Our Projects
Building Substitute Program Evaluation in a Midwest City District
The Challenge
In 2022–23, a city school district in the Midwest asked whether the full-time substitute teachers it had placed in its schools for the 2021–22 school year eased staffing strain and supported school climate.
The district assigned a small number of dedicated substitutes to each school to cover planned and unplanned teacher absences, keep class sizes from swelling when teachers were out, and build steady relationships with students and staff. Leaders hoped the initiative would raise teacher and principal satisfaction, strengthen school climate, and support student outcomes, and they wanted evidence on how far those objectives were met.
Our Support
Gibson Consulting Group evaluated the initiative with a districtwide teacher survey, a survey of the building substitutes, and focus groups with principals and teachers, collecting data in May 2022, near the end of the first year.
Surveys. Gibson surveyed all teachers in the district (500 of 1,000 responded) and every building substitute (40 of 60 responded).
Focus groups. Gibson held focus groups with principals and teachers on how substitutes were hired, assigned, and integrated into schools, and analyzed the results.
Analysis and recommendations. Gibson compared the views of principals, teachers, and substitutes and delivered a final report with five recommendations.
Gibson's project lead was Dr. David Osman.
Results
Of responding teachers in 2022, 85% agreed that building substitutes alleviated staffing burdens at their school, 78% agreed that building substitutes had a positive effect on their school's day-to-day operations, and 83% said they had a positive effect on school culture.
Fewer agreed that building substitutes provided high-quality instruction (71%), and about half said they provided instructional support in the classroom (49%).
Of building substitutes, 80% gave themselves the top rating for covering classrooms and 60% for delivering high-quality instruction; half were interested in a full-time teaching position in the district.
Every focus group principal said they would hire a full-time building substitute in the future.
The report recommended continuing the program, building a larger pool of qualified candidates, differentiated training, clearer school-level roles, and daily placement tracking.
For your district. A district weighing a permanent substitute pool can use an evaluation of this kind to decide how many positions to fund, whom to recruit, and what training to provide.