCTIONAL AND ASSESSMENT PRACTICES 12

E. STAFFING AND COMPENSATION 13

1. STAFF BACKGROUND, EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND BELIEFS

1. In total, how many years (including this year) have you been teaching (as either lead or assistant teacher)? Please round to the nearest year.

____________ years

2. In total, how many years (including this year) have you taught children birth to two years (as either lead or assistant teacher)? Please round to the nearest year.

____________ years

3. In total, how many years (including this year) have you taught children three to five years (as either lead or assistant teacher)? Please round to the nearest year.

____________ years

4. In total, how many years (including this year) have you been teaching in a Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) program (as either lead or assistant teacher)? Please round to the nearest year.

_____________ years

5. What experience do you have with migrant and seasonal families? Check all that apply.

Family members are/were migrant and seasonal farmworkers You are/were a migrant or seasonal farmworker Teacher Assistant Teacher Assistant Center Director Assistant Program Director Center Director Area Coordinator Regional Director Program Director Educational Specialist Education Manager Component Coordinator Outreach Staff/Recruiter

Kitchen Staff Custodial Staff Bus Driver Bus Monitor Transportation Supervisor Family Service Worker Counselor/ Mental Health Profession Social Worker Health Care Worker Community Organizer Secretary Financial Officer Information Technology Director Other (specify): ______________________________________ None of the above

6. At times staff work in various positions at a center. Which of the following positions do you regularly work in MSHS in addition to being an assistant teacher? Check all that apply.

Family members are/were migrant and seasonal farmworkers You are/were a migrant or seasonal farmworker Teacher Assistant Teacher Assistant Center Director Assistant Program Director Center Director Area Coordinator Regional Director Program Director Educational Specialist Education Manager Component Coordinator Outreach Staff/Recruiter

Kitchen Staff Custodial Staff Bus Driver Bus Monitor Transportation Supervisor Family Service Worker Counselor/ Mental Health Profession Social Worker Health Care Worker Community Organizer Secretary Financial Officer Information Technology Director Other (specify): ______________________________________ None of the above

7. How often was your teaching assignment changed in the last week?

• Not changed

• Changed once

• Changed more than once

8. What do you do when the center is closed for the season? Check all that apply.

• Work at another Migrant and Seasonal Head Start center

• Work at a Head Start center

• Work at another early childhood program

• Work at another job part-time

• Work at another job full-time

• Look for another job

• Receive unemployment benefits

• Go to school

• Receive public assistance (such as Medicaid, food stamps, TANF)

• Self-employed

• None of the above

• Other (specify): ______________________________

9. What is the highest grade or year of school that you completed? Check one only.

• No school  GO TO QUESTION 12

• Preschool  GO TO QUESTION 12

• Kindergarten  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 1st grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 2nd grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 3rd grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 4th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 5th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 6th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 7th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 8th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 9th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 10th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 11th grade  GO TO QUESTION 12

• 12th grade without a diploma  GO TO QUESTION 12

• High school diploma/equivalent  GO TO QUESTION 12

• Vocational/technical program after high school without a diploma  GO TO QUESTION 12

• Vocational/technical diploma after high school  GO TO QUESTION 12

• Some college without a degree  GO TO QUESTION 10

• Associate’s degree  GO TO QUESTION 9

• Bachelor’s degree  GO TO QUESTION 9

• Some graduate or professional school without a degree  GO TO QUESTION 9

• Master’s degree (MA, MS)  GO TO QUESTION 9

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.)  GO TO QUESTION 9

• Professional degree after Bachelor’s degree (Medicine/MD, Dentistry/DDS, Law/JD/LLB)  GO TO QUESTION 9

• Don’t Know/Refused  GO TO QUESTION 12

10. In what field did you obtain your highest degree? Check one only.

• Child development, human development, or developmental psychology

• Early childhood education

• Elementary education

• Special education

• Curriculum development

• Administration

• Bilingual education or literacy

• Psychology, counseling, or social work

• Public health

• Other field (specify): _____________________________________

11. Have you completed any college/university courses on bilingual/Dual Language Learner (DLL) children? Check one only.

• Yes, a whole course was dedicated to bilingual/DLL children

• Yes, a large part of a course was dedicated to bilingual/DLL children

• Yes, one or two classes of a course was dedicated to bilingual/DLL children

• No

12. Do you have, or are you in the process of, acquiring any of the following certifications? Check all that apply.

	Already have	In the Process of Obtaining	Do not have/ Not in the process of obtaining
A Child Development Associate (CDA) credential			
Another certification in early childhood development (Specify:____________________________)			
A license or certificate in social work or nursing			
A bilingual certification			
Other (Specify:____________________________)			

13. Please only answer this question if you have ever taught preschoolers. If you have never taught preschoolers, please check the box “N/A”.

• N/A – I HAVE NEVER TAUGHT PRESCHOOLERS.  GO TO QUESTION 13.

The following are statements that some teachers have made about how young children should be taught. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of these statements.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
MSHS classroom activities should be responsive to the needs and abilities of individual children.					
Each curriculum area should be taught as a separate subject at separate times.					
Children should be allowed to select many of their own activities from a variety of learning areas that the teacher has prepared (writing, science center, etc.).					
Children should sit silently and do work on their own.					
Children in MSHS classrooms should learn through active explorations.					
MSHS teachers should use treats, stickers, or stars to encourage appropriate behavior.					
MSHS teachers should use punishments or reprimands to encourage appropriate behavior.					
Children should be instructed in recognizing the single letters of the alphabet, isolated from words.					
Children should learn to color within predefined lines.					
Children in MSHS classrooms should learn to form letters correctly on a printed page.					

14. Please only answer this question if you have ever taught infants or toddlers. If you have never taught infants or toddlers, please check the box “N/A”.

• N/A – I HAVE NEVER TAUGHT INFANTS OR TODDLERS.  GO TO QUESTION 14.

The following are statements that some teachers have made about how young children should be taught. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of these statements.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
It is likely that caregivers will spoil a baby if they respond every time the baby cries.					
One of the best ways to prepare a young child to be a good student is to teach him/her to be obedient.					
I believe that it is important to spend a lot of time talking to infants and toddlers even before they can understand whatever it is I am saying.					
Toddlers can be expected to sit still during group activities like singing and story time.					
I believe that the way I treat my teaching partners in the classroom will influence how the toddlers behave towards others.					
In order to be fair, child care teachers must treat all children alike.					
I believe that teachers have to carefully supervise children’s development to make sure that it is progressing normally.					
Parents have valuable information to share about how teachers can work effectively with their children.					
Even though infants or toddlers enjoy their time in child care, parents are still the most important people in their children’s lives.					
It is good for infants and toddlers to experience many different child care providers so they can learn to modify their behavior to meet the demands of others.					

15. What is your sex?

• Male

• Female

• Other

16. In what year were you born?

1 9 ___ ___

17. What is your race/ ethnicity? (Select one or more.)

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Hispanic or Latino

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander _

• White

IF YOU SELECTED “HISPANIC OR LATINO”  GO TO QUESTION 17.

IF YOU DID NOT SELECT “HISPANIC OR LATINO”  GO TO SECTION B.

18. Which Hispanic or Latino origin best describes you? (Select one or more.)

• Mexican, Mexican-American, Chicano/a

• Puerto Rican

• Cuban

• Another Hispanic, and/or Latino origin (specify): _____________________

2. STAFF LINGUISTIC ABILITIES

1. Please indicate how well you understand, speak, read, and write in the following languages. Please also indicate how you acquired that language.

	How well do you __________ the language?				Did you speak this language at home with your family when you were a child?
	Understand	Speak	Read	Write
English	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Yes  No
Spanish	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Yes  No
Haitian Creole	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Yes  No
Mixtec	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Yes  No
Kanjobal	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Yes  No
Zapotec	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Yes  No
Other Specify: ____________	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Not at all  Not well  Well  Very Well	 Yes  No

2. Please only answer this question if you currently teach toddlers or preschoolers. If you do not teach toddlers or preschoolers, please check the box “N/A”.

 N/A – I CURRENTLY DO NOT TEACH TODDLERS OR PRESCHOOLERS.  GO TO QUESTION 3.

What languages do you use in your classroom for each of the following…

	Teaching children	Reading to children	Presenting information to children	Providing directions to children	Playing with children	Soothing children
a. English completely						
Primary English, some Spanish						
English and Spanish equally						
d. Primarily Spanish, some English						
e. Spanish completely						
f. Primarily English, some of another language (specify: _____________________						
g. English and another language equally (specify: _____________________)						
h. Primarily another language, some English (specify: _____________________)						
i. English and multiple other languages (specify: _____________________)						
j. Other combination of language (specify: _______________)						

3. Please only answer this question if you currently teach infants. If you do not teach infants, please check the box “N/A”.

 N/A – I CURRENTLY DO NOT TEACH INFANTS.  GO TO QUESTION 4.

What languages do you use in your classroom for each of the following…

	Talking to children	Reading to children	Singing to children	Playing with children	Soothing children
a. English completely					
b. Primarily English, some Spanish					
c. English and Spanish equally					
d. Primarily Spanish, some English					
e. Spanish completely					
f. Primarily English, some of another language (specify: _____________________)					
g. English and another language equally (specify: _____________________)					
h. Primarily another language, some English (specify: _____________________)					
i. English and multiple other languages (specify: _____________________)					
j. Other combination of languages (specify: _______________)					

4. How do you help facilitate language use in the classroom?

• I lead classroom activities that use children’s home language.

• I motivate students to use their home language in the classroom.

• I motivate students to use English in the classroom.

• I help the lead teacher communicate with children and families when the lead teacher does not speak their home language.

• I help parents feel comfortable in the classroom by speaking their home language.

• I help translate written materials into families’ home language(s).

• Other, specify: __________________________________________________________

• None of the above

3. STAFF WELL-BEING

1. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about teaching?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
I really enjoy my present teaching job.					
I am certain I am making a difference in the lives of the children I teach.					
If I could start over, I would choose teaching again as my career.					
In five years I think I will still be teaching young children.					
I feel that I am treated with respect in my present teaching job.					

2. The next questions are about the level of support for interactions between MSHS staff and parents at your MSHS center. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

The staff at this center…	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
Promote cooperation between MSHS staff and parents.					
Support each other.					
Help teachers to work effectively with families from different cultural groups.					

3. Below is a list of ways you may have felt or behaved. Please choose how often you have felt this way during the past week.

During the past week, you…	Rarely or Never	Some or a Little	Occasionally or Moderately	Most or All of the Time
Were bothered by things that usually don’t bother you?				
Did not feel like eating, your appetite was poor?				
Could not shake off the blues, even with help from your family and friends?				
Had trouble keeping your mind on what you were doing?				
Felt depressed?				
Felt like everything you did was an effort?				
Felt fearful.				
Had restless sleep.				
Talked less than usual.				
Felt lonely.				
Felt sad.				
Could not get “going.”				

4. INSTRUCTIONAL AND ASSESSMENT PRACTICES

1. What can help you in your teaching? Please check all that apply.

• Additional training in ….curriculum

• Additional training in ….assessment

• Additional training in…..behavioral class management

• Additional training in ….infant development

• Additional training in….. toddler development

• Additional training in….. preschooler development

• Additional training in…..Dual Language Learners and bilingual development

• Additional training in…..special needs/disabilities

• Additional training in…..the culture of MSHS families

• Additional training in…..the agricultural work of MSHS families

• Learning more English

• Learning more Spanish

• Learning other languages (Specify: ___________)

• Additional coaching/mentoring

• Additional planning time

• More time/support to pursue degree

5. STAFFING AND COMPENSATION

1. How many hours per week are you paid to work for MSHS?

________ hours per week

2. How many months per year are you paid to work for MSHS?

________ months per year

3. Does this work schedule present any problems for you? Check one only.

• Very much so

• Somewhat

• Not a problem  GO TO QUESTION 6.

4. Why does the work schedule present problems for you? Check all that apply.

• Hours are too long

• Start time too early

• End time too late

• Schedule not consistent over the year

• Other (specify): _______________________

5. What is your total yearly salary (before taxes) as an assistant teacher?

$__________________ per year

6. Which of the following benefits are available to you through MSHS? Check all that apply.

• Paid vacation time

• Paid sick leave

• Paid maternity or paternity leave

• Unpaid maternity or paternity leave

• Paid family leave

• Fully or partially paid health insurance

• Fully or partially paid dental insurance

• Tuition reimbursement or educational stipends to cover workshops

• Retirement plan

• Life insurance

• Vision care

• Personal or bonus days

• Mileage

• Anything else? (specify): _________________________________