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Say yes when asked to participate in workload study
Over the next few weeks, more than 7,000 Alberta teachers will be contacted by Malatest, an independent research company that will be collecting data on teacher workload. Teachers will be randomly selected for this important study—and the ATA encourages you to participate if you get the call.
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to electronically track your school-related activities for one full week in each month from September 2014 through June 2015. You’ll also be asked to complete a questionnaire for July and August 2014. If even half of the teachers invited complete the full study, 35,000 distinct weeks of data will be collected, enough to provide real insight into the ebb and flow of an average school year. This data will be the most extensive collection of qualitative data on teacher workload in Alberta, if not Canada.
The advisory committee for this study includes representatives from the ATA, the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) and Alberta Education. The study came about as a result of the framework agreement legislated in May 2013: “Government will commission a third party study on workload for classroom teachers, school administrators and other members of the Association Bargaining Units. . . . The advisory committee will recommend the timelines and goals, and will provide recommendations to the Minister about the implementation of the third party study.”
Because the ATA is at the table, confidence is high that the study will provide robust and unbiased research that will reveal exactly what teachers do and how many work hours they log each week.
Teachers are busy—but participating in this study is a key way to influence future action on teacher workload.
If you have any questions, contact Sharon Vogrinetz at sharon.vogrinetz@ata.ab.ca or Sandra Johnston at sandra.johnston@ata.ab.ca. ❚
