TOKYO — Not enough people are participating in this year’s Department of Defense Education Activity customer survey, according to the top spokesman for the military’s elementary and secondary school system in the Pacific.

The online survey for parents, teachers and students began in November and runs through February. Offered every two years, it helps educators gauge the effectiveness of a school’s curriculum, Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Pacific spokesman Charles Steitz wrote in a release this week.

“We need your input to identify areas needing improvement,” he was quoted in the release as stating.

The Customer Satisfaction Survey is available at www.dodea.edu for parents, teachers and students in fourth grade or older.

It is meant for DODEA schools worldwide; families without Internet access can visit their schools to take part in the survey.

In 2005, at least three out of four participants from the Pacific gave their schools an A or B in overall performance.

That same survey showed 28 percent of Pacific school teachers said lack of parental involvement was a problem within their school.

A quarter of the parents at those schools said they thought lack of quality teachers was a challenge.

And the students? Thirty-eight percent picked “poor lunch program” as the leading problem at their schools.

Other results included: