From the report's summary: "...parents have a significantly more positive perspective on school climate than their children do. Second, parents who indicated that their primary source of information about the school was the newspaper were consistently more negative than other groups on statements related to safety, respect, and expectations. Those parents who indicated that television was their primary source of information about the school were consistently more negative than other groups on statements related to community welfare and the importance of race in the school. Parents indicated that their top two sources of information about the school were from their child(ren) and self-experience. While print and video media appear to influence a relatively small number of parents, it significantly skews the opinions and views of parents on matters of grave importance." Noting that overall survey results on parent perceptions were overwhelmingly positive, the summary adds, "Parents in urban districts are optimistic and positive about their schools. Contrary to popular reports, these findings do not suggest that parents view the schools negatively."
Without a doubt, media coverage plays a critical role in parent and public awareness about public education. Undoubtedly, that role should include reporting on the good, the bad, and the ugly. So Richmond Public Schools should receive lots of media coverage--and assuredly, that coverage will inform the public's perception of the school system. All the more reason for the public to insist that the coverage is fair, that it is as comprehensive as it needs to be to deal with some of the complex school issues, and that different systems are treated similarly.
So here's a homework case study: a school system in the Richmond region had a comprehensive audit to confront the "brutal facts" about its curriculum. Recently, officials from the system presented at conference of school board members from across the state. Done at a cost of over $100,000 by a team from Phi Beta Kappa, it was comprehensive and system-wide, with findings of both excellence and areas for improvement. Surely this expansive audit of the region's largest school system should have been well-reported in the local media, yet aside from a nine-month-old local weekly story announcing the plan for an audit, little else can be found outside of the school system's own communications.
Essay question: Would that have been the case if the audit had been conducted in Richmond?
(And by the way, I applaud Chesterfield's willingness to undergo this major audit and take on the issues it covers. They gave a great presentation, and by all accounts, the process will be helpful to the system as it embarks on its strategic plan for the district. Read the full audit report at
http://www.chesterfield.k12.va.us/CCPS/About_CCPS/curriculum_audit/Curriculum%20Management%20Audit%20news%20release.pdf)
