parent survey results 2005-06 - Wake County Public School System

Parent Survey Results 2005-06 E&R Report No. 05.26
survey was last conducted in 2004. (See Attachment G for comparisons with the 2003-04 parent
survey.)
Quality of Instruction
When asked to respond to the statement that their child’s school provides a high-quality
educational program, 94% of parents agreed or strongly agreed. More than half of respondents
felt that teachers often help students develop personal learning goals (55%), let parents know
how their child is doing in class (62%), and explain what the child must know in order to be
successful (61%). About one third of parents responded that teachers do each of these
sometimes. Only 10% of respondents believed that their child is often given work that is too
easy, while 6% felt that the work is often too hard. Parents responded more favorably to
statements regarding quality of education than in the 2003-04 survey.
At least 85% of parents rated their child’s school as excellent or good in helping their child
acquire knowledge about reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, science, and character
education. This ranged from 85% of parents rating the school’s teaching of character education
to 91% rating the school’s teaching of reading as excellent or good. The percentages ranged
from 89% in science to 93% in reading at the elementary school level, and from 84% in writing
to 89% in both reading and social studies at the middle school level.
Safety and Behavior
When asked to respond to the statement that their child’s school is a safe place to learn, 96% of
parents either agreed or strongly agreed. At the elementary school level, 99% of parents agreed
or strongly agreed with this statement. Across all WCPSS parents, 85% of respondents said that
the students in their child’s school are well behaved, an increase from 83% in 2003-04. The
percentages of parents who agreed or strongly agreed that the rules in their child’s school are fair
and that discipline is handled fairly have also increased since the 2003-04 survey.
Other Observations
At least 85% of parents who responded either agreed or strongly agreed with each statement
regarding the school’s environment and overall quality. When asked to rate their child’s school
in school safety and in supporting student achievement, 91% of parents who responded chose
good or excellent. Regarding how well the school encourages parent involvement and provides
information to parents, 87% chose good or excellent.
Parents were asked to rate the quality of the school cafeteria’s lunch service as excellent, good,
fair, or poor. Across all WCPSS schools, 69% of parents rated their child’s school cafeteria as
having excellent or good quality lunch service, and 24% rated the cafeteria’s lunch service as
fair. Of the elementary parents, 77% rated the lunch service as excellent or good and 19% as
fair, while 60% of middle school parents rated as excellent or good and 30% as fair.
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