School online survey brings mixed response

The Las Virgenes Unified School District fell short of achieving a significant sampling when it conducted a recent survey of parents regarding schools, but the results of the online poll did reveal some interesting results, according to information presented at the district's board of education meeting last month.

Superintendent Donald Zimring said different surveys were conducted for elementary, middle and high schools.

Districtwide, only 1,574 surveys out of a possible 11,000 were obtained, with 21 percent completed by parents of elementary school children, 17 percent by the middle schools and 11 percent by the high schools.

The survey was conducted online between April and June, Zimring said.

Dr. Heidi Christensen, an educational researcher at the Ventura County Office of Education, provided an analysis of the survey results by grade levels and school sites.

Christensen said elementary school parents "had the most positive opinions" about the schools and the district.

Among the key findings from the elementary survey, of parents who responded:

•96 percent believe they are treated with courtesy and respect at their child's school.

•95 percent said that teachers provide parents with opportunities for "twoway communication" about their child through phone calls, meetings, e-mails, etc.

•94 percent said office staff provides assistance when needed and that teachers are available to discuss their child's schoolwork and behavior.

•93 percent said that their child was treated with respect by the teacher and that they believe the school is safe.

•29 percent felt that nutrition services provide "adequate and nutritious" meals.

•26 percent were pleased with school's attempt to solicit parental input.

•22 percent were pleased with administrative leadership.

•18 percent believe the school is preparing their child to deal with issues and problems they will face in the future, that the staff values their input and that teachers use a variety of teaching methods to match learning styles and abilities.

Of the middle school parents who responded to the survey:

•97 percent were satisfied in how their children were encouraged to advocate for themselves.

•94 percent felt the schools were safe.

•93 percent liked the schools' consistent rules for student behavior.

•86 percent said they were satisfied with their child's school.

•40 percent said they were "regularly informed" about their child's progress and areas needing improvement.

•31 percent believed their child's teacher offers prompt and specific feedback about their work.

•25 percent felt extracurricular activities at the school contributed positively to their child's overall school experience.

According to the survey, more high school parents reported using school and district websites to access information.

Parents across the board said they wanted more communication with teachers and administrators via e-mail and through the Internet.

At all grade levels, parents who responded to the survey said they are paying for tutoring services in math and language arts; extra help in math seems to be the biggest need. But several factors rendered the surveys statistically insignificant. Besides the small number of people who participated, the survey did not rely upon a random sampling of parents.

"My instinct is that people who have had students in the district for a long time feel more empowered to comment," Boardmember Dave Moorman said.

"I love seeing things like this because it really gives me a lot of insight into what people are thinking," Moorman said.

Board member Terilyn Finders said she would have preferred that surveys were generated from each school site rather than the district office. The response would have been better, Finders said.

Board President Cindy Iser said she was "very uncomfortable" with having principals, teachers and other staff members "formalizing a reaction" to the survey results since they are statistically insignificant.

Since only about 10 percent of all parents took the survey, Iser said the results shouldn't be used by site leaders as a basis for their school plans.

She said she'd like to see administrators use the information as a guide for developing and refining their own questions for parents in order to obtain a better response.