Note: This post is simply a summary of the results of the middle school parent survey which was completed in the spring of 2008. Although the raw survey results are available (http://www.arps.org/node/992), I found these results very hard to interpret without really reviewing all of the findings in depth, which took a lot of time. So, I've produced a summary of the findings here, in case that is helpful to my blog readers.
Description of Survey Respondents
The middle school population is predominantly white (64%), with somewhat fewer students of color (African American: 4%; Asian: 12%; Hispanic: 12%; Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic: 9%). Compared to these demographics of students, respondents were somewhat more likely to be white (77%) or multiracial (10%), and somewhat less likely to be African American (2%), Hispanic (6%), or Asian (5%).
Core Learning
Of those who responded, a clear majority (75% or above) felt that they knew the course expectations, that their child was prepared to meet the course expectations, that there was adequate support available to their child, and that report cards accurately reflected their child’s progress across each of the five major academic disciplines (English, math, science, social studies, world language). These findings differed somewhat for other disciplines (PE, music, exploratory). A somewhat smaller majority of parents (between 56% and 75%) felt that their child received meaningful homework (58 to 75%), received helpful feedback on assignments (56 to 66%), and felt regularly informed of their child’s progress (58 to 66%) in these core disciplines. A minority of parents (21.5 to 30%) felt that the level of challenge and expectations for their child’s learning was somewhat low or much too low across the five core academic disciplines (with 4.5 to 12% reporting that the expectations were somewhat high or much too high). Most parents report their child spends 30 minutes to 1 hour (34%) or 1 to 2 hours a night (39%) on homework (with 19% reporting their child spends less than 30 minutes and 8% reporting their child spends more than 2 hours a night).
Safety
Of those who responded, 91% felt their child feels safe at school, 86% reported having no areas of concern in terms of safety, and only 4% reported that concerns about safety were not addressed in a timely manner. Slightly over half (54%) felt their child was adequately supported on emotional and/or social issues.
Climate
Of those who responded, a clear majority report their child has a strong, positive relationship with at least one adult in the building (78%), that their child’s teachers are welcoming when they come to school or call (83.5%), and that the office staff is welcoming when they come to school or call (79%). A somewhat smaller majority report their child is positive about his/her experience in the middle school (65%), and that the school staff respects cultural/ethnic/gender differences (63.5%).
Communication
A majority of parents feel that the school’s discipline policy is clear to them (65%), the school provides information about upcoming events (66%), they know how to get the answers to their questions about the school (72.5%), and the school offers them opportunities to be involved in committees (Family-School Partnership, School Council, etc.; 75%). However, only 40% feel the school offers them opportunities to be involved in school activities and only 36.5% feel welcome to volunteer at the school.
Summary
These responses point to both strengths and areas of concerns within the parent population. In terms of strengths, most parents (75% or more) report feeling:
- they knew the course expectations
- their child was prepared to meet the course expectations
- there was adequate support available to their child
- report cards accurately reflected their child’s progress
- their child feels safe at school
- they have no areas of concern in terms of safety
- their child has a strong, positive relationship with at least one adult in the building
- their child’s teachers are welcoming when they come to school or call
- the office staff is welcoming when they come to school or call
- the school offers them opportunities to be involved in committees (Family-School Partnership, School Council, etc.).
In terms of areas for improvement, the following trends were observed:
- fewer than half of the respondents feel the school offers them opportunities to be involved in school activities or that they are welcome to volunteer at the school
- just over half of repondents felt their child was adequately supported on emotional and/or social issues.
- a minority of parents (22 to 30%) report that the level of challenge and expectations for their child’s learning was somewhat low or much too low across the five core academic disciplines.
13 comments:
I find the fact that 6% do not feel safe to be disturbing and worthy of followup.
Out of every thousand kids, there are 60 who do not feel safe. Or doing the math roughly, that is 25-30 kids in each building.
In other words, in each building, you can fill one class full of kids who are scared. This is disturbing!
Ed, what buildings are you talking about? There is only one middle school.
Nonetheless....children should not be frightened in an environment where they are receiving their education. I know my own daughter walked out of the building because she was being intimidated by a group of her peers who threatened her with physical harm...Kudos to her!! and shame on the administrators for failing to protect her...
Can you tell us how many families responded to this survey? It is hard to know how significant these results are without knowing what percentage of families actually responded.
There is a big difference if 20% said something, but it turns out to be 20% of a small sample size.
Thanks.
What happened to the article by the high school student? It was posted this morning and now it is gone.
I think 22% to 30% of parents finding the academic challenge for their child too low is a lot of parents. Is the middle school not teaching to the top tier of kids or missing a quarter of kids across the spectrum? Isn't that a lot?
Is that a grade of 70% to 78% -- a C, C+. That's not good enough for me or my kids.
The middle school hasn't had consistent leadership for years now. A top notch, experienced principal needs to be hired and fast.
If you go to the actual report it looks like 148 responded with a total enrollment of 530. There may be a few families with a 7th and and 8th grader however I bet that number is small. So by my math the response rate was aprox. 27%. So it is 20% of 27% of the total population who responded that the rigor was not sufficient. That 20% may be a representative sample of the the total population however my experience with surveying families in educational settings (I have significant experience in that area in a past life) is that the families who are dissatisfied are much more apt to respond than those who are satisfied. I am not saying we should not look at the data but need to remember that it is not necessarily 6% of the total who feel unsafe or 20% of the total who do not feel challenged. Having this information needs to be analyzed but one can not leap to the conclusion that 20% of all families feel that the challenge is not adequate.
Doesn't the fact that a majority of respondents had postive things to say about the middle school undercut your belief that dissatisfied people tend to respond to surveys?
It looks like the article from The Graphic was taken down. Can you post a note that it was so people like me don' t spend time looking for it?
My responses:
Ed - I certainly believe we should be striving for 100% of kids to feel safe in middle school (and all schools) every day. In the detailed responses, the single area of biggest concern was the bus -- which makes sense given that 7th/8th graders are on the bus with 12th graders!
Anonymous 7:33 - I believe all kids should feel safe every day in all the buildings -- and administrators need to be told (by kids and/or parents) when that is not occurring.
Anonymous 9:41 - 154 people completed the survey, and there are 530 students in the school. Parents were asked to complete the survey for the oldest child in the school. Elaine Puleo, who compiled the survey, estimated this is between 29 and 44% of the parents completed the survey (based on her estimates of siblings in the school), which she described as a pretty good sample for survey research.
Anonymous 10:58 - the student writer asked me to remove the article so that it could first appear in the high school newspaper -- it will return later.
JM - I agree that this strikes me as a lot of kids who are experiencing low challenge -- and it particularly striking that virtually no one is describing the level of challenge as "much too high" (0 to 3% of 7th grade parents, 0 to 2% of 8th grade parents) whereas many more describe the level of challenge as "much too low" (6 to 17% of 7th grade parents, 4 to 15% of 8th grade parents). If teachers are aiming for the middle, then you would expect roughly equal percentages saying "too high" and "too low" (which is about what you see in the high school survey). I also agree that having a top notch and experienced principal in place quickly is extremely important.
Anonymous 4:22 - as I note above, 154 parents responded, and that is 29 to 44% of the population, which is a pretty good response rate for surveys. And although I agree with you in my own experience with survey research that people who are dissatisfied tend to respond at higher rates, that is dissatisfaction across all areas. So, parents who are dissatisfied with safety, respect for ethnic/gender differences, and feeling they can be involved with PTO, etc. should also be more likely to respond ... yet we see very high rates of overall satisfaction in these other areas. We should also see higher response rates from parents who are dissatisfied with the too high level of expectations and challenge -- yet these numbers are tiny (e.g., 3% at MOST). So, I think the fact that as high as 30% of parents see the level of challenge as too low does reveal something significant about the overall experience of the middle school.
Thinking logically - I think that the anonymous poster above is right that dissatisfied people respond more than those who are satisfied ... but as I noted above, it is clear that there is much satisfaction with many things in the middle school and that the dissatisfaction that is noted is pretty clear (meaning respondents are distinguishing between things that are working well and things that could work better). I hope these results will be taken seriously by the middle school adminstration, teachers, and superintendent.
While I take issue with some of the opinions stated on this blog (as well as the way they are stated and the rancor directed at special education and children from Section 8 housing), I want to say that I appreciate that Catherine and others feel, and are acting out of, a genuine concern about the Amherst schools as well as their own childrens' futures. I think shaking the complacency out of an institution is always a good idea.
At the elementary level (my area of interest and knowledge), I would like to see a trial run of ability grouping in the most contested area, math instruction.
The more institutional resistance to this idea, the more angry parents are going to become. Why not JUST TRY IT? Maybe it will turn out that accelerated math instruction for mid-elementary grades isn't the answer. Maybe it will be the answer. But sometimes if you throw a bone to the dog, it will stop growling.
As for who gets to participate, simply let parents decide. You think your kid is ready for accelerated math? Go for it.
What is there to lose if done this way?
Ed, what buildings are you talking about? There is only one middle school.
My bad. Mine too on the actual figure I used. And for what it was worth, I somehow wound up calculating it for all four elementary schools notwithstanding my thought it was just Grades 5 & 6. My bad all around.
But I still find the fact that ANY of the students feel unsafe to be unacceptable!
And as for the bus, let me say this - as one who used to drive one, albeit in a different district, I would be cautious blaming the fear on the high school students. My experience is that Seventh & Eighth Graders can be plenty vicious to each other on their own.
ONE child who does not feel safe on the bus is one too many!
In this day and age 6% seems pretty average Ed. I didn't feel safe at my middle school 20+ years ago. Its all a matter of perspective.
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