Schools told to 'fix' surveys for progress reports of city schools

December 2, 8:10 AMNY Education ExaminerLorri Giovinco-Harte

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Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Mayor Bloomberg have come under criticism lately by parents, educators, and students who accuse the heads of the New York City school system of making false claims about statistics for improvements in student progress.  

Although these allegations have been voiced for several years, they have intensified as a result of the interest expressed by the Australian Minister of Education in following the"New York Model" for educational reform.  Education experts, along with parents, teachers, and students have been very vocal in urging the minister to look more closely at national statistics, which show very little improvement for New York City Schools.

Stakeholders in New York City have accused the mayor and chancellor of providing inflated statistics as a part of a public relations campaign meant to portray the "success" gained under their control of the schools. 

One parent blog even charges that one of the duties of employees who work for the mayoral funded organization, MASS (Mayoral Accountability for School Success) is to seek out blog posts and articles which paint the mayor and chancellor in a less than favorable light and respond with comments to the contrary.

Most of the accusations have been difficult to prove and those involved have had to rely on personal experience and national statistics to prove their claims.  The recent procurement byThe New York Post of a memo concerning school surveys, however, provides critics with a bit more, tangible evidence.

School surveys are handed out to students, parents, and teachers, and are meant to give those mentioned a greater voice in the assessment of their schools.  Questions ask involved parties to rate their satisfaction with particular areas of the school.  The results become part of a school's Progress Report which is used by the city to judge their various schools.

According to The Post, the memo in question urged principals in over 60 schools to "keep the surveys away from toxic person(s)," in an attempt to provide more favorable results.  Principals were also urged to provide parents with help in 'translating' and filling out the surveys. 

The memo gives credibility to those individuals who have been charging that the surveys have been 'fixed' since their inception, and that voices who may be critical of the schools have been omitted or deflected from participation.

In all fairness, the perception of a school system does play a vital role in the success of its members.  A school which is perceived as being a "good" one, tends to provide its members with motivation and encouragement.  People tend to rise to the perceived level.  Some in educational circles believe that if the perception of a school changes, the performance will follow suit.

On the other hand, one has to wonder if deliberately manipulating the methods of providing assessment is an honest and/or ethical way to bring about a change in perception.