Date: Fri 13-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-Gordon-Black-survey

Full Text:

Ed Ink: Customer Satisfaction

Last October, students, parents, and educators of Newtown's public schools

were asked their opinions about the local system of education. A report on

this "customer satisfaction" survey, known as the Gordon Black Report, is now

available to the public, and the bottom line is that, on the whole, Newtown is

pretty satisfied with its system of public education. Most students like their

teachers, most teachers like their students, and most parents like their kids'

schools and the teachers who work there. When compared to the 50 or 60 other

towns that have been surveyed in a similar way, Newtown is happier than most

with its school system.

The main complaints voiced by a minority, though significant percentage, of

those surveyed, had to do with uninspiring homework assignments, inadequate

computer equipment, dirty school buses, and the quality of the food served in

the cafeterias. A little extra effort in each of these areas would go a long

way toward making school a completely pleasant experience for almost all

students, parents, and teachers.

Newtown should feel good about this report; it reflects the professional skill

of local educators, parental involvement, and an engaged student body. It is

human nature, however, to allow good feelings and self-satisfaction to

transform accomplishment into complacency.

Public education is a mission, and typically people on a mission may

appreciate the laurels that crop up here and there, but they don't rest on

them. Clearly Newtown's educators, in partnership with the community, have

built a strong foundation for excellence in education. The best teachers and

students know, however, that the quest for excellence starts anew every day,

and quite often that quest leads them through hardship, dissatisfaction, and

sacrifice. There are times on that quest when a customer satisfaction survey

would show plenty of frustration, confusion, and doubt, but wise teachers know

that these times are critical to the process of learning.

So, the Gordon Black Report should not be cause to relax. It certainly is good

news, but it should serve mainly as a call to press on into those areas that

challenge us the most. Students, teachers, and parents should look directly at

the remaining weaknesses in the system and not try to gloss them over, but

acknowledge them and address them head-on. These are areas where our attention

and interest can reside not with the satisfaction of what we know, but with

the dissatisfaction of knowing there is still so much to learn. While customer

satisfaction may feel pretty good, customer dissatisfaction is a prerequisite

for improvement and growth.