Twenty-four years ago, Lincoln Public Schools began doing telephone surveys of parents to see how they felt about their children’s schools.

For more than two decades, they’ve felt pretty good.

Over those 24 years, between 88 percent and 93 percent of the parents surveyed said they’d give their children’s schools an A or a B.

This year, 91 percent said they’d give them top grades. That compares to 67 percent nationally.

“This is a report that affirms the terrific efforts being made throughout the district,” said Marilyn Moore, LPS associate superintendent for instruction.

Moore gave a report to the Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday on the annual survey, which is part of the principal appraisal process.

This year, 1,599 people from 15 schools were interviewed by telephone.

Over the years, many of the responses have remained consistent. For instance, the percentage of students whose parents say they enjoy school has ranged from 94.5 percent in 1983-84 to 92.9 percent this year.

Over the past 24 years, similarly high percentages of parents have said they think their children are receiving a quality education, that they feel welcome in their child’s school and feel they have someone they feel comfortable talking to about problems their children may be having.

But there have been some changes.

One of the biggest is how parents feel about the job the district is doing.

In 1983-84, just 56 percent of parents would have given the district and A or B. This year: 79 percent.

How parents think schools are doing in teaching various subjects has also improved markedly, Moore said.

For instance, the percentage of parents who think their children’s school is doing a good job of teaching various subjects increased in the last 24 years from:

n 82 percent to 90 percent in reading.

n 77 percent to 89 percent in writing.

n 79 percent to 89 percent in math.

n 70 percent to 88 percent in science.

Moore said those increases show the district is doing a better job of teaching and that parents are getting more detailed information about their child’s performance. Today, she said, report cards in elementary school are much more specific.

“Parents recognize we’re doing a better job” at a time when the curriculum is more rigorous and the student population more diverse, Moore said.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com