Survey Development and Administration
of problematic students would have been sought and the information gained from parents not previously involved in any or few of the events offered from prior years. The best case scenario would be to have each parent visit the school for at least one event during the school year, 2000 to 2001.
Critiquing the instrument:
Apparently, the instrument had some flaws concerning specificity. The comments were favorable, in general, but more information was requested as to when, or what months, certain events would be planned. Apparently, some parents would curtail their school involvement for events held during certain months because of increased personal activity. This element regarding more specificity in preparing the calendar of events would have been most helpful. The survey prepared for the opening of the school year, 2000 to 2001, will contain greater specificity concerning information as to when the events will be offered. This will give the committee more reliable data in which to plan for a successful return in attendance. Another participant in the survey, explained that she had trouble accessing the survey. The writer gave special attention to the fact that there would be no javascript to send the information through email. Instead, the writer used standard html with a simple "mailto" form, which was sent anonymously through the server. The writer contacted the participant by sending her the web page. However, the help extended to the participant created an exception to this individual's anonymity of the survey results.
Another concern is that some parents will not have a computer or a telephone for completing the survey. The office could provide self-addressed, stamped envelopes, but it would be doubtful if all were returned. The neighborhoods are not safe for home visits unless there are at least two or three people that agree to participate in door to door surveys. The writer will suggest to the Parental Involvement Committee to be consistent and persistent in gathering the information from each parent or guardian. This may involve sending the information from the survey home with the child multiple times or perhaps even involve a face to face visit.
Instrument Format/Design:
The writer chose to construct an instrument that focused on three categories of development. The first two categories reflected similar activities from prior years that had the greatest number of parents in attendance. The writer chose to include an additional category offering events primarily with the theme of communication skills. Most
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