Academics or Teacher Satisfaction?

Do Parents Want High Academic Achievment?

Dec 5, 2007

Successful Teachers Make The Difference in School , ablestock.com

Having a choice, would parents want a teacher that will raise student achievement or make their children happy? A Brigham Young University survey tells the answer.

School Report Cards

Since No Child Left Behind came into being, schools must issue reports on academic status. In some form, each school reports out to the public (parents and taxpayers) on student proficiency in math and reading. Science is now joining the ranks of content areas to be reported along with the math and reading.

How seriously are parents taking these academic reports? This varies. There doesn’t seem to be a good understanding on what these reports mean. If interviewed on the street, parents that understood what the proficiency scores mean would be in the small minority. And, at times, when the reports are explained, parents don’t want to believe that the school their child attends may not be a four star school.

Brigham Young University Study

Lars Lefgren, co-author and BYU associate professor, states, "While achievement is important, what we’re trying to produce in schools and what parents want schools to produce is much broader than test score gains." [Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune, sltrib.com, November 26, 2007] In most schools, students are randomly assigned to classroom teachers. However, in some schools parents are allowed to select their child’s teacher. What are the criteria? While many would assume that parents want their child to have the teacher that is most likely to teach their child on a high academic level, this is not the case. 55% of the time, parents select the teacher with high "satisfaction" ratings. These parents value a teacher’s ability to satisfy students.

Socio-Economic Choices

The BYU study does show

Parents in wealthier and non-minority schools are less interested in teachers known to produce academic achievement and more concerned about teacher satisfaction. These parents made teacher requests 65% of the time.
Parents of students who are eligible for free and reduced lunches are more likely to request teachers who valued high academics. They selected teachers at a 15% rate.

[Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune, sltrib.com, November 26, 2007]

Open Enrollment

In many states open enrollment is common. Parents may request an education in another public school and cross district lines to receive that education at no cost. However, most of the time, buses do not cross district lines. What is the main reason for changing schools with open enrollment? Convenience. Parents that work in one town may select a school in the same town for convenience. When parents are asked about the quality of education, they are often unaware of the status in either school.

The study by Lefgren of Brigham Young University and Brian Jacob of the University of Michigan appears in the new issue of Quarterly Journal of Economics.

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