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You might assume that people with children would be more informed on education issues than those without. But a recent survey on school communication by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) suggests otherwise.

More non-parents (65%) than parents (47%) feel very well informed or pretty well informed about the issues impacting education in their local district. 59% of non-parents feel that way about state education issues, compared to just 39% of parents.

While at first glance that seems a bit counterintuitive, survey authors offer several possible reasons for these findings. Perhaps parents are mainly focused on classroom and school-level issues. Maybe they have busier lives, juggling careers with children, and have less time to spend informing themselves. Or perhaps non-parents are simply more concerned with big-picture issues, such as the tax burden and impact of district performance on their property values.

Regardless of who knows more and why, none of those numbers bode particularly well for public education at a time when budgets are strained at both the state and local levels. If citizens are not informed about education issues, they cannot be advocates for them. One conclusion this survey draws: With more decisions on testing and funding coming down the pike, school districts need to step up communication on issues above the school-level.

Another important finding from this survey? District communications efforts pay off. 64% of parents and non-parents indicated that their districts’ education services are above average or excellent. Compare that to the recent PDK/Gallup Poll that found 51% of respondents gave local schools an A or B. (Both surveys offered respondents five options). A possible reason for the discrepancy: Given what NSPRA does (the organizational mission is to advance education through responsible communication), its member districts can be assumed to have communications staff. Not all districts do. These findings suggest that districts that invest in communications are viewed more positively by their communities than those that do not. Something more districts should perhaps consider…

Some other findings from the survey I found interesting:

• Both parents and non-parents prefer to communicate with schools and district electronically, though e-mails, e-newsletters, online parent portals and websites – but not through social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.)
• Both parents and non-parents would prefer to get information on schools from schools themselves rather than outside entities such as newspapers, television or radio

View the entire survey at http://www.nspra.org/2011capsurvey (ppt).

Over at Edutopia, learn more about how teachers and principals can use these survey results to inform parent communication strategies.