Excerpts from the report:
For the past thirteen years, People for Education has conducted surveys of schools to gather information about staff, services, and programs. Last year, we piloted a new survey specifically for school councils. The survey asks about the role of school councils and the communication tools they use, board level parent involvement, school council funding and fundraising. The information gathered will help to provide a better understanding of school councils and the work they do to support their school communities.
This year, over 950 councils from 67 school boards completed the survey; these results will be used as a baseline for future reports. Survey participation reflects not only the regional distribution of schools across the province, but also the proportional split between secondary and elementary schools.
The survey results show that parents and school council members across the province are working tirelessly to support their local schools, not only for their own children, but for the good of the entire community. They show a deep commitment to public education and a willingness to support their local schools through their work. Many respondents took the time to describe their activities and programs in great detail, and demonstrated a justifiable pride in the work they do.
But the results also showed significant disconnects- between current provincial school council policy and what school councils actually now consider their most important roles; between parent engagement policy and what research tells us about what makes the greatest difference for individual student success; and between parents' calls in 2005 for more effective communications from the province and the reality we are finding in 2010.
Among the findings from the survey:
- The majority of school councils list enhancing communication as their most important role, but they report they spend the most time on fundraising.
- New provincial policy mandates that every board has a Parent Involvement Committee (PIC). While two-thirds of schools reported they knew about their board's PIC, 41% didn't know how parents got to be on the committee.
- 84% of councils report that their principals always or often notify them about education policy changes; 59% say they hear about changes from their school boards, and 34% report the Ministry of Education notifies them always or often.
- 89% of schools fundraise. Of those, 53% raise money for library books, 61% for art and music, and 56% for computers, text books or classroom supplies.