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ECCC PTA Parent & Teacher Overall Survey Results
February 2015
Courtesy of the ECCC PTA
The ECCC PTA is nonpartisan and does not support or oppose any political party or candidate.
At the end of the 2014 school year, teachers and parents were asked to participate in an anonymous survey to help the East Cobb County
Council of PTAs (ECCC PTA) gain an understanding of whether class sizes, meaning the number of students in a class, are too large; and if so, what
that has meant to the conditions of education delivery and the learning experience for students and teachers. The surveys are in no way a
comment on the caliber of our Cobb County School teachers and administrators, for whom we have the greatest respect and appreciation.
The ECCC PTA administered a teacher survey and a parent survey. 290 teachers from 40% of the East Cobb public schools participated. 1726
parents completed the parent survey. Other data: The Cobb County School District increased instructional positions by 300 for 2014/15. Due to
economic challenges, the School District 2014/15 budget reports that 1300 instructional, professional and support positions were cut between 2008
and 2013, while enrollment increased.
TEACHER SURVEY RESULTS
Do the current class sizes make it more difficult to
cover the required subject matter effectively?
Does your current class size make it more difficult to
be able to provide attention for students who need
it?
Have there been increased behavior problems
because of the larger class sizes?
PARENT SURVEY RESULTS
Are the size of the classes, meaning the
number of students in a classroom, an issue at
your school?
Which of the following reflects your assessment
with respect to your child’s, or children’s education
in the long term?
OTHER PARENT & TEACHER SURVEY STATISTICS:
87.2% OF TEACHERS WHO RESPONDED SAID THAT THEY HAVE SEEN AN
INCREASE IN CLASS SIZE SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN TEACHING FOR COBB
COUNTY
62.3% OF PARENTS ARE SPENDING EXTRA TIME WITH THEIR CHILDREN
AT HOME TO HELP THEM LEARN THE REQUIRED MATERIAL AS A RESULT
OF LARGER CLASS SIZES
37% OF PARENTS ARE SPENDING MONEY ON TUTORS OR CLASSES
OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL TO ASSIST THEIR CHILDREN IN LEARNING THE
MATERIAL COVERED IN CLASS
71.6% OF PARENTS RESPONDED THEY BELIEVE THAT LARGER CLASS
SIZES RESULT IN LESS “ONE-ON-ONE” TIME WITH STUDENTS.
ECCC PTA Parent & Teacher Overall Survey Results
Additional Teacher Survey Results & Comments
Do any of these statements reflect your teaching experience this year?
Answer Options
Comments by Teachers:
Response
Percent
Response
Count
With larger class sizes, it is more difficult to help those who are falling behind.
56.2%
163
With larger class sizes, it is more difficult to challenge those who are ready for
additional academic progress.
53.4%
155
I am concerned there will be cumulative detrimental effect on the educational
journey of some or most of my students due to the impact of larger class sizes.
38.6%
112
Because of the larger class sizes, I am unable to provide as much individual
feedback to my students as I would like.
56.6%
164
None of these statements reflect my current teaching experience.
6.2%
18
All of these statements reflect my current teaching experience.
45.9%
133
Please provide examples.
35
answered question
290
skipped question
0
Additional Comments:
“Our classrooms are not conducive to these class sizes. There
is very little room for movement and kinesthetic activities
which kids need. Students have a hard time working in
groups because of the lack of space to work as a group.”
“Study after study shows that class size directly affects
student achievement, test results, and teacher
effectiveness.”
“Teachers are overwhelmed with
managing the classroom & increased
time spent on administrative tasks –
grading, inputting grades, testing, and
other duties ….”
“I hope that this survey will help to relay
how difficult it is to teach a Biology Lab
class with 34 students. Not only does it
impact the students who have a hard
time concentrating but also it makes it
difficult to make biology labs interesting.
Hands on activities can rarely take place
because it demands more time to set up,
explain, and for a student to grasp the
concept.”
“There is such a wide range of student levels within
one classroom. Teachers are expected to
differentiate & individualize student learning, and
increased class sizes makes doing this effectively
quite a challenge and incredibly time consuming.”
Additional Parent Survey Results & Comments
Which of the following statements reflect your child’s experience with class
size? Please select all that apply.
Answer Options
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Class size has not been an issue in my child's classroom.
11.5%
169
Larger class sizes result in more distractions, which make it harder for my
child to learn.
69.3%
1016
Larger class sizes have resulted in more behavior problems, which make it
harder for my child to learn.
52.7%
772
Larger class sizes result in less "one-on-one" time with students, so that my
child is less able to learn the material as well as he/she needs to learn it.
71.6%
1050
Larger class sizes make it more difficult to challenge my child -- who is
ready for additional academic progress.
49.8%
730
20.5%
301
Please provide comments here.
answered question
1466
skipped question
260
Additional Comments:
“My major concern is retention of quality teachers to provide
my child’s education – larger class size leads to higher stress
levels which can motivate earlier retirement from teaching.”
“Teachers have been extraordinary as they deal with this
challenge.”
Comments by Parents:
“This is one of my primary concerns as a
parent. Teachers cannot be effective in
classes this large. I am in favor of coming up
with solutions, even at the expense of other
activities/ etc. that cost the schools money.”
“My child complains about crowded, noisy
classrooms - not noisy because students are
talking but noisy because of chairs scraping
on the floor, students coughing, papers
shuffling - just regular noise multiplied.”
“It doesn't benefit the child or the teacher
when there are too many kids in a class. We
moved to Cobb County for the schools and
class sizes.”
"Larger class sizes equal fewer resources and
less individualized time for students whether
they need more challenging work or
assistance with problem areas."