School district to conduct survey
Some board members believe timing is off
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

The Las Virgenes Unified School District wants 9,000 parents to complete a school survey.

Superintendent Donald Zimring said the survey is part of a district effort to identify areas of strength and areas that could be improved upon. Three different surveys have been created, targeting parents of elementary, middle and high school students.

Survey questions on specific programs are included, and broader themes are also touched upon.

For instance, administrators want to know how many families have computers in their homes, and whether they have access to the Internet. Another question asks whether their children's school is clean and well maintained.

Other questions center on teachers, counselors, office staff and administrators. Parents are being asked on a fivepoint scale whether their child's teacher gives "prompt and specific feedback on their work," and whether the teacher uses a variety of teaching methods to match learning styles during lessons.

Questions about administrators are also included. One query asks whether the administrative staff treats parents with courtesy and respect, while another focuses on communication between school and home.

Homework loads, nutrition, discipline and other areas are included in the 60-question survey. Space is also provided for parents to elaborate on the strengths and weaknesses at their children's schools.

The elementary school survey includes 60 questions, and the middle and high school surveys are slightly lengthier with 66 and 65 questions respectively.

"We are very excited about this effort," said Superintendent Donald Zimring. "One of our initiatives for this year was to improve the service we provide our students and parents. Understanding parent perceptions of our existing program, as well as other areas that are most important to them, is fundamental in how we design our programs and services to better meet the needs of our students."

At the Feb. 12 meeting, board member Terilyn Finders voiced concerns about moving ahead with a survey during a financially turbulent period. She said she would have preferred to table the survey until the state budget crisis and impacts on education were resolved.

Finder said a focus on trends would be more apropos. "I want to know why kids are leaving Lindero," she said.

Board member Dave Moorman said some of the questions were right on target, and they were questions he wished had been asked a "million times" over the years. Nevertheless, he thought the survey would be better suited to the beginning of the year and included in the enrollment package.

"The survey is only as good as the population that participates in it," Moorman said. He said while there is value in testing the waters, the answers may not represent the views of everyone in the district.

Las Virgenes Educators Association Co-President Sandra Pope said that while she supports the survey she believes its timing is wrong.

Parent Pamela Evans said that by the end of the year, parents have "checked out" and the district may not receive as many completed surveys as needed. She said March is the best time to survey parents because teachers are well known by that time.

"What you're trying to do is reach parents that don't go to meetings," Evans said.

"We've got to start somewhere," Zimring said. "It's an important tool to me. . . ." He added that a 30 to 40 percent return will provide valid information. The last time a comprehensive parent survey was conducted was in 1984, he said. That survey produced an 89 percent return rate, he said.

The survey model is a blending of surveys from other high achieving school districts, Zimring said. Parent leaders from each school in the district assisted in identifying themes and topics to be addressed.

"The district is working with the Ventura County Office of Education in the development of questions, formatting of the survey as well as analysis reports," Zimring said.

The survey will be available online and in a printed format. It will also be available in Spanish.

For further information, call the superintendent's office at (818) 878-5225.