A Descriptive Analysis Report of District Resultsweb.sfusd.edu/Services/research_public/sfusd_satisfaction... · 2011-07-30 · SFUSD District Satisfaction Surveys 2009 A Descriptive

SFUSD District Satisfaction Surveys 2009

A Descriptive Analysis Report of District Results

August 10, 2009

Norman Ferrer, Ed.D.

Research, Planning & Accountability 555 Franklin Street, Second Floor

San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 241‐6041

Ferrer/SFUSD RPA 8/17/2009 2

Executive Summary The District’s Satisfaction Surveys provide important baseline measures of satisfaction and assessments of needs in the District’s efforts to improve equity, student achievement, and accountability in our schools, as outlined in the District’s strategic plan. In this decade, SFUSD administered District wide satisfaction surveys in 2001, 2002, 2008, and 2009. The 2009 surveys were administered to families of students, school staff and administrators, and students from grades 5, 8, and 11. Except for families, the surveys were administered in a similar way as in 2008 and the number of surveys completed was similar for both years. In total for 2009, 2,505 school staff, 114 administrators, and 8,018 students completed surveys. For families, in 2009 surveys were sent to all students’ families, and 12,779 surveys were completed (in contrast, in 2008, a random sample of families was surveyed, and 1,025 surveys were completed.) This year’s surveys include some new and revised elements from previous years’ measures. All survey questions were revised for content and updated to align with the District’s Balanced Scorecard. In addition, the scale was modified to include a “Don’t Know” option to balance the agreement scale and give respondents a “neutral” response option. It is important to keep these changes in mind when making year‐to‐year comparisons and analyzing and interpreting survey results. This report, a descriptive analysis of the surveys’ summary results, includes the following highlight findings: • In terms of agreement percentages, the reported levels of satisfaction are consistently lower for middle school students than for those at other school levels.

• Administrators, families, and elementary school students show the highest levels of overall satisfaction.

• The levels of satisfaction are consistently higher for administrators and families than they are for middle school and high school students.

• Administrators and school staff show similar levels of satisfaction although administrators tend to have higher overall response means.

• Some of the lowest rated questions across the surveys address a lack of knowledge or awareness of services or resources, such as parents’ knowledge of the A‐G requirements or school staff awareness of the Board’s agenda or direction.

• For students, the lowest rated questions concern school climate at all levels, and student engagement, meaningful participation, and diminishing resources in middle schools and high schools.


Table of Contents Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction

Survey Design and Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Survey Analysis in this Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Section 1: A Descriptive Analysis by Survey Type

1A: A Descriptive Analysis of School Staff and

Administrator Surveys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 1: Access and Equity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 2: Student Achievement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 3: Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1B: A Descriptive Analysis of Family Surveys . . . . . . . . .

Goal 1: Access and Equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 2: Student Achievement . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .

Goal 3: Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1C: A Descriptive Analysis of Student Surveys . . . . . . .

Goal 1: Access and Equity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 2: Student Achievement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 3: Accountability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Section 2: Selected Comparison of Response Variation

Goal 1: Access and Equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 2: Student Achievement . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Goal 3: Accountability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Conclusions and Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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INTRODUCTION


Introduction The District’s Satisfaction Surveys serve as an important baseline measure of satisfaction and assessment of needs for the District’s efforts to improve equity, student achievement, and accountability in our schools—as outlined in the District’s strategic plan, Beyond The Talk (www.beyonthetalk.org). The 2009 surveys were administered in late spring, and the results will be reported in the summer to the school community. The surveys gather information from families, school staff and administrators, and students from grades 5, 8, and 11. Survey Design and Administration The 2009 surveys closely follow the design of the previous year’s surveys. Both sets of surveys were aligned with updated versions of the District’s strategic plan. The content and language of the 2009 surveys were revised and updated to more closely reflect the strategic plan’s outcome measures and objectives. In addition to content revisions, the response scale was expanded to include the neutral option, “Don’t Know,” for all items; the survey scale now includes: “Strongly Agree,” “Agree,” “Disagree,” “Strongly Disagree,” and “Don’t Know.” For the purposes of calculating response means in our reporting, “Strongly Agree” represents a “4,” “Agree” a “3,” “Disagree” a “2,” and “Strongly Disagree” a “1;” “Don’t Know” is not used to calculate means. In 2009, as in 2008, the Administrator surveys were distributed at administrators meetings in April, and the School Staff and Student surveys were sent to schools via school mail in early May. In 2008, the Family surveys were sent by U.S. mail to 10% of student families, randomly assigned. In contrast, the 2009 Surveys were sent to all District families at the end of May via school mail. This effort was carried out in order to provide each school the opportunity to hear from every family, thus increasing the validity and relevance of the survey and allowing each school to gather significant outcome measures of their strategic plans. Administrator surveys were collected at an administrators meeting; all other surveys were administered by the schools and sent back through school mail to the Research, Planning, and Accountability Department for processing.

INTRODUCTION


Survey Analysis in this Report This report presents a descriptive analysis of the summary results by survey type. The complete summary results can be found at 2009 SFUSD Satisfaction Survey Reports (http://sfportal.sfusd.edu/sites/research_public/sfusd satisfaction surveys/Forms/ AllItems.aspx) The 2009 surveys provide the District with a rich array of district and school data which, given the diversity of respondents of the five different surveys, can be mined using a variety of methodologies. A descriptive analysis can provide the District a glimpse of the trends in the data and of the areas identified for further, more detailed analysis. This report is divided into two sections: • SECTION 1: A Descriptive Analysis by Survey Type For each survey, this section presents descriptive analysis findings of all survey results, organized around the specific objectives of the strategic plan. This section first presents summary background data and then findings followed by agreement ranges tables for each survey question.

• SECTION 2: Selected Comparison of Response Variation The second section highlights variations in responses to similar questions across the five surveys.

The agreement ranges presented in the first two sections of this report represent the combination of the percentages of “strongly agree” and “agree” responses. All percentages in this report have been rounded. Note that when reporting summary data, the totals or percentages will not always add up to a reported total or to 100% due to a variety of factors in data tabulation, such as invalid or unreadable responses and unanswered questions. Most tables in this report present percentages of agreement ranges and means of all responses side by side. It is important to note that the agreement ranges only show percentages for “Strongly Agree” and “Agree,” while the mean represents the distribution of all responses (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree).

INTRODUCTION


Section 1 presents a descriptive analysis of findings and is organized in sets of related questions. The analysis is presented in a narrative form and aims to provide a summative interpretation of the numerical results for each set of questions. As in any descriptive analysis, the interpretations herein are offered to facilitate the reading of the results and not as absolute interpretations or causal findings. Some descriptions use terms such as “high” or “strong” to interpret agreement ranges of about 75% or above, “moderate” or “adequate” for ranges of around 65% to 75% and “low” for ranges below 65%. The addition of “Don’t Know” to the 2009 scale represents an important variable that needs to be considered when analyzing responses and in year‐to‐year comparisons. Although “Don’t Know” is not counted towards the calculation of the mean, it represents an important factor in the analysis of data, especially when it markedly affects the distribution of responses. In most cases, the percentage of “Don’t Know” responses in the satisfaction surveys is not large. (In the Family survey, for example, of the 35 questions in the survey, the percentage of “Don’t Know” responses was under 10% for 21 questions and under 20% for 9 questions.) However, the interpretation of the relative meaning of “Don’t Know” responses needs to be made on a case‐by‐case basis.

SECTION 1: DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF SCHOOL STAFF AND ADMINISTRATOR SURVEYS


Section 1: A Descriptive Analysis by Survey Type For each survey, this section first presents relevant respondents background data summaries followed by the agreement ranges organized by themes. The School Staff and the Administrator results are presented together, followed by the Family results and then the Student results.

1A: A Descriptive Analysis of School Staff and Administrator Surveys

This section first shows tabulation summaries and background information of respondents and then a descriptive analysis of the responses. The table below shows the surveys completed for 2009 and 2008 for both Administrators and School Staff. The Administrator and School Staff are analyzed together in this report to compare and contrast on‐site ranges of satisfaction. It is important to keep in mind the difference in sample size when comparing the survey results.

Surveys Completed 2008 2009

Difference ‘08 to ‘09

Administrators 99 114 + 15 School Staff 2,252 2,505 + 249

Elementary 1,117 1,247 + 130 Middle 330 432 + 102

K‐8 185 589 + 404 High 431 210 ‐ 221



The three tables below show the percentage a number of School Staff respondents by primary position, by school level, and the number of years worked in that position.

School Staff Primary Position

2009 (n = 2,505)

Number of Respondents

Classroom Teacher 75% 1,728 Resource Teacher 5% 110

Counselor 4% 82 Paraprofessional 7% 170

Other 9% 211

School Staff School Level

2009 (n =2,505)

Number of Respondents

Elementary 50% 1,247 Middle 17% 432 K‐8 24% 589 High 8% 210

School Staff Number of Years in Position

2009 (n = 2,505)

0 to 2 years 75% 3 to 5 years 5% 6 to 10 years 4%

More than 10 years 7%



The top table below shows the percentage of Administrator respondents by primary position and school level. The bottom two tables show the number of years respondents reported working in a given position and their school levels.

Administrator Primary Position

2009 (n = 114)

Principal 74% Assistant Principal 26%

Administrator Number of Years in Position

2009 (n = 114)

0 to 2 years 18% 3 to 5 years 31% 6 to 10 years 27%

More than 10 years 25%

Administrator School Level

2009 (n = 114)

Elementary 50% Middle 14% High 36%



Goal 1: Access and Equity 1.3 Creating an environment for student to flourish School staff and administrators report a high degree of engagement, self efficacy, and effort optimism.

Q1: School staff defines and contributes to the school’s vision and core values, as

described in its Balanced Scorecard.

Agree + Strongly Agree Mean

School Staff 88% 3.21 Elementary 90% 3.27

Middle 82% 3.07 K‐8 91% 3.28

High 84% 3.14 Administrators 97% 3.43

Q3: Teachers at my school believe that their efforts make a difference in their students’ learning.



Middle 93% 3.24 K‐8 96% 3.42


Q4: Teachers at my school work together to improve their instructional practice.



Middle 83% 3.06 K‐8 87% 3.32




School staff and administrators also report receiving a high to moderate degree of support and feel that students are well supported, except in terms of the availability of instructional materials.

Q2: The school provides access to resources that close the achievement gap.



Middle 75% 2.89 K‐8 82% 3.02


Q7: Students at this school perceive staff as supportive of their academic and social advancement.



Middle 83% 3.06 K‐8 93% 3.31


Q8: Teachers have sufficient materials to teach their classes, including books and

audio/visual equipment.



Middle 63% 2.75 K‐8 68% 2.92




Overall, they believe that the support they receive results in a positive environment for teaching and learning.

Q5: School staff values and builds on our students’ languages, cultures, and lived experiences.



Middle 74% 2.94 K‐8 90% 3.27


Q9: My school is a safe place for teaching and learning from early in the morning to late at night.



Middle 74% 2.88 K‐8 85% 3.31




Goal 2: Student Achievement 2.1 Ensuring authentic learning for each student School staff and administrators report being supported and prepared to provide their students and school community clear learning expectations, except in terms of professional development in middle and high school.

Q10: Expectations are clear for students, school staff, and families.



Middle 74% 2.91 K‐8 79% 3.07


Q13: Professional development for staff is ongoing, research based, and clearly

related to the school’s Balanced Scorecard.



Middle 62% 2.82 K‐8 78% 3.05


Q19: Teachers in my school have the skills and knowledge to prepare students for post‐secondary education and for a high‐skills economy.



Middle 81% 3.15 K‐8 84% 3.20




They report believing that their schools provide a wide range of academic courses with appropriate differentiation of instruction and assessment methods but they report ambivalence about the courses fostering joyful learning after elementary school.

Q11: School staff uses standards‐based instruction that includes a plan for differentiated instruction, accelerated learning, engagement, and assessment.



Middle 87% 3.10 K‐8 89% 3.20


Q12: Teachers in this school use multiple assessment practices to measure

student progress throughout the year.



Middle 82% 3.08 K‐8 87% 3.27


Q14: Students participate in a wide variety of intensive and high‐quality courses and activities during the school day to foster joyful 21st Century learning.



Middle 63% 2.75 K‐8 73% 3.01




School staff and administrators report receiving valuable resources both during the regular school day and during out of school time to extend the learning opportunities of their students, except in terms of educational technology and service learning projects.

Q15: The school provides high quality extra curricular and/or afterschool programs.



Middle 82% 3.17 K‐8 79% 3.09


Q18: The school receives critical resources for sports, library, arts and music, mental health, and student support services.



Middle 72% 3.05 K‐8 76% 3.02


Q16: The school provides opportunities for students to participate in at least two

community service projects per year.



Middle 42% 2.55 K‐8 50% 2.75




Q17: Teachers at this school use educational technology to enhance and promote

the technological fluency of their students.



Middle 69% 2.86 K‐8 68% 2.78


Goal 3: Accountability 3.2 Creating the culture of service and support School staff and administrators report that families and community are well to moderately involved as partners in the education of their children.

Q21: The school works with community partnerships to strengthen student learning.



Middle 70% 2.89 K‐8 83% 3.06


Q22: Families and the community feel welcomed and connected to the culture of the school.



Middle 68% 2.86 K‐8 83% 3.15




Q23: Families are informed, included, and involved as partners and decision makers

in the education of our children.



Middle 68% 2.83 K‐8 83% 3.09


They also report feeling satisfied with their jobs and with the support they receive from the administration.

Q24: The administration provides me with the support I need to improve my

professional practice.



Middle 72% 2.84 K‐8 82% 3.13


Q30: Overall, I am satisfied with my job at SFUSD.



Middle 81% 2.99 K‐8 88% 3.15




They report believing that their schools are generally positive environments for students and that their schools are in a path to meaningful improvement, although the percentages for middle and high school are markedly lower than for elementary school.

Q29: I would place my child in this school.



Middle 58% 2.75 K‐8 70% 3.08


Q28: I believe that my school’s strategic plan will achieve its goals and objectives.



Middle 60% 2.89 K‐8 77% 3.08


Q27: My school is heading in the right direction.



Middle 70% 2.97 K‐8 86% 3.22




Staff and administrators express uncertainty about the direction of the District as a whole.

Q25: The Superintendent is leading the District in the right direction.



Middle 62% 2.94 K‐8 63% 3.04


Q26: The Board of Education is leading the District in the right direction.



Middle 40% 2.64 K‐8 50% 2.78


And just over half report believing that they are valued as District employees.

Q20: The District values me as an employee.



Middle 47% 2.44 K‐8 54% 2.66




Finally, more administrators than school staff favor changing the summer schedule starting in 2010‐2011. Q31: Starting in 2010‐11, I support for the school year to begin in mid‐August and

end in late May.



Middle 52% 2.51 K‐8 61% 2.81


SECTION 1: DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF FAMILY SURVEYS


1B: A Descriptive Analysis of Family Surveys This section first shows tabulation summaries and background information of respondents and then a descriptive analysis of the responses. The table below shows the surveys completed for 2009 and 2008 for Family Surveys.

Surveys Completed

2008 2009 (n)


Family 1,025 12,779 + 11,754 Elementary 486 8,090 + 7,604

Middle 183 2,260 + 2,077 High 235 1,112 + 877 K‐8 88 1,314 + 1,226

The table below shows the percentage of respondents by their student’s grade level.*

Family Child’s Grade Level

2009 (n = 12,779)

PK 1% K 10% 1 10% 2 9% 3 9% 4 9% 5 8% 6 6% 7 6% 8 4% 9 2% 10 1% 11 2% 12 1%

* Note that 24% of the surveys tabulated did not check the grade level of their child.



Goal 1: Access and Equity 1.3 Creating an environment for students to flourish Families report that they are highly involved in their schools and that their children feel motivated to learn, but many are not yet involved in helping define their schools’ vision and values.

Q1: My child enjoys going to school.


Family 96% 3.54 Elementary 98% 3.62

Middle 93% 3.37 K‐8 97% 3.58

High 85% 3.18

Q2: The teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.



Middle 87% 3.20 K‐8 94% 3.46

High 79% 3.07 Q3: Families define and contribute to the school’s vision and core values, as

described in its Balanced Scorecard.



Middle 65% 3.10 K‐8 80% 3.31

High 58% 2.96



Families perceive that their children are well supported at school. Q5: School staff supports my child’s academic and social development.



Middle 88% 3.23 K‐8 94% 3.43

High 81% 3.13

Q6: The discipline plan at my school is implemented according to the “SFUSD Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook.”



Middle 78% 3.21 K‐8 81% 3.30

High 75% 3.17 Q7: Teachers have sufficient materials to teach their classes, including books and

audio/visual equipment.



Middle 83% 3.19 K‐8 84% 3.21

High 72% 2.99



Families believe that the schools provide their children with a positive environment for teaching and learning. Q4: School staff values my child’s home language, culture, and lived experience.



Middle 80% 3.19 K‐8 90% 3.37

High 75% 3.12

Q8: My child’s school provides a caring, inclusive, and engaging environment for

learning.



Middle 86% 3.16 K‐8 94% 3.36

High 79% 3.08

Q9: My child has a meaningful and caring relationship with at least one adult at the school.



Middle 74% 3.18 K‐8 87% 3.37

High 74% 3.14

Q10: My child’s school is a safe place for teaching and learning from early in the morning to late at night.



Middle 80% 3.10 K‐8 91% 3.42

High 78% 3.09



Goal 2: Student Achievement 2.1 Ensuring authentic learning for each student

Families report a high degree of confidence in their children’s academic preparation and in the learning expectations of their children’s schools, but they do not feel well informed about the courses their children are required to take for college admission.

Q11: Expectations are clear for students and families.



Middle 88% 3.23 K‐8 93% 3.36

High 84% 3.17

Q13: This school makes it a priority to help my child identify and select courses that ensure her or his academic progress.



Middle 77% 3.11 K‐8 72% 3.13

High 77% 3.06

*This question was only asked to 8th and 11th grade students, since 5th grade students are not expected to be involved in identifying and selecting their academic courses.

Q14: Teachers assign my child the right amount of clear and useful homework.



Middle 77% 3.03 K‐8 87% 3.20

High 70% 2.89



Q21: Teachers in my school have the skills and knowledge to prepare my child for college and for a career.



Middle 81% 3.21 K‐8 81% 3.32

High 80% 3.13

Q17: I know the California A‐G courses for college admissions.



Middle 51% 2.94 K‐8 40% 2.92

High 66% 3.05

Families believe that the schools offer their children a wide range of academic courses with appropriate differentiation of instruction and assessment methods.

Q12: Teachers in this school use different ways to measure my child’s progress

throughout the year.



Middle 80% 3.17 K‐8 84% 3.27

High 72% 3.04



Q15: The school offers a wide variety of high‐quality courses and activities during the school day to foster joyful learning.



Middle 79% 3.10 K‐8 83% 3.19

High 76% 3.08

Q19: Teachers at this school use educational technology to enhance and promote

my child’s skills and abilities.



Middle 75% 3.07 K‐8 81% 3.21

High 72% 3.00

Families report mixed awareness of the additional resources being provided to their children to extend their learning opportunities during the regular school day and during out of school time. Families are more familiar with their schools’ afterschool programs than with other enrichment opportunities.

Q16: The school provides high quality extra curricular and/or afterschool programs.



Middle 76% 3.14 K‐8 78% 3.16

High 73% 3.09



Q20: The school receives critical resources for sports, library, and arts and music programs.



Middle 68% 3.14 K‐8 65% 3.08

High 59% 2.91

Q18: The school provides opportunities for my child to participate in at least two community service projects per year.



Middle 56% 2.89 K‐8 55% 2.98

High 62% 3.00

Goal 3: Accountability 3.2 Creating the culture of service and support

Families see themselves as active partners in the education of their children, but their level of participation drops in middle and high school.

Q22: Families are informed, included, and involved as partners and decision makers in the education of our children.



Middle 82% 3.14 K‐8 87% 3.25

High 75% 3.02



Q23: I have attended at least one parent‐teacher conference about my child.



Middle 77% 3.05 K‐8 95% 3.53

High 62% 2.77

Q29: I attend and actively participate in regular scheduled meetings, events, and adult educational opportunities.



Middle 56% 2.73 K‐8 76% 3.05

High 51% 2.62

Families report that connection and communication between home and school is generally stronger in elementary school than in the other grades.

Q26: Communication between home and school is frequent and useful.



Middle 77% 3.07 K‐8 90% 3.31

High 68% 2.91

Q27: I have been asked to provide feedback to the school about its service and support.



Middle 66% 2.94 K‐8 74% 3.07

High 64% 2.85



Q28: The school staff calls whenever my child is absent.



Middle 69% 3.11 K‐8 82% 3.36

High 79% 3.23

They also report a high degree of satisfaction with their children’s schools, principals, and teachers.

Q24: My child’s teachers deal with me in a fair and respectful manner.



Middle 87% 3.26 K‐8 96% 3.52

High 77% 3.16

Q25: I am happy with the teachers my child has this year.



Middle 83% 3.19 K‐8 92% 3.47

High 74% 3.06

Q30: The Principal is a positive, visible, and accessible leader.



Middle 81% 3.26 K‐8 90% 3.41

High 76% 3.24



Q33: I would recommend this school to other parents.



Middle 85% 3.28 K‐8 94% 3.52

High 82% 3.22

Q34: Overall, I love my child’s school.



Middle 86% 3.23 K‐8 94% 3.51

High 80% 3.17

However, families report less certainty about the direction of the District as a whole.

Q31: The Superintendent is leading the District in the right direction.



Middle 66% 3.12 K‐8 63% 3.21

High 56% 3.01

Q32: The Board of Education is leading the District in the right direction.



Middle 63% 3.05 K‐8 59% 3.07

High 55% 2.96



Finally, more than two‐thirds of families favor changing the summer schedule starting in 2010‐2011.

Q35: Starting in 2010‐11, I support the school district year beginning in mid‐August

and ending in late May.



Middle 69% 3.00 k‐8 73% 3.10

High 68% 2.98

SECTION 1: DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF STUDENT SURVEYS


1C: A Descriptive Analysis of the Student Surveys This section first shows tabulation summaries and background information of respondents and then a descriptive analysis of the responses. The table below shows the surveys completed and response rates for 2009 and 2008 for Students.

Surveys Completed Response Rate

2008 2009 (n)


2008 2009

Grade 5

3,029

3,031

+ 2

77%

79%

Grade 8

1,819

2,751

+ 932

46%

72%

Grade 11

1,833

2,236

+ 403

38%

56%



Goal 1: Access and Equity 1.3 Creating an environment for student to flourish Students report feeling supported academically by their teachers, but their sense of both inclusion in decision making and of the relevance of what they learn drops dramatically as they move up grade levels.

Q6: My teachers help me when I do not understand a lesson.


Grade 5 94% 3.58 Grade 8 81% 3.10 Grade 11 77% 2.96

Q7: I am included in classroom and school decision making.



Q5: My teachers connect what I am learning to life outside the classroom.





Students perceive that they are generally well supported at school, although they report a drop in the availability of resources at the different grade levels.

Q1: I believe school staff cares about the success of all students at my school.



Q10: I am aware of the extra curricular and/or after school program options offered at my school.



Q8: My classroom has enough books and supplies to help me learn.



Students report ambivalence about their school environment, showing strong peer relationships but a consistent sense that there is intolerance of other groups at all levels. Q4: I have supportive and caring relationships with other students at my school.





Q2: I believe students at my school are respectful of others different from them.



In a similar way, students report feeling mixed about having a positive, safe, and inclusive school environments.

Q3: My school values my home language and culture.



Q9: My school is a positive and safe place for learning from early in the morning

to late at night.





Goal 2: Student Achievement 2.1 Ensuring authentic learning for each student Students report knowing what is expected of them and finding their schoolwork mostly engaging and challenging, although they do not find it to be particularly meaningful or joyful.

Q11: Teachers and school staff make clear what they expect from me at school.



Q12: The courses I am taking are engaging and challenging.



Q13: My teachers make learning meaningful and joyful.



Students report diminishing confidence in their study skills and in the usefulness of their homework as they move up the grades, as well as a lack of differentiation in assessment methods to measure their learning.

Q14: My teachers have taught me good study skills and habits.





Q15: My homework is useful and it helps me do well at school.



Q16: My teachers use different ways to measure my progress throughout the year.



Students report having varied levels of access to resources to extend their learning opportunities

Q18: I enjoy the sports, library, and arts and music programs at my school.



Q17: My teachers use computers and other technology to help me learn.





About half of 8 and 11 grades students reported participating in two service learning projects per year and a slightly higher percentage reported feeling that they were being well prepared for college and a career.

Q19: The school provides opportunities for me to participate in at least two

community service projects per year.


Grade 8 43% 2.58 Grade 11 51% 2.67

Q20: My teachers and school staff prepare me well for college and a career.


Grade 8 60% 2.85 Grade 11 64% 2.80

Goal 3: Accountability 3.2 Creating the culture of service and support Students report being treated with varying degrees of respect by their teachers and principals.

Q22: My teachers treat me and all other students with respect.



Q23: The Principal treats me and all other students with respect.





Students report having strong learning support at home.

Q21: I have somebody at home who cares about me and supports me in my learning.



And they generally like their schools.

Q24: I like this school and would recommend it to others.



Finally, about half of 5 and 8 grade students support changing the summer schedule starting in 2010‐2011.

Q25: Starting in 2010‐11, I support for the school year to begin in mid‐August and

end in late May.


Grade 5 51% 2.88 Grade 8 55% 2.95

SECTION 2: SELECTED COMPARISON OF RESPONSE VARIATION


Section 2: Selected Comparison of Response Variation The section below highlights the questions asked of all stakeholders that show a broad mean response range. These comparisons show that in general the mean is higher for school staff, administrators, and families than it is for students. The highlights also show that in general the mean tends to be higher in elementary school than in the other grades and that the mean for middle school students tends to be lower than for the other levels. Goal 1: Access and Equity

• School values students’ language and culture.


School Staff 88% 3.22 Administrators 82% 3.22 Family 89% 3.36 Students

Grade 5Grade 8Grade 11

73% 59% 70%

3.18 2.57 2.77

• School is a safe place for teaching and learning from early in the morning to late at night.



Grade 5Grade 8Grade 11

73% 59% 70%

3.18 2.57 2.77



• There are sufficient materials at school to help students learn.



Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade 11

84% 71% 61%

3.37 2.93 2.69

Student Achievement

• Teachers use different ways to measure student progress.




71% 53% 54%

3.30 2.79 2.69

• Activities and courses offered during the school day foster student’s joyful learning.*




78% 48% 51%

3.22 2.53 2.54

* Students were asked two separate questions in this regard, one about the courses being engaging and challenging (Q12) and one about the teachers making learning meaningful and joyful (Q13); the percentages and mean above are for question 12; the means for question 13 are 3.09, 2.85, and 2.98.



• Teachers use educational technology to help students learn.




65% 55% 61%

2.95 2.65 2.68

Accountability

• I like this school and would recommend it to others.*




77% 62% 64%

3.32 2.91 2.84

* Students were asked if they liked their schools and would recommend it to others (Q24), parents were asked if they would recommend it to other parents (Q33), and school staff and administrators were asked if they would place their child in their school.



• Starting in 2010‐2011, I support for the school year to begin in mid‐August and end in late May.




77% 62% 64%

3.32 2.91 2.84



Conclusions and Recommendations

General Conclusions

The data presented in this analysis show that although the agreement percentages across the surveys are positive for the majority of the outcome indicators, there is a marked difference in agreement ranges, and thus in satisfaction, between the higher agreement percentages for administrators, staff, families, and elementary school students on the one hand, and the lower agreement percentages for middle school and high school students on the other. In this sense, there is a noticeable gap between what administrators, staff, and families perceive students are experiencing at school and what students themselves report experiencing. For example, when asked if they perceive that the activities or courses offered at school foster students’ joyful learning, only 48% of middle graders strongly agreed or agreed with that statement, compared with 80% of administrators, 74% of school staff and 85% of families who did so.

There is also a marked difference between the agreement ranges for the different school levels, with the agreement ranges being lower for middle schools, followed by high schools and then elementary schools. These agreement percentages are fairly consistent across the surveys, so that for each school level, students, staff, and families tend to have similar agreement ranges.

In these surveys, as it is often the case with satisfaction surveys, strict satisfaction questions are asked along with questions of awareness or knowledge. An example of a strict satisfaction question is the family survey question “I am happy with the teachers my child has this year.” An example of a knowledge question is the family and school staff/administrator question “The school provides opportunities for students to participate in at least two community service projects per year.” Most questions require for the respondents to be aware of a service or resource before being able to adequately rank satisfaction or agreement. The addition of the neutral option “don’t know” to the response scale reveals that many of the lowest ranked questions across the board are questions of awareness of knowledge of services or resources, particularly for families and staff. For example, families were asked if they “know the California A‐G course requirements for college admissions;” 45% responded that they strongly agreed or agreed (the lowest ranking of agreement for all questions posed to families), 13% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 43% responded that they didn’t know. In these surveys, questions with significant “don’t know” response percentages point to outcome areas where there is a need for increased communication.



Although agreement percentages and means are helpful in identifying general response trends to particular general measures, it is important to keep in mind that specific responses ought to be analyzed in a case‐by‐case basis. For example, for the previous example about the A‐G requirements, we might interpret the 43% of respondents who answered don’t know and the 13% who disagreed or strongly disagreed differently from responses to a question asked to families about whether “The Board of Education is leading the District in the right direction.” In this case 63% of families agreed or strongly agreed with that statement, 10% disagreed or strongly disagreed and 27% answered that they didn’t know. In these two examples, disagreeing or not knowing the A‐G requirements can mean or be interpreted to mean something quite different from disagreeing or not knowing if the Board of Education is leading the District in the right direction.

Recommendations

Survey findings serve to identify strategies or interventions that respondents believe are effective and those that may need improvement. Often, the latter are revealed in unexpected findings or answers that appear to contradict other research findings or even findings within the same survey (such as when 85% of school staff report they either agree or strongly agree that, overall, they are satisfied with their job at SFUSD, but only 55% agree or strongly agree that the District values them as employees). Satisfaction surveys are more relevant or useful when they form part of a systematic data gathering and information feedback loop, in which surveys are followed by other research instruments, such as focus groups or interviews, which are often better suited for answering the “why” questions that result from examining survey data. In this sense, it is important for the District to continue to promote efforts to streamline survey and research protocols and to devote resources to provide ongoing and comprehensive feedback information to schools, families, and policymakers.

The District has promoted initiatives that directly or indirectly address some of the need assessment findings in this survey analysis. For example, School Loop—a web‐based classroom information system, through which families and students will have access to homework assignments, lesson plans, attendance and other school‐family communication features—will be available this fall and should contribute to better home‐school communication. Ongoing initiatives in the middle schools, such as the Middle School Teacher Initiative and SF TEAM, address specific concerns about connectedness and promote positive school culture in the middle schools, both areas which these surveys suggest warrant additional inquiry.

Documents

A Descriptive Analysis Report of District Resultsweb.sfusd.edu/Services/research_public/sfusd_satisfaction... · 2011-07-30 · SFUSD District Satisfaction Surveys 2009 A Descriptive