Return to School e-mail archive directory
Users' Perspective on School Board Mailing List
Highlights of 1996 and 1999 Rounds
In November 1999, I collaborated with Andrea Kavanaugh, Director of Research for the Blacksburg Electronic Village, in the distribution of a questionnaire to the approximately 860 members of this mailing list. Sixty-eight members returned completed questionnaires (7% response rate). Three years earlier, in 1996, we distributed the same set of questions to the list membership (then 369). In the 1996 round, seventy-six members returned completed questionnaires (20% response rate). Below the results for both rounds are summarized. We would like to extend our deep gratitude to those who participated. We welcome any further comments or questions you might have.
1. How long have you been on this mailing list?
1996 1999 1 to 6 months 23.0% 7.4% 7 to 12 months 70.0 22.1 more than 12 months 7.0 70.5 (23% for 2 years; 40% for 3 years)
2. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the helpfulness of the communication via this list in clarifying issues?
1996 1999 not at all helpful 4.2% 1.5% only a little helpful 1.4 0 somewhat helpful 11.3 10.3 helpful 31.0 26.5 very helpful 47.9 61.8
no answer 4.2 0
3. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the helpfulness of the communication via this list in keeping you up to date with school issues?
1996 1999 not at all helpful 4.2% 1.5% only a little helpful 4.2 1.5 somewhat helpful 1.4 4.4 helpful 23.9 22.1 very helpful 63.4 70.6
no answer 2.8 0
4. Would you say that having school issues communicated to you via this list has made you feel more involved in these issues than you felt prior to subscribing to this list? 1996 1999 yes 81.7% 91.2% no 12.7 7.3
no answer 4.2 1.5
5. On a scale of 1-5, how do you rate the reply function of this list?
1996 1999 not at all important 2.8% 7.4% only a little important 2.8 7.4 somewhat important 11.3 14.7 important 19.7 25.0 very important 56.3 39.7
no answer 7.0 5.9
6. Would you say that your participation in public meetings regarding school issues has increased, decreased or stayed the same since you became a member of this mailing list? 1996 1999 increased 12.7% 20.6% decreased 2.8 5.8 same 78.9 66.2
no answer 5.6 7.4
7a. If you answered "increased" to Question 6, would you attribute an increase in your attendance at public meetings on school issues to the communication from this list? 1996 1999 yes 12.7% 25.0% no 38.0 1.5
no answer 49.3 73.5
7b. If you answered "decreased," would you say that replying to Jim Klagge's email is substituting for face-to-face participation? (asked in 1999 only) Yes 11.8% No 17.6
no answer 70.6
8. How many times have you called a public official or school administrator as a result of communication exchanged via this list?
1996 1999 None 59.2% 54.4% 1 to 5 times 31.0 33.8 (25% called one or two times) 6 to 10 times 2.8 7.3 More than 10 0 4.5
no answer 7.0 0
9. How many times have you written a letter to an elected official or school administrator as a result of communication exchanged via this list?
1996 1999 None 42.3% 45.6% 1 to 5 times 50.7 45.6 6 to 10 times 2.8 4.4 More than 10 0 4.4
no answer 4.2 0
10. How many times have you spoken at a public meeting as a result of a communication exchanged via this list?
1996 1999 None 85.9% 72.1% 1 to 5 times 4.2 23.5 (13.2% have spoken once) 6 to 10 times 0 4.4
no answer 9.9 0
11. Have you told other people whom you thought might be interested about this list? 1996 1999 yes 53.5% 79.4% no 36.6 17.7
no answer 9.9 2.9
© Copyright 2004 by Graphic Information Sciences
All rights reserved worldwide.
email: admin@gisone.com