Technical Assistance
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Upcoming Events
Supportive School Discipline Webinar Series: Addressing Truancy-- Innovative Approaches to Systemically Increasing Attendance and Reducing Chronic Truancy
February 27, 4:00-5:30 pm ET
What's New
HHS/Office of Adolescent Health Updates State-by-State Adolescent Mental Health Facts. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Adolescent Health has recently updated its state summaries that focus on adolescent mental health. Each state page reports on positive social skills, depressive symptoms, depressive episodes and suicidal thoughts, attempts, and injuries. Learn More
Engagement |
School engagement is essential towards building academic success and a positive school climate. It is a process of events and opportunities that lead to students gaining the skills and confidence to cope and feel safe in the school environment. The following products, research articles and briefs, and tools provide a definition and discussion of school engagement, tools to facilitate implementation and assess school engagement, and strategies to promote positive engagement in school for students.
Featured Resource(s):
School Connectedness: Improving Students' Lives
Defines and describes the components of school connectedness and identifies specific actions that schools can take to increase school connectedness.
Fostering School Connectedness: Improving Student Health and Academic Achievement
Answers questions about school connectedness and identifies strategies school districts and administrators can use to foster it among their students.
Fostering School, Family, and Community Involvement
Identifies several components that, when effectively addressed, provide schools with the foundation and building blocks needed to create and maintain safe schools.
Improving Students' Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning
Provides guidance for improving students’ relationships with teachers to promote students’ academic and social development.
Measuring Student Relationships to School: Attachment, Bonding, Connectedness, and Engagement
Identifies the various terms, constructs, and instruments used in the study of student connection to school.
National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) School Questionnaire
Collects supplemental information about school factors that may influence students’ achievement, including items about the length of the school day and year, school enrollment, absenteeism, dropout rates, and the size and composition of the teaching staff. Also collects information about tracking policies, curricula, testing practices, special priorities, and schoolwide programs and problems; and the availability of resources, policies for parental involvement, special services, and community services.
Opportunities to Coordinate 21st Community Learning Centers Funding with the Child Care and Development Fund
Provides State child care administrators and other school-age stakeholders with an overview of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, and highlights potential areas for coordination with the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).
Overcoming Barriers to School Reentry
Describes a model for overcoming barriers to school reentry developed by how the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES) in New York City.
Personalization and Caring Relationships with Adults in Urban High Schools: Is There a Relationship with Academic Achievement?
Examines how student attitudes about personalization and advisory were related to academic outcomes.
Promoting Healthy Families in Your Community: 2008 Resource Packet
Suggests strategies and provides numerous resources for building the protective factors associated with child abuse prevention.
Resilient Girls--Factors that Protect Against Delinquency
Describes how four factors—presence of a caring adult, school connectedness, school success, and religiosity—affect girls’ propensity towards delinquency.
Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Program
Includes an overview of research on truancy, including extent of the problem, consequences, contributing factors, and programs that have improved school attendance; addresses legal and economic issues of truancy and addressing the problem; and provides a list of references and resources to aid in engaging parents and communities and finding alternatives to juvenile court, among other issues.
Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program
Outlines critical components of truancy programs such as family involvement, use of incentives and sanctions, developing a support network, and program evaluation. Available online only.
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2007
Presents detailed information on the welfare of children and families including such topics as family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009
Provides annual updates on the well-being of children and families in the United States across a range of domains.
Effectiveness of Cross-Age and Peer Mentoring Programs
Examines research on peer mentoring programs, highlighting their benefits and noting conditions and components of successful programs.
Relationships Matter: Linking Teacher Support to Student Engagement and Achievement
Illustrates the relationship between student experience of support from teachers, student engagement, and academic achievement among elementary and middle school students.
2011 OSDFS National Conference: Unifying Best Practices Under a Connected School Umbrella: Enhancing Conditions for Learning
Demonstrates how Olweus Bullying Prevention, Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, Avid, Second Step, and Steps to Respect can be enhanced by a Connected School approach. Acquaints participants with the Connected School ideas and strategies and how to use these ideas and strategies as a unifying force in implementing best practices for creating and maintaining conditions for learning in their school.
2011 School Climate Technical Assistance Symposium: The Connection Between Climate and Academics
Presents evidence and logic for school climate’s positive correlation with academic achievement. Examines evidence for and describes characteristics of the school climate variables of “Safety”, “Support, Care, and Connections”, “Challenge and Engagement”, and “Social Emotional Competency”.
2012 OSHS Grantee TA Symposium: Resources to Support Improved School Climate
Documents descriptions and links to a variety of guides, briefs, tools, and websites by the school climate content areas of programmatic intervention, measures, school climate (engagement, environment, and safety), and special populations.
2012 OSHS Grantee TA Symposium: School Climate Literature Handout
Cites programs and measurement resources for the content areas of bullying, challenging behavior, character education, health, school climate, school safety, student engagement, and mental health.
2012 OSHS Grantee TA Symposium: SEL and PBIS - Supporting The Achievement of Academic Outcomes: Parts 2 & 4
Discusses promoting social and emotional learning for academic success (SELAS) and shares thoughts about integreating SEL and PBIS.
Improving Student Engagement Through Early Career Mapping
Experts discuss the benefits of personalized learning tools to engage students and help them create pathways to their long-term goals. Also examines the challenges and benefits of mapping student learning plans.
Websites
KidSpirit Online
Provides a creative internet publishing outlet for teens around the globe to share original essays, poetry and artwork. Features an online magazine and interactive bulletin board, groups, and forums for kids.
American Federation of Teachers
Houses free products and tools on topic it calls "Safe, Orderly and Healthy Schools" and serves as a membership organization for teachers, providing members a wealth of resources on teaching, including periodicals and videos.
Partnerships in Character Education Program
Houses archive of Partnerships in Character Education Program grant information intended for schools to design and implement character education programs.
Protective Schools
Draws on current research on connectedness and resiliency to provide educators with a practical approach to creating and maintaining positive school environments.
Office of Safe and Healthy Students
Provides information on programs, grants, and policies addressing drug and violence prevention, character and civic education, and physical education.
National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities
Supports states in assisting local education agencies to increase school completion rates and decrease dropout rates among students with disabilities.
News Clips
Mandatory School Age Could Fall rom 7 to 5 in IL
In a move aimed at countering Chicago's crisis in K-8 truancy and absenteeism, state Sen. Kimberly Lightford has introduced legislation to lower Illinois' compulsory school age from 7 to 5. Experts say it is critical to establish the habit of attendance in kindergarten and first grade. Yet Illinois law does not make school compulsory until most children enter second grade, which school authorities say often prevents them from imposing consequences on parents of the youngest truants. Read Story
Does Athletic Success Come at the Expense of Academic Success?
Schools that have a track record of success in athletics similarly have high levels of academic success, according to a recent study. Jay P. Greene, who conducted the study with Dan Bowen, writes in this commentary that the findings suggest that those who say athletics are overly emphasized in schools should consider the correlation between sports and academics. "Our data suggest that this claim that high school athletic success comes at the expense of academic success is mistaken," he writes. Read Story
Leaders to Learn From: 15 Good Ideas
Education Week has released a report that highlights 16 education leaders implementing creative ideas in their own districts. "Leaders to Learn From" highlights strategies undertaken by leaders regarding school climate, curbing dropouts, improving services for students with special needs and improving parent participation. Among the leaders profiled is St. Paul, Minn., superintendent Valeria Silva, who has made major reforms to the district's approach to English-language learners. Read Story
Interactive: Mapping High School Graduation, Dropout Rates Across the U.S.
This article includes two interactive maps detailing the high-school graduation and dropout rates nationwide, categorized by race and ethnicity. The maps feature data from the 2009-10 school year, recently released by the National Center for Education Statistics, that shows while the national graduation rate is at its highest level since 1974 -- at 78% -- gaps remain among minority students and their white peers. Read Story
New York Higher Education Group Receives ED College Access Challenge Grant
The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation announced Thursday that a new $6.8 million federal College Access Challenge Grant was awarded to New York state to increase college enrollment and completion among its low-income students for the fourth time.
White House: Schools Must Open Sports to Disabled
Schools must make "reasonable modifications" for students with disabilities seeking to compete in after-school sports, the U.S. Department of Education announced last week in a letter intended to clarify federal laws on inclusion. For example, schools can use a flashing light as a race starter for a runner who is deaf or hard of hearing, department officials wrote. "It's really affording them access to terrific social situations that will hopefully break down some of the barriers and discrimination we've seen in the past," said Lindsay Jones of the Council for Exceptional Children. Read Story
Quality Counts: Involving Students in School Climate
Researchers and administrators talk about how to bring students into the school-climate conversation, from identifying problems to changing behavior. Learn More
3 Investments Good Leaders Make in Creating Other Leaders
There are three things that good school leaders can do to help develop other leaders, writes Joe Mazza, lead learner at Knapp Elementary School in suburban Philadelphia. He suggests in this blog post that they invest in a healthy school culture, which fosters trust and respect among all teachers. He also recommends that leaders invest in relationships and an "outside the box" lens.
School Absences Translate to Lower Test Scores, Study Says
As schools ramp up their academic focus, however, a new analysis of results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show the cost of missing school may be greater. Fifty-six percent of 8th graders who performed at the advanced level in NAEP reading in 2011 had perfect attendance in the month before the test, compared with only 39 percent of students who performed below the basic level.
New College-Readiness Tracking System Under Study
The idea behind the College Readiness Indicator System is that grades and student performance alone are not enough to determine college readiness. And schools can be more effective using a model that allows them to engage proactively with students before they go off-track. The indicator system measures three areas: 1. Academic preparedness - as reflected in grade point average and availability of Advanced Placement courses; 2. Academic tenacity - using attendance or disciplinary infractions to demonstrate effort; and 3. College knowledge - understanding financial requirements for college and other skills needed to access and navigate college.
WA District Develops System to Warn Educators of Dropout Risk
Spokane Public Schools in Washington has developed its own data-analysis system. Called the Early Warning System, it uses students' attendance, discipline referrals and assessment scores to identify students, as early as elementary school, who are at risk for dropping out. Once students are flagged, teachers can use the data to offer appropriate interventions, such as extra assistance in reading or math, to help bring students' skills up to grade level.
Culture, Not Curriculum, May be Key to High School Reform
Successful turnarounds of struggling high schools hinge on fostering environments where teachers and students are supported, and parents and community members are engaged, suggests Charles Payne, a University of Chicago professor and affiliate of the university's Urban Education Institute. "You can create all the pockets of good instruction you want, [but] if the organizational environment doesn't support [the change], it is likely to destroy it," he said. Culture change requires a combination of teacher collaboration, community connections, rigorous instruction, supportive leadership and safe environment, he said.
Chronic Absenteeism Tackled in New Campaign
As many as 7.5 million American students miss 18 or more days of school each year—some 10 to 15 percent of students, and a new public service campaign launched is attempting to attack the problem. A project of the U.S. Army and the Ad Council, the campaign directs viewers to the BoostUp.org website, which contains statistics on dropout rates and quizzes.
Report: High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools
Thirty-six percent of teachers nationwide missed more than 10 days of school during the 2009-10 year, according to an analysis of federal data. It also also cites research finding that "every 10 absences" lowers "average mathematics achievement equivalent to the difference between having a novice teacher and one with a bit more experience." Noting that teacher-absentee rates can vary widely within individual districts, the report suggests that above-average absence levels may point to the need for changes in a school's culture.
MD County Afterschool Program Teaches Manners, Etiquette
An after-school program is teaching manners and etiquette to middle-school students in Howard County, Md. Students learn basic manners, such as saying "please" and "thank you," and put their lessons to the test in real-world situations. On field trips, such as a recent one to an Italian restaurant, students practice the proper way to order and speak with wait staff. Read Story
PA District Addresses Dropout Rate of Students in Special Education
Educators and administrators in Altoona, Pa., are working to reduce the dropout rate of students in special education following a state audit last year. As part of an improvement plan filed with the state, the district is working to better planning for students transitioning from high school to college and the workplace, and recently held an event to introduce families to available services.
National Group Seeks Model Schools Serving Boys of Color
The Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC) is searching for schools that are demonstrating success with black and Latino boys to highlight through its awards program next year. The organization is platform agnostic when it comes to the schools themselves. They just have to be committed to practices that keep minority boys engaged in school, support their social and emotional learning, and provide high-quality, rigorous academic content and instruction.
Middle Schools Add a Team Rule: Get a Drug Test
Children in grades as low as middle school are being told that providing a urine sample is required to play sports or participate in extracurricular activities like drama and choir. Such drug testing at the middle school level is confounding students and stirring objections from parents and proponents of civil liberties.
"Lights On” Event To Promote Afterschool Programs
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention invites communities to participate in the annual Lights on Afterschool on October 18. The nationwide event emphasizes the value of afterschool programs, which keep kids safe, help working families, and inspire learning. They provide opportunities to help young people develop into successful adults.
'Disconnected' Youth Costing $93.7 Billion Annually
A new report shows that 17 percent—or 5.8 million—of all Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither working nor in school. Youth disconnection leads to higher rates of public dependency, crime and incarceration, and poor physical and mental health. Disconnection was usually found among youth in cities with high rates of adult disconnection. Other key findings include a great disparity among various racial groups; the rate of disconnection among African Americans was 22.5 percent, while the national rate was 14.7 percent. There was a less dramatic gender gap, with young men showing slightly more disconnection than young women.
Panel: Changing Culture Could Improve Outcomes
Creating a culture where students aspire toward academic achievement and positive behavior that incorporates a restorative rather than punitive code of conduct is a critical aspect of graduating male African-American students who are ready for postsecondary life, experts said during a recent panel discussion at the National Summit on Educational Excellence and Opportunity for African-American Males in Washington, D.C.
(Source: Education Daily, Vol. 45, No. 154)
Report: Extracurriculars Keep Students Engaged
Students who skip school may not understand that the act has long-term consequences, according to a report by the organization Get Schooled. The report, based on interviews with about 500 teenagers in 25 cities across the county, found that students who missed more than 10 days of school are less likely to graduate from high school and attend college. Extracurricular activities and being valued by others can help students feel important and want to attend school, officials said.
African-American Males in Policy Spotlight
An African-American teenager recently told William R. Hite, Jr., the incoming schools superintendent in Philadelphia, that there are more adults working in his high school who could arrest him than could help him fill out applications for college financial aid. That story, shared Monday with an audience of educators, advocates, and state and federal policymakers, punctuated an issue of increasing concern: the persistent vulnerability of black boys.
Study Engages Nation’s Teens for Insight into Skipping School
Cutting class often begins in middle school and becomes a regular habit by ninth grade, according to a study by the Get Schooled Foundation, which reported that approximately 7 million students miss a month or more of class annually. Researchers, who surveyed more than 500 students in 25 U.S. cities about their views on missing school, found truancy to be present across all student demographics, with "habitual skippers" most at risk of dropping out of high school.
Polling Group: Student Success Linked to Positive Outlook
Roughly half of American students today are hopeful about their futures, according to data collected by Gallup Inc., while two-thirds of students are engaged in their learning and two-thirds have high well-being. Those three positive traits are closely linked to academic success and should be focal points for educators, the polling group contends.
Grant Program Funds Charter-District Cooperation
Federal officials are sponsoring a new grant competition designed to promote collaboration between charter schools and traditional public schools that want to work together to improve academic achievement and overall educational services. Department officials say many of the strategies for collaboration, such as coordinating lesson planning for schools with similiar populations, examining how school climate could be improved, or arranging regular meetings to share ideas, won't necessarily cost a lot of money.
Using Summer To Narrow Achievement Gap
A pilot program for New York City students is attempting to stop summer learning loss by providing low-income elementary and middle-school students with the same experiences and opportunities as their more affluent peers. The Summer Quest program, run by the city's departments of Education and Youth and Community Development, combines lessons in English and math with field trips and elective classes in the arts.
Ohio Auditors to Look into Attendance Formula
The Ohio auditor's office has started an investigation into school-attendance records across the state following reports of questionable practices in several districts. In some districts, students were dropped from attendance lists and then re-enrolled later in the school year, which removed those students' test results from state report cards and raised district ratings. In other cases, large numbers of student absences were erased from district computers.
Kids Count Report: America's Children are Advancing Despite the Economy
The newly released Kids Count survey on the state of America's children reveals that 22% of U.S. children were living in poverty in 2010 and nearly 24% of students failed to graduate from high school on time in 2008-09, an improvement over the 27% dropout rate for 2005-06. The racial achievement gap continues, the report says, with 58% of white fourth-graders and more than 80% of Latino, African-American and Native American Indian students failing to achieve reading proficiency in 2011.
Absent, Suspended Baltimore Students Falling Further Behind
Baltimore officials say the achievement gap between chronically absent students and students who attend school regularly must be addressed. Officials also point out that there is an achievement gap among students who are suspended and those who are not, raising questions about suspension policies.
Graduation Rates Soar At San Diego High Schools
The district is significantly outpacing other large urban districts in reducing the number of students who drop out. The district attributed that success to closer tracking of individual student performance and attendance. Nellie Meyer, the district's deputy superintendent for academics, pointed to that tracking and volunteers who knock on doors in some cases to connect with students missing school as a few of the things making the difference.
Obama Proposal to Raise Dropout Age Falls Flat
Twenty-nine states let students leave school before they turn 18. Obama urged lawmakers to require them to stay in school until graduation or age 18. But since then, only Maryland has approved a plan to raise the dropout age, first to 17 in 2015 and then to 18 in 2017. Legislators and education experts welcomed the emphasis on education and the dropout age, but say it's not a simple fix.
NYC Mayor Proposes After-school Programs Budget Cuts
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing to reduce the city's after-school enrichment programs in a budget-cutting move designed to save $19 million, or about one-quarter of 1 percent of the total city budget. The programs slated for elimination run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and serve 27,000 children, most of them from poor or blue-collar families whose parents may not be able to afford other after-school child care.
Summer Increases the Achievement Gap
Summer is one of the prime causes of the achievement gap between low-income and more advantaged children, according to a panel of researchers and educators at a recent education writers conference. On average, students lose a month of learning over the summer, but the loss is much greater for poor children who do not have access to high-quality summer-learning activities. The panel recommended school districts create engaging summer programs that students of low-income families will want to attend.
Study Calls for Student Motivation in Improvement Planning
A new Center on Education Policy report argues that educators and policymakers often overlook the importance of student buy-in and motivation when planning school improvement initiatives. While no one system or incentive will encourage all students, CEP researchers argue that educators should consider what we know about student motivation when designing programs for school improvement.
Education Report: Chronic Absenteeism Undermines Over 5 Million Students
As many as 7.5 million students miss a month of school every year, according to a new report to be released today. The report, by Johns Hopkins University professor Bob Balfanz, states that high absenteeism is "the best, single predictor of whether a student will drop out of school." Balfanz has called on the federal government to make the tracking of and responding to chronic absenteeism part of the No Child Left Behind waiver process.
Garden Helps Students Learn Science and Nutrition
A community garden has become an outdoor classroom for students and teachers at a Maryland school. Students are using the outdoor classroom to further lessons in science and nutrition, and are growing vegetables and herbs that are served in the school's cafeteria. The goal is for the garden to provide all produce served daily in the cafeteria.
Schools to Launch College, Career and Community Readiness Pathways Program
A new program in Green Bay, Wis., schools is aimed at helping motivate students who are at risk of dropping out to stay in school and graduate. The College, Career and Community Readiness Pathways program will be held during the regular school day and will replace the existing Forward Bound program, which is held in the evening.
Road Back to School Is Rocky for Ex-Offenders
Experts say students leaving correctional facilities face a number of barriers. The responsibilities of the various agencies and schools involved in the transition are often not clearly defined by state or local regulation, and students are left to navigate through vague procedures and cope with a lack of educational continuity without clear guidance or support.
Study: Consistent School Attendance Matters in Pre-K
Prekindergartners and kindergartners who are chronically absent are more likely than regularly attending students to continue to miss school in later grades and to be held back by grade 3, according to a new study.
School Sports Opportunities Generally on the Rise, GAO Finds
The percentage of schools that offer students regular physical education classes declined over the past decade, but school sports opportunities appear to be increasing nationwide, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office.
Department of Education Announces National Education Startup Challenge
Students from across the country are invited to submit a business plan and a video pitch for a for-profit or non-profit startup that includes an innovative strategy, product or service designed to address one of these four challenge topics:
1. Middle Grades Matter
2. Skills, Skills, Skills
3. Education Pays
4. Finish Faster
School Attempts to Let New Experiences Guide Learning
Educators at New York City's P.S. 142, where nearly all students qualify for free lunches, take students on neighborhood field trips to help provide real-life experiences and a broader frame of reference to improve their reading and math skills. The strategy was developed by the school's principal, along with a child specialist. It also includes more playtime for younger students to help make learning more fun.
Obama Rekindles State Debates on Dropout Age
Some experts say that increasing the minimum school-dropout age to 18 would not improve dropout rates without other supports and programs in place. A successful initiative to stem the dropout rate in New Hampshire included an early warning system to identify and intervene with students at risk of dropping out, multiple pathways toward graduation, plus a higher mandatory attendance age.
Obama Wants Lower College Costs, Higher Dropout Age
During his State of the Union address, President Obama called on universities to hold down costs in order to make higher education more accessible to the middle class; urged states to raise the dropout age to 18; and reiterated his call for Congress to approve some version of the DREAM Act, which provides a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who came to the country as children, if they go on to college or the military.
Early Education a Crime-Fighting Weapon?
Sheriffs and police chiefs are on a mission to convince state legislatures that investing in early childhood education, such as quality prekindergarten and the federal Head Start program, can be an important crime-prevention weapon—and ultimately save states money in incarceration costs.
'Smarter Summers' Initiative Shows Student Progress
The National Summer Learning Association has just released results of its "Smarter Summers" initiative. The three-year project is supported by a $11.5 grant from the Walmart Foundation, which is used to expand and enhance summer programs in 10 cities, serving around 20,000 middle school students.
Study: Underutilized Young Adults Cost Society Trillions
The Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House Council for Community Solutions just released a report called "The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth", in which they analyze the social and taxpayer burdens of "Opportunity Youth"—16-24-year-olds who are "not investing in their human capital or earning income" by working or being educated.
Study: Head Start Programs May Increase Parents' Involvement
Parents of children enrolled in Head Start programs spend more time reading, attending museums, and engaging in academic activities with their children, according to a December 2011 paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
School Bullying Report Makes Recommendations To Address Issue, Support Victims
According to a report released Friday by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, victims of bullying are often, as a result of social and emotional hurdles, distanced from learning, disadvantaged academically and more likely to fall behind in school attendance.
9 States Win Race to Top Early Learning Grants
Nine states will share $500 million in Race to the Top early learning grants, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed this morning. They will get grants ranging from $50 million to $100 million, based on the state's student population, to significantly improve early-education programs in their states.
Study: Long-Term ELLs More Likely to Drop Out
The longer students are classified as English-language learners, the greater the likelihood that they will drop out of school. And English-language learners who are reclassified as English proficient in earlier grades tend to be similar to non-English learners when it comes to achievement and dropout rates.
Study Details Societal Ramifications for High School Dropouts
Teens who drop out of high school have a greater likelihood of ending up in jail, being unemployed, relying on food stamps and becoming a fiscal drain on society than those who graduate, according to a new study commissioned by the Chicago Alternative Schools Network.
Minn. Online Schools Address Cyber-Truants
Online schools in Minnesota are enlisting county prosecutors to help track down truant cyberstudents. The efforts require an expanded view of current truancy law, which some say need to be updated.
Rewrite of School Lunch Rules Falls Short of Goals
Congressional lawmakers put a crimp in a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal to limit starchy foods and serve more fresh vegetables in school meals.
Schools Add Internet Etiquette, Safety to Coursework
More schools in the U.S. are incorporating digital citizenship and Internet safety into classroom lessons as students' use of technology continues to grow. Among other things, schools now are teaching students about the importance of their digital footprint.
Lines Grow Long for Free School Meals, Thanks to Economy
Economic experts say the economy and layoffs are behind government data showing a 17% increase from 2006-07 to last year in the number of U.S. students getting subsidized school lunch.
Study Links Academic Setbacks to Middle School Transition
While much research points to 9th grade as a problem transition year for students, a new study suggests the move from elementary to middle school may be more of a worry.
Counselors See Conflicts in Carrying Out Mission
A survey of 5,300 counselors shows a committed but frustrated corps that sees a divide between what schools do and should do.
Report Warns Shorter School Year Would Hurt Poor Students
A report released Monday by a statewide advocacy group warns that low-income students, students of color and English learners will be disproportionately harmed if school districts in California move to further shorten the academic calendar due to budget cuts.
L.A. School Police to Issue Fewer Truancy Tickets
The Los Angeles School Police Department has issued new rules aimed at reducing the number of truancy tickets written to students and focusing efforts instead on helping these students get to and remain in school.
New Report: Dropout Rates Five Times Higher for Poor Students
Despite a dip in the overall school-dropout rate since 1972, latest statistics show students who are poor are five times more likely than their peers from affluent homes to drop out of school. In addition, the dropout rate stands at 5.8% for Hispanic teens and 4.8% for black teens, compared with 2.4% for white teens, the data show.
How To Teach Kids 'Digital Literacy'? Build A Private Social Network Playground For Them
The School at Columbia University in New York City has created its own private social network to teach middle-school students digital citizenship in a safe environment.
Research Links Student Activities to Academic Achievement
Even as districts eliminate extracurricular activities to cut costs, some researchers find that student clubs and sports could improve academic achievement. However, it is unclear whether after-school clubs and other activities improve students' performance, or whether high-achieving students are drawn to extracurricular activities.
Teens Who Feel Responsible to Their Parents Are More Engaged in School
Researchers surveying 835 youths in suburban Chicago and Beijing have found that youths who feel more responsible to their parents stay engaged in school and perform better.
School Burnout Can Be Turned Into Educational Engagement
The results of the FinEdu longitudinal study indicate that both prolonged exhaustion caused by schoolwork and cynicism toward school inevitably lead to an increased sense of inadequacy.
Report: Domestic Problems, Safety Concerns Lead to Truancy
The D.C. Council's committee on school safety and truancy found in a report released Thursday that domestic problems and safety concerns both during commutes and at school cause truancy.
D.C. Council Bill Links Mental Health, Truancy and Violence
At-large D.C. Councilman David Catania introduced a bill Tuesday that would crack down on student truancy and tailor behavioral health programming to the needs of District schools.
Too Many Hours on the Job May Put Teens at Risk
High school students who work more than 20 hours a week at part-time jobs during the school year may be more likely to have academic and behavior problems, according to a new study.
School Climate Survey Compendium (as of December 20, 2011)
To assist educators and education agencies in locating a valid and reliable needs assessment that suits their needs, the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center is developing a compendium of student, staff, and family surveys that can be used as part of a school climate needs assessment. Below is an initial list of school climate survey batteries. (Alternatively, click here to download a summary table (PDF) of each survey by respondent type.)
Please note that the Office of Safe and Healthy Students does not endorse any particular scale or survey presented in this compendium. Additionally, the database presented is not an exhaustive listing of available measures or survey instruments. If you would like to nominate a survey that is not currently included in the compendium, click on the link below.
Nominate a Survey
Alaska School Climate and Connectedness Survey
Constructs |
|
Respondents |
Students, Staff |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments are not publicly available. Please contact Kim Kendziora at kkendziora@air.org for more information about this survey. |
American Institutes for Research Conditions for Learning Survey
Constructs |
Safe and Respectful Climate, High Expectations, Student Support, Social and Emotional Learning |
Respondents |
Students |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
There is no charge for using this survey. Please contact David Osher at dosher@air.org for additional information. |
California Healthy Kids Survey
Constructs |
School connectedness, School supports - caring relationships, School supports - high expectations, School supports - opportunities for meaningful participation, Community supports - caring relationships, Community supports - high expectations, Community supports - opportunities for meaningful participation, Tobacco, alcohol, or drug use at school, Physical/ verbal/emotional violence victimization, Physical/ verbal/emotional violence perpetration, Harassment victimization, Peer supports - caring relationships, Peer supports - high expectations, Home supports - caring relationships, Home supports - high expectations, Home supports - opportunities for meaningful participation, Problem solving Self-efficacy, Cooperation and communication, Empathy, Self-awareness |
Respondents |
Students |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://chks.wested.org/administer/download, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: http://chks.wested.org/. |
California School Climate Survey
Constructs |
Collegiality, Resource provisions and training, Professional development – instruction, Professional development – cultural competence, Professional development – meeting student needs, Positive student learning environment, Caring and respectful relationships, High expectations of students, Opportunities for meaningful participation, Cultural sensitivity, Clarity and equity of discipline policies, Perceived school safety, Learning facilitative behavior, Learning barrier – risk behavior, Learning barrier – interpersonal conflict and destructive behavior |
Respondents |
Staff |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://cscs.wested.org/training_support, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: http://cscs.wested.org/. |
California School Parents Survey
Constructs |
Facilitation of parent involvement, Positive student learning environment, Opportunities for meaningful participation, Cultural sensitivity, Clarity and equity of discipline policies, Perceived school safety, Learning barriers |
Respondents |
Parents |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://csps.wested.org/, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: http://cscs.wested.org/. |
The Center for Research in Educational Policy School Climate Inventory
Constructs |
Orderly School Environment; Instructional Leadership; Positive Learning Environment; Parent and Community Involvement; Well-Developed and Implemented Instruction; Expectations for Students; Collaboration among Administration, Faculty, and Students |
Respondents |
Teachers, Administrators and Professional Staff |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
This survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact the Center for Research in Educational Policy at CREP@memphis.edu or 1-866-670-6147 for more information. |
The Center for Social and Emotional Education Comprehensive School Climate Inventory
Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff, Parents/Guardians, Community Members |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments are not publicly available. Please contact Darlene Faster, COO and Director of Communications, at the National School Climate Center at dfaster@schoolclimate.org or (212) 707-8799 x22 for more information on these surveys. |
Communities That Care Youth Survey
Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
The 2010 survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact Michael Arthur at marthur@u.washinton.edu for information about this survey. |
The Consortium on Chicago School Research Survey of Chicago Public Schools
Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
Student surveys are available at http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/17242009_my_voice__9th-11th_student_codebook_.pdf and http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/23532009_my_voice_senior_student_codebook.pdf. Staff survey is available at http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/2009/HS_Teacher_Survey09Cdbk_8-6.pdf. Please note that the student and staff surveys are currently being updated and are copyrighted. Please contact Nick Montgomery at nmontgomery@uchicago.edu for additional information on these surveys. |
Culture of Excellence & Ethics Assessment
Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Faculty/Staff, Parents |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments can be used free of charge, subject to the conditions of the User Agreement, and can be found at: http://excellenceandethics.com/assess/ceea.php. Please contact Vlad Khmelkov at vkhmelkov@excellenceandethics.com for additional information. |
Effective School Battery
Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Teachers |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Additional information and order forms for these survey instruments can be found at: http://www.education.umd.edu/EDCP/schoolassess/Tools/ESB/ESB.html. Please contact Eva Yui at climate-assess@umd.edu for additional information. |
Perceived School Experiences Scale
Constructs |
Academic Motivation, Academic Press, School Connectedness |
Respondents |
Students |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
There is no charge for using this survey. Please contact Dawn Anderson-Butcher at anderson-butcher.1@osu.edu for additional information. |
Pride Learning Environment Survey
Constructs |
School climate; teacher and student respect; student discipline; school safety; teacher to student relationships; teacher collaboration; student engagement; student encouragement; frequency of substance use; effect of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; age of first substance use; perceived harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; parents’ feelings towards alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; place of substance use; time of substance use; violence; bullying |
Respondents |
Students |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://dbdemo.pridesurveys.com, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: |
Pride Teaching Environment Survey
Constructs |
Like Teaching, Like Administrators – My School, Like Administrators – Instructional Leadership, Effective Teaching, Teacher Evaluation, Principal Support, Teacher Respect, Participatory Decision-making, Staff Collegiality, Desired Involvement in Improving Teaching Practices, Current Involvement in School Policies and Practices, Desired Involvement in Teaching Practice Policies, Student Discipline, Student Conduct Rules/Policies, Teacher Stress, Classroom Support, Teacher Attitude, Interpersonal Relationships, Student Engagement, Teacher Pay, Facilities and Resources, Teacher Workload |
Respondents |
Faculty |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://dbdemo.pridesurveys.com, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: |
Search Institute Creating a Great Place to Learn Survey
Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff |
Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments are not publicly available. Please contact the Search Institute for additional information at http://www.search-institute.org/survey-services. |
Secondary Classroom Climate Assessment Instrument
Constructs |
Discipline environment, Student interactions, Learning assessment, Attitude and culture |
Respondents |
Students, Staff |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
Survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact John Shindler, Director of the Alliance for the Study of School Climate at jshindl@calstatela.edu for additional information on the CCAI. |
Secondary School Climate Assessment Instrument
Constructs |
|
Respondents |
Students, Faculty, Parents |
Reports |
|
Survey Instruments |
This survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact John Shindler, Director of the Alliance for the Study of School Climate at jshindl@calstatela.edu for additional information on the SCAI. |