Comments on: Gallup questions http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2006/10/gallup_question.html Technology, leadership, and the future of schools Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Michael Ayers http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2006/10/gallup_question.html/comment-page-1#comment-15344 Michael Ayers Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2006/10/gallup_question.html#comment-15344 Nonetheless, the point you raise is extremely important: How can a school (or a district!) create high-velocity feedback loops on critical metrics such as employee satisfaction? How can -any- organization? The research is pretty clear on the impact of 'trust' on student achievement -- can we afford to measure trust just once a year? Using questions like the Gallup set would allow us to do this measuring as often as we needed to, rather than as infrequently as we could get away with ... There's no point in asking questions (mostly badly formed anyway) in October, spending two months entering the data, another month preparing reports, deferring comments on the results until April, then wondering why people don't show much interest. That just adds to the cynicism quotient. More importantly, if the feedback is not timely, then how can the organization endure? Let's pretend for a moment that the standardized tests in schools measured something useful. Why are the tests administered in the spring but the results not released until six months later? Come on ... nothing should take long, even if it were actual people reading actual student essays! And better feedback is one of the ideas behind efforts like the Professional Learning Communities ... let's get information on a timely basis, figure out how it impacts impending decisions, and use it. Nonetheless, the point you raise is extremely important: How can a school (or a district!) create high-velocity feedback loops on critical metrics such as employee satisfaction? How can -any- organization?

The research is pretty clear on the impact of ‘trust’ on student achievement — can we afford to measure trust just once a year? Using questions like the Gallup set would allow us to do this measuring as often as we needed to, rather than as infrequently as we could get away with …

There’s no point in asking questions (mostly badly formed anyway) in October, spending two months entering the data, another month preparing reports, deferring comments on the results until April, then wondering why people don’t show much interest. That just adds to the cynicism quotient.

More importantly, if the feedback is not timely, then how can the organization endure? Let’s pretend for a moment that the standardized tests in schools measured something useful. Why are the tests administered in the spring but the results not released until six months later? Come on … nothing should take long, even if it were actual people reading actual student essays!

And better feedback is one of the ideas behind efforts like the Professional Learning Communities … let’s get information on a timely basis, figure out how it impacts impending decisions, and use it.

]]>