This guide shows you the best questions for NC teachers when creating a NC teacher working conditions survey that gets to the heart of what matters in your school.
Traditional surveys often miss nuances that AI-powered conversational surveys can surface. With this guide, you’ll see how to map smart questions to NC’s key domains and use dynamic follow-ups for richer insights.
I’ll break down each domain with example questions and follow-up ideas, so you can dig deeper into what really drives your teachers’ experiences.
Why teacher working conditions surveys matter in NC schools
Teacher retention and satisfaction go hand in hand with student outcomes. The most recent surveys show real progress: 92% of North Carolina educators agreed their school is a good place to work and learn—the best result on record.[1] But moving from data to action means understanding details across the five NC domains:
Time
School Leadership
Professional Development
Facilities and Resources
Managing Student Conduct
Each domain uncovers unique challenges—like time lost to non-instructional duties, trust in leaders, or resource gaps that leave teachers buying their own supplies.
Conversational surveys, powered by tools like Specific, go beyond checkboxes. When the AI follows up, your teacher survey turns into a real conversation—the kind that gets at the stories and context behind every answer. If you’re not running these, you’re missing out on understanding why your best teachers leave (or stay), and which changes could make the biggest impact.
The 2024 survey even shows 88% of NC teachers now plan to stay in the state—a sign that listening and acting really works. [1]
Time domain: capturing how teachers really spend their day
Let’s be honest: time is the #1 concern for most NC teachers. Protecting planning periods and minimizing “extras” can make the difference between burnout and satisfaction. Here’s how to ask the right questions:
How much protected planning time do you actually get during the school week?
What tasks most often interrupt your instructional time?
Do you feel you have enough time to meet every student’s needs?
AI follow-up intents: For each, instruct the AI to ask for recent examples, probe why planning time is interrupted, or clarify what would help reduce non-instructional load.
Planning Time: I always dig deeper into protected versus interrupted planning periods. Teachers often say they technically “have” planning blocks, but they’re routinely pulled for meetings or coverage. Probing uncovers what’s really happening.
Non-instructional Duties: These are the silent thieves of energy—lunch duty, hallway monitoring, surprise assignments. Ask teachers to describe what regularly pulls them away from teaching, and then let the AI prompt specifics (“What was the last instance?”).
Example prompt for analyzing time-related responses:
“Summarize the main ways teachers say their planning time is lost. Highlight common root causes and identify any unexpected barriers.”
When you use automatic follow-up questions in Specific, the AI picks up on unique pain points and digs for context—more than any static checklist ever could.
73% of NC educators in 2024 said they’re able to concentrate without interruptions, yet day-to-day stories unveil plenty of exceptions. [6]
School leadership: measuring trust and support
Administrators set the tone for school culture—when trust is strong, teachers thrive. Try these questions with your conversational survey:
In what ways does school leadership support your teaching and professional growth?
How are major decisions affecting your classroom communicated to staff?
Can you share a recent instance where you felt your feedback was valued by leadership?
AI follow-up intents: Ask the AI to explore which leadership behaviors feel most supportive or where transparency broke down. Encourage “describe a recent event” or “what would you change?”
Communication Patterns: I focus on two-way communication—not just what leadership says, but how they listen and respond. Teachers can sense when input is performative versus authentic, so the follow-up question is, “When did you see your feedback lead to change?”
Decision Transparency: Teachers want to know the “why” behind policies, not just the “what.” The key is to probe: “Do you understand why this decision was made? Was the reasoning clearly explained?”
Traditional | Conversational |
|---|---|
Does leadership support teachers? (Y/N) | Describe a time school leadership made you feel supported. What stood out? |
Are decisions explained clearly? (Y/N) | How do you find out about major school decisions? Is the reasoning clear? |
Get inventive with leadership questions using the AI survey generator, which lets you custom-tailor prompts and probes for your school context. Dig into these themes, and you’ll learn what moves the needle on trust.
Professional development: beyond checkbox compliance
Let’s admit it—too often, PD feels out of sync with real classroom needs. The best teacher surveys probe for relevance, not just attendance.
How relevant was recent professional development to your daily teaching?
What barriers, if any, make it hard to apply new PD ideas in your classroom?
How much time do you have to collaborate with peers on PD topics?
AI follow-up intents: Ask the AI to dive into factors that hinder implementation, and to ask for PD formats that teachers find most helpful (“Tell me about a PD session you actually used in your classroom”).
Relevance to Practice: I press for specifics—not just “Is it useful?” but “How quickly could you implement what you learned, and did it stick?”
Time for Collaboration: Peer learning is powerful, but rare if schedules are packed. I ask if teachers had structured time to exchange ideas, and if not, how much that would help.
Example prompt for analyzing PD feedback:
“Identify PD sessions teachers found helpful and summarize the barriers they mention for applying those ideas. What suggestions do they offer for future PD?”
AI-powered survey response analysis helps you spot patterns in PD feedback—a major upgrade when every teacher has a story to tell.
Resources and student conduct: the daily reality check
These two domains are tightly connected: a lack of classroom resources or inconsistent behavior support can crush morale just as fast as a heavy workload.
Do you have the resources and technology needed to teach effectively?
What classroom supplies do you routinely purchase with your own money?
How well-supported do you feel in managing classroom behavior?
Are discipline policies applied consistently across grade levels and staff?
AI follow-up intents: Ask for examples where resource gaps or inconsistent support made teaching harder. Probe how resource issues tie into student conduct challenges.
Resource Gaps: Let’s not sugarcoat it—many teachers have to buy basics themselves. Probing for “what and how much” gives administrators actionable data.
Behavior Support Systems: Discipline is a sore spot; 63% of NC educators called out student disrespect as a major issue.[3] Follow up for stories about when policies worked—and when they left teachers stranded.
Example prompt for connecting resource and conduct responses:
“List the most common items teachers report buying themselves and link to any descriptions of how this impacts student behavior or classroom management. What would improve this situation?”
With AI-driven survey editing, you can update or deepen questions as new issues emerge in responses—no need to wait for the next annual survey.
Recent data shows student conduct is improving, with 68% of educators stating students now follow the rules—up from 61% in 2020.[6] But the stories behind the numbers matter most.
Making your teacher survey count: implementation tips
Getting results starts with rollout. Avoid high-stress periods (like testing windows or grading deadlines), and always offer an anonymous option if you want honesty.
Response Rates: To boost participation, keep surveys conversational and easy—share them via mobile links, staff meetings, or even QR codes in break rooms. Explain how you’ll use the results.
Action Planning: This is where teacher survey gold turns into change. Share top findings in staff meetings, and publicly commit to two or three improvements—then update progress, so your team knows their voices matter.
Survey-only approach | Survey-plus-action approach |
Collect data, but rarely follow up. Teachers become less likely to respond over time. | Gather feedback, act on 1-2 items, and close the loop. Response rates improve and trust grows. |
Specific’s best-in-class user experience for conversational surveys keeps things smooth for both teachers and admins. Remember to close the loop: share both the wins and tough truths with your staff—transparency is trust, and trust builds better schools.
Start capturing authentic teacher voices today
Build a school culture rooted in genuine listening—conversational surveys reveal the “why” behind the numbers. Start now and create your own survey.