The President of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Is Concerned

Essay

The president of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is concerned after reading that during puberty, children have increased needs for sleep. She wants to find out if other parents of middle-school children would support a later starting time for school. At one of the Tuesday night meetings, she conducts a survey of the PTA members in order to address this question. When she asks those parents in support of the change to raise their hands, she discovers that 85 percent of the parents support a later starting time. What information has she gained by conducting this survey? What shortcomings exist in her survey?