Find Parents Pleased With Job Teachers Are Doing; High Marks on School Survey
By MICHELLE FRIEDMAN
A city survey finding that more than 90 percent of public-school parents are satisfied with the education their children are receiving is a testament to the quality of their Teachers, the president of the United Federation of Teachers said last week.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: 'Parents share our priorities.'

Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein July 1 announced the results of the city's second annual public school Learning Environment Survey, which was initiated to help schools improve by asking parents, Teachers, and students in grades six through twelve to evaluate their schools.

Motivation Needs Work

The results, based on 800,000 responses, show that schools continue to improve in communicating with parents and creating more personalized instruction for students, and are more effectively promoting a culture of safety and respect. The survey also showed, however, need for improvement in the areas of student motivation and engagement. The survey results - along with attendance - will determine 15 percent of the letter grade on each school's progress report.

JOEL I. KLEIN: 'Thrilled' by results.

UFT President Randi Weingarten said that as a union of educators, the UFT was pleased to see such high parent satisfaction. She said that the high approval rate "reinforces our long-held belief that the most important aspect of education and student success is the interaction between Teachers and students in the classroom. We're also not surprised to see that parents continue to rank smaller class sizes as a top priority and that they share educators' desire for more collaboration and a greater focus on school safety."

She also said that parents' desire for more rigorous classes could reflect concerns about the school system's growing emphasis on standardized testing.

"The fact that parents think so highly of their children's Teachers also indicates how selfless our educators are," Ms. Weingarten continued. "They give their all despite feeling that the central administration isn't listening to their concerns - a fact reflected in our survey last month asking educators to evaluate the Chancellor and the Department of Education. True accountability happens only when everyone takes responsibility for educating our kids."

Participation Increases

The survey's response rate rose 14 percent from last year, with the greatest increase coming among the 200 schools with the lowest response rate last year, more than doubling from 15 to 38 percent. The surveys were handed out during parent/Teacher conference days.

Ninety-four percent of parents said that they were satisfied with their children's Teachers, up from 90 percent last year. Parental ratings for quality of education were also high, 92 percent this year, up from 88 percent last year.

Teacher ratings of the school system increased in every area. Improvements were reported in the areas of communication and safety, while 85 percent of Teachers said that school leaders made clear what was expected of them. Seventy-four percent said that order and discipline were maintained at their school - up from 64 percent last year - while Teachers also reported a greater focus on personalized instruction for students.

Ninety-two percent of students said that they have to work hard to receive good grades, while students also reported feeling safer in school. But just 53 percent said that students who get good grades are respected in school, while 40 percent of students do not feel that their school offers a wide-enough variety of classes and activities to keep them interested.

For the first time, District 75 special education schools and all city charter schools participated in the survey. Guidance counselors also participated in the survey for the first time.

Klein: Feedback Helps

"I'm thrilled that so many more parents, Teachers, and students participated in this year's Learning Environment Survey," Chancellor Klein said in a statement. "Their feedback will help schools serve students as effectively as possible."

"Asking the people you serve to tell you what you're doing well and what you could do better is one of the most effective ways to improve, as this year's Learning Environment Survey demonstrates," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The responses schools received last year from parents, teachers, and students guided schools in making improvements, which helps explain why all three groups reported greater satisfaction this year."