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Teacher & Parent Focus Group Findings
North Street School
May 2011
Parent Focus Group Themes
Overview 28 parents and 8 teachers attended 5 focus
groups conducted by Project Adventure on February 25th
The purpose was to understand the current relationship between parents and North Street Elementary School
Important concepts: Mental Models – this explains why two people can
observe the same event and describe it differently Ladder of Inference –someone climbs up her
ladder of inference when they select only data that supports her belief or mental model
Parent Group - Themes Inconsistencies
Amount of completed work sent home Amount of homework given Level of communication from teachers to parents
Feedback on Student Performance & Progress Some parents felt school was forthcoming with
information/feedback Dissatisfaction with report cards More/less completed work sent home Inconsistency in amount of corrected work Parent teacher conferences – too soon, too late
Parent Group - Themes About Teachers
Range of styles and abilities which impacts quality of education
Impact of class size, district pressure and lack of educational tools
Vocal minority discontent with a wide range of items Communication Progress reporting Tenure Differentiated instruction
Parent Group - Themes Administration
Problem solving – two views expressed Defensive in terms of hearing and responding to problems Solution-focused; more so than the previous administration
Concern that rational for certain educational practices not communicated well
Need for greater visablility Special Education
Some parents have had a negative experience with the process
Some parents spoke positively Parents New to NSS
Find school procedures/practices difficult to navigate PTA not a good resource to new families
Teacher Focus Group Themes
Teacher Group - Themes Parents can be hostile at times
Teachers feel distrusted by some parents Some parents go directly to District level
Positive parents are overshadowed Can even be silence by more vocal and negative
parents Particularly when they organize around issues
Administration Teachers feel supported by building administration Feel a less support from the district
Limited input on new initiatives Feel lack of trust regarding managing time Frustation with multiple new academic initiatives
Teacher Group - Themes Special Education
Meetings can sometimes be hostile, particularly when outside counsel is present
Communication with parents Feel challenged by intensity of emails, not volume Emails require careful responses
Performance feedback Teachers feel they provide ample information on the
progress of the children Norms differ among grade levels as to type of work
that is sent home Teachers keep a portfolio of student work for parents
to review upon request
Suggestions for Improving Parent-North Street School
Relationships
Suggestions - Teachers Develop and agree on clear guidelines and
expectations for student, teacher and parent behaviors Protocol for how to deal with a problem
Ways to create a more respectful environment Parent/teacher dialogue forum
Develop clear consequences for disruptive behavior Teachers need leverage to deal with both students
and parents concerning these issues Without consequences, teachers feel disarmed.
Suggestions - Parents Monthly parent forum with Dr. Smith
Use high school model Open meeting with Q&A
Develop and actively manage a more robust website Parent portal Include academic (homework) & non-academic (photos)
updates Use of e-blasts with timely and regular updates
sent to parents Grade level newsletters
Make more consistent More substantive report card comments
Suggestions - Parents Communicate protocol for parents, teachers
and administrators for dealing with problems Notes taken at evening meetings. Post these
online or at school.
Surveys – Use simple online surveys via Survey Monkey
More outreach to new parents to NSS either via the school or PTA or both
Suggestions - PTA