HTML Preview Student Survey page number 1.
Tips from Student Researchers
• Remember that you only get answers to the
questions you ask. Also, be sure to ask the same
question in different ways.
• Be careful how you word your questions. Poor
questions get poor answers.
• Make sure the people filling out the survey are
representative. Learn about sampling.
• Survey teachers along with students, especially
on the same issues. We found big differences in
each group’s experience of school.
• Explain to students and teachers in advance of
administering the survey what it involves and
why it’s important. Remind students that it’s not
a test—nor a joke. Tell them how you’ll use the
results.
Sample Student, Teacher, and
School-Specific Surveys
Contents
ß St. Louis student and teacher surveys
ß Chicago student and teacher surveys
ß Survey from Skyline High School, Oakland
ß School-specific survey from Bellaire High
School, Houston
ß Additional questions from Perryville High
School, St. Louis
Notes: The surveys designed and administered by
SAA student-teacher research teams (at 20 schools
across five cities) included a common core of
questions, along with questions students had developed specifically for classmates at their
school. The common core addressed areas such as: school climate, student-teacher
relationships, teaching styles, academic expectations, safety and discipline, student voice, and
improving student learning. The school-specific questions were as wide ranging as the schools
themselves, probing student opinions about matters from cheating to small schools to painting a
school mural. Here we share two versions of the “core” survey—in addition to creating
school-specific questions, students and teachers also adapted or added questions to the core
survey—and several examples of school-specific surveys. Houston and Oakland teams used the
Internet tool SurveyMonkey.com; students and teachers filled out their surveys online and then
SurveyMonkey.com tabulated and organized the results. It’s an excellent resource.
What Kids Can Do | PO Box 603252 | Providence, RI 02906 | www.whatkidscando.org