Thank you for helping West Virginia achieve its Vision to Inform Teaching and Learning (VITAL).
Click here to view the survey results.

The West Virginia Board of Education and various state partners in West Virginia's Vision to Inform Teaching and Learning (WV VITAL) initiative want to ensure that every West Virginia student has a great place to learn and that their educators have great places to teach.

Research across the country demonstrates that important learning and teaching conditions prove essential to student success and teacher retention. Given that the dedicated professionals working in schools across the state are the individuals who best understand learning and teaching conditions, the initiative will anonymously survey all school-based licensed educators about these conditions. By documenting and analyzing how teachers and principals view critical teaching and learning conditions, WV VITAL will help educators, community members and policymakers take steps to improve student learning and teacher retention across the state.

The WV VITAL initiative will serve three primary purposes in West Virginia 1) assisting with school and district improvement efforts as data are incorporated into the strategic plans of schools and districts; 2) informing the policy agenda of the State Board of Education; and 3) influencing the state's legislative agenda.

Completing the Survey

In January 2008 all teachers, principals, and certified school-based personnel in West Virginia will have the opportunity to participate in a confidential 20-minute web-based survey about the presence of important learning and teaching conditions in their schools. This survey will provide schools, educators, community members and policymakers with information about the status of learning and teaching conditions in your school. This survey will place your experiences and perceptions at the center of school, district and state efforts to improve West Virginia education.

The West Virginia Board of Education and a host of stakeholder groups representing teachers, principals, superintendents, school boards, community and business (listed on left side of this page), are collectively working with the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz (NTC) to conduct the survey. NTC is a nonpartisan group with a mission to support the development of an effective, dedicated and inspired teaching force. NTC also has vast experience conducting similar surveys across the country.

School-based educators will receive a personal security code which enables them to go online and provide their perceptions on the issues of time, empowerment, leadership, facilities/resources, professional development, and mentoring/induction programs. The initial data will be available in May for schools and districts to use in identifying strengths and recognizing areas in need of improvement.

The educators of West Virginia have the opportunity to lend their collective voice to a new and promising collaborative effort to provide the education experience that all students deserve. Please join us in this important effort by completing the VITAL survey.