What is the SC Administrator Working Conditions Survey?

The SC Administrator Working Conditions Survey (SCAWCS) is a new, statewide survey developed by SC TEACHER to study administrator perspectives every other year.

By measuring the working conditions of school-level leaders, the survey will offer a clearer picture of administrator experiences and school environments, complementing existing data on teacher perspectives, informing state policies, and providing districts with additional actionable data.

The deadline for districts to submit info for participation in the 2026 survey is December 12, 2025. District personnel administrators will receive instructions on how to participate in early October.

Districts that participate (and meet necessary participation thresholds) can access confidential survey results specific to their district.

The pilot survey administration will run from January 12 – February 13, 2026.

Is my district eligible to participate in the 2024 survey administration?

The 2024 SC Teacher Working Conditions Survey is for districts that did not participate in early 2023 survey administration or did not have a response rate above 25%. The 2024 survey will run from Jan. 29 to Feb. 16, 2024. The standard survey runs on a biannual schedule and will occur again statewide in 2025.

Is your district highlighted in blue?

Your district is eligible to take part in the 2024 SC Teacher Working Conditions Survey!
District personnel will have received information on how to participate.

Is your district highlighted in grey?

We appreciate your participation in the Spring 2023 survey. While your district will not be asked to complete the survey again until the 2025 administration, your results grant district personnel access to specific data, ongoing expert support, and other free resources through SC TEACHER.

Not sure how to access resources? Email SCTinfo@mailbox.sc.edu.

FAQs for survey participation

What is the SC Administrator Working Conditions Survey (SCAWCS)?

This survey is a new statewide instrument developed by SC TEACHER to better understand and support the work of South Carolina’s PK–12 school administrators.

Modeled after the SC Teacher Working Conditions Survey, the survey seeks to explore the unique demands, resources, and job satisfaction of principals, assistant principals, and other school-level leaders, such as career and technical education (CTE) directors and assistant directors.

The SCAWCS is biennial (conducted in off-years from the SC Teacher Working Conditions Survey) and will allow for cross-role comparisons between the two surveys for a more complete view of school working conditions experienced by both teachers and administrators.

Who can take the survey?

PK–12 school administrators in participating districts will be sent a link to participate in the survey. Positions held by administrators include the professional certificate positions of principal [01], assistant principal or co-principal [02], CTE director [13], CTE assistant director [14], and administrative assistant [88].

What happens with survey results?

  • At the state level, broad takeaways are shared in a statewide report to inform policies and practice toward continuous improvement.
  • At the district level, lead personnel from participating districts will receive free access to district-specific survey results (with a minimum of five participating administrators from the district). Leadership can use these data to inform strategies for administrator recruitment and retention and draw upon support services from SC TEACHER through free resources and workshops.
  • Only district leaders will receive district-level findings. Individual survey responses remain strictly confidential, and participants will not be identifiable.

How long does it take to complete?

The survey should take 15 minutes on average to complete. If you need to pause while completing the survey, your answers will be saved for you to start back where you left off.

Is the survey anonymous?

The survey is confidential, not anonymous. This is so that SC TEACHER can compute a response rate for each district. Raw data will not be shared, and participants will not be identifiable.

When is the deadline to submit information?

Districts should submit administrator emails for survey participation no later than Dec. 12, 2025.

We are willing to work with districts that may need additional time. For districts that submit their information for participation, the survey will open on Jan. 12, 2026, and administrators will have until Feb. 13, 2026, to complete it.

When will my district have our results?

Districts (with at least five administrators participating) can expect to receive access to district-specific survey results in June 2026. This schedule gives districts time to use their data in planning for the upcoming school year.

Statewide survey results will be debuted in June 2026 at the SC TEACHER Insights Symposium. District teams are encouraged to attend the symposium for guidance on unpacking their survey data with SC TEACHER researchers.

Who is conducting the survey?

The SCAWCS is conducted by the South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium for Higher Education Research (SC TEACHER). SC TEACHER conducts, coordinates, and disseminates high-quality research on teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in South Carolina.

SC TEACHER additionally administers the SC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (biennially) and the SC Teacher Exit Survey (annually). The SC Teacher Working Conditions Survey was developed based on areas outlined in Act 185 of 2022 and in collaboration with the Recruitment and Retention Task Force.

Have additional questions?
Contact SC TEACHER at SCTresults@mailbox.sc.edu.