Edison Schools

Satisfaction in Our Schools

At Edison Schools, we believe that parent, student, and teacher satisfaction are crucial to our success and to the success of our partner schools and students. Achievement happens when parents are positively engaged in the school, when teachers are happy and fulfilled by their work in the classroom, and when students appreciate and enjoy their school experience.

Edison schools have been very focused and successful in satisfying their various customers. Each year, Edison commissions Harris Interactive to survey parents, students (in grades 3 and above), and teachers in every one of its schools. Harris Interactive independently analyzes the results of its surveys and provides schools with extensive diagnoses of what needs to be done to improve satisfaction levels.

PARENT SATISFACTION

Every parent with a child in an Edison partnership school is asked to complete an anonymous survey about their child’s school experience, including one item that asks each parent to assess their child’s Edison school using letter grades—an "A" for excellent through an "F" for failure. Nearly 22,000 parents completed surveys for the 2004–2005 academic year and, for the tenth consecutive year, parents were overwhelmingly satisfied with their Edison partnership schools. A slight majority of 53 percent gave their school an "A," and 33 percent gave their school a "B," for a total of 86 percent of parents giving their school an "A" or a "B."

STUDENT SATISFACTION

Nearly 28,000 students completed surveys for the 2004–2005 academic year. The response patterns for students are nearly the same as those for parents. An A is the most common grade awarded by students, and 73 percent of Edison students awarded their school an A or B. Most Edison students have a longer school day and school year, neither of which holds instant appeal for young people, and many Edison schools serve students who are relatively disadvantaged and ordinarily not highly satisfied with their schools. So, these scores are extremely encouraging.

TEACHER SATISFACTION

Teachers tend to rate schools somewhat lower than parents and students do, although the majority of teachers—64 percent—grade their Edison partnership schools an "A" or a "B." Unlike the results for parents and students, the most popular grade for teachers is a "B." This is not an indication of dissatisfaction—teachers generally rate their schools more critically than do parents or students.

The Harris surveys also probe a teacher’s career satisfaction at an Edison school and these results are extremely encouraging. Of the nearly 2,300 teachers who completed surveys, 86 percent rated the level of their career satisfaction as an A or B.

To hear what parents, students, and teachers have to say about their experiences with Edison, click here.