3 STAC School Leader Survey

SCHOOL LEADER SURVEY QUESTIONS

Survey Instructions

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), with its contractor [TBD], is conducting a study of the School Turnaround AmeriCorps program, a partnership between CNCS and the Department of Education. The purpose of the study is to learn about how AmeriCorps programs are being implemented and how they are helping schools improve.

You have been selected to complete a survey as part of the study. Your perspective is very important, so please answer honestly. Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. Refusing to participate will not involve any penalty or affect your [AmeriCorps status] [employment] in any way. It also will have no effect on your relationship with your school. It should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete the survey. We understand that your school may have interactions with multiple AmeriCorps programs. Answer the questions based only on your experience with the School Turnaround AmeriCorps program at your school this year.

All responses are anonymous and your responses will be kept confidential to the extent provided by law. Under no circumstances will anyone from your AmeriCorps program/school have access to any information that can be attributable to you. The information you provide in the survey will be summarized with the information from other respondents and included in a report that will be shared with your AmeriCorps program and with CNCS.

Please contact XXXX of XXXX, at XXX-XXX-XXXX or XXXX, if you have any questions regarding this research.

[Note: Most questions will be asked at both grantee and comparison schools, though questions asking specifically about School Turnaround AmeriCorps will only be asked at grantee schools. Most, but not all, questions will be asked at both the beginning and the end of the school year.]

1. What is your title/role? (principal, assistant principal, site director, school superintendent, district curriculum chair, local school board member, district level official, other, please specify_____)

2. How many years total have you worked at this school, including this year? _____

(If this is your first year at this school, enter 1.)

3. Briefly describe your school’s turnaround plan.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What change model does your school follow?

__ Turnaround

__ Transformation

__ Restart

5. This school year, how many AmeriCorps members served at your school as part of the School Turnaround AmeriCorps program? ____

On average, how many hours per week did each AmeriCorps members serve? ____

On average, how many weeks did AmeriCorps members spend in your school? ____

6. To the best of your knowledge, did School Turnaround AmeriCorps members provide direct services to individual students or to the whole classroom or school? (Check all that apply.)

__ AmeriCorps programming was targeted to individual students

__ AmeriCorps programming supported the whole classroom

__ AmeriCorps programming supported all students in the school

7. Do you know which students were served by School Turnaround AmeriCorps members?

Yes: _____ No: _____ Sometimes but not always: _____

8. For this school year, please indicate your level of agreement/disagreement with each of the elements listed below:

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not Applicable
Teachers in this school are supportive of the AmeriCorps program.
AmeriCorps members are integrated into regular staff meetings and communication.
The principal and/or school leadership team communicates a clear vision of turnaround to AmeriCorps members.
The principal and/or school leadership team monitors performance and progress of implementation of turnaround activities at this school.
The principal and/or school leadership monitor performance and progress of implementation of turnaround activities at this school.
The principal and/or school leadership team monitors performance and progress of students and share this information with AmeriCorps members.

9. How important are the following characteristics to successfully implementing School Turnaround AmeriCorps program in your school(s)?

	Not at all important	Somewhat important	Important	Very important	Not Applicable
Orientation and training of AmeriCorps members before they serve at the school
Comprehensive trainings of AmeriCorps members and program support staff during their year(s) of service
Multi-layered supervisory structure to ensure fidelity of program implementation
Defined framework (e.g. RTI) to guide objective instructional choices and allow for the assessment of program effectiveness
Limited set of highly scripted interventions that have been shown to be effective (i.e. research based) in engendering desired student-level outcomes
Aligning AmeriCorps activities to the strategies outlined in the school’s turnaround plan
Recruitment and selection process that is effective in identifying members with characteristics that correspond with the programs objectives

10. What do you consider to be the most important school turnaround outcomes for students over the next two years? (Check all that apply.)

___ Enhanced academic achievement

___Improved grades

___Improved completion of assignments

___Increased motivation

___Increased self-esteem

___ Improved attendance

___Improved socio-emotional health

___Improved behavior

___Other. If other, please specify __________________

11. Please fill in the following table about school turnaround outcomes for students.

	Was there improvement in this area at your school(s) this year?	If you marked “Yes,” what were the outcomes with the greatest degree of improvement, across the school(s)? Rank, with 1=Greatest improvement. Do not rank outcomes where you marked “No.”
Enhanced academic achievement, as measured by standardized assessments	___Yes ___No
Improved grades	___Yes ___No
Improved completion of assignments	___Yes ___No
Increased motivation	___Yes ___No
Increased self-esteem	___Yes ___No
Improved attendance	___Yes ___No
Improved socio-emotional health	___Yes ___No
Improved behavior	___Yes ___No
Other: __________________________	___Yes ___No

12. Please indicate your level of agreement/disagreement with the following statements about your school this year. (Mark one response in each row.)

My school …	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable
Offers students a supportive and inviting environment within which to learn.
Sets high standards for academic performance for all students.
Prompts academic success for all students.
Emphasizes helping students academically when they need it.
Provides adequate counseling and support services for students.
Emphasizes teaching lessons in ways relevant to students.
Offers staff a supportive and inviting environment within which to work.
Promotes trust and collegiality among staff.
Provides the materials, resources, and training (professional development) needed to do your job effectively.
Provides the materials, resources, and training (professional development) needed to work with special education (IEP) students.
Encourages opportunities for students to decide things like class rules.
Gives all students equal opportunity to participate in classroom discussions or activities.
Gives all students equal opportunity to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities.
Gives all students equal opportunity to participate in a variety of enrichment activities.
Gives students opportunities to “make a difference” by helping other people, the school, or the community (e.g., service learning).
Encourages students to enroll in rigorous courses (such as honors and AP), regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality.
Emphasizes using instructional materials that reflect the culture or ethnicity of our students.
Has staff examine their own cultural biases through professional development.
Considers closing the racial/ethnic achievement gap a high priority.
Fosters an appreciation of student diversity and respect for one another.
Emphasizes showing respect for all students’ cultural beliefs and practices.
Clearly communicates to students the consequences of breaking school rules.
Handles discipline problems fairly.
Effectively handles student discipline and behavioral problems.
Is a safe place for students.
Is a safe place for staff.
Is welcoming to and facilitates parent involvement.
Makes information and resources available to parents/guardians about how they can support their children’s education.
Has clean and well-maintained facilities and property
Has sufficient teaching staff to meet the needs of students.
Has sufficient support staff to meet the needs of students.

13. Please indicate whether the following topics represent challenges in your school this year. (Mark one response in each row.)

	Not a challenge	Moderate challenge	Severe challenge
Student academic performance
Student behavior and discipline
Student engagement in school
Student attendance
Student safety
Student aspirations for college and/or career
Student fatigue/lack of sleep
Student alcohol and drug use
Student tobacco use
Harassment or bullying among students
Physical fighting between students
Disruptive student behavior
Racial/ethnic conflict among students
Student depression or other mental health problems
Lack of respect of staff by students
Cutting classes or being truant
Gang-related activity
Weapons possession
Vandalism (including graffiti)
Theft

14. Please indicate your level of agreement/disagreement with the following statements about your school. (Mark one in each row.)

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not Applicable
Students take their school work seriously.
Students treat each other with respect.
Students treat teachers with respect.
Students treat AmeriCorps members with respect
Teachers and other school staff communicate and collaborate.
Families play an active role in our school.

15. Please indicate your level of agreement/disagreement with the following statements about community involvement and partnerships with your school. (Mark one response in each row.)

This school works with organizations in the community to …	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not Applicable
Provide academic enrichment, extended learning time or other academic supports to students.
Make appropriate support services available to students with special needs.
Deliver wraparound services and non-academic (social/emotional) supports to students.
Increase awareness about and access to health resources/services (e.g. targeting drug use, mental health, teen pregnancy).
Expose students to post-secondary education opportunities and increase student interest in and knowledge about college.
Connect parents/guardians to information and resources to help them support their children’s education.

16. For this school year, please indicate how satisfied you are with each of the elements listed below:

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Not Applicable
Overall quality of AmeriCorps programming.
Communication and collaboration between teachers and AmeriCorps members.
Communication and collaboration between school leadership and AmeriCorps members.
Communication between school leadership and grantee staff.
Collaboration between school leadership and grantee staff.
Implementation of the roles and responsibilities outlined in the school partnership agreements
Placement of members in meaningful service activities
Referral of students to receive services offered by AmeriCorps members
Matching of members to students in need of academic strengthening and social/emotional supports

17. In your opinion, how successful was the School Turnaround AmeriCorps program in the following areas this year? (Mark one response in each row.)

	Very Unsuccessful	Somewhat Unsuccessful	Somewhat Successful	Very Successful
Overall success of the AmeriCorps program
AmeriCorps program’s success in improving student academic achievement
AmeriCorps program’s success in improving student socio-emotional health
AmeriCorps program’s success in improving school climate
AmeriCorps program’s success in improving the school’s capacity to implement its turnaround model

18. Please indicate your level of agreement/disagreement with the following statements about your school. (Mark one response in each row.)

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not Applicable
AmeriCorps members offer supports that are beneficial to the teachers in this school.
AmeriCorps members provide helpful support to the students in this school.
AmeriCorps members engage parents/guardians to become involved in their children’s school
AmeriCorps members provide access to information and resources to parents/guardians about how they can support their children’s education.
AmeriCorps activities occur frequently enough to be valuable.
AmeriCorps members are important partners in improving student outcomes.

19. Which School Improvement Grant strategies were influenced the most by the School Turnaround AmeriCorps members this school year?

Please rank on a scale of 1 to 6, where 1=Impacted Most and 6=Impacted Least.

___ Family and community engagement

___School culture and environment

___Academic achievement

___Graduation rates

___College enrollment rates

___Increased learning time

20. Please indicate the level of influence School Turnaround AmeriCorps members had over the following elements of your school’s turnaround goals? (Mark one response in each row.)

	No influence	Minimal influence	Some Influence	Substantial influence	Not applicable
Improving academic performance in ELA and/or math
Increasing rates of high school graduation
Increasing college readiness and enrollment rates
Providing ongoing mechanisms for family and community engagement
Establishing a school culture and environment that fosters school safety, attendance, and discipline

21. Currently, does your school have direct access to student-level data from the statewide longitudinal data system, access to district- or state-generated reports based on data from the state system, access to both types of information, or access to neither? If so, are those data available for each individual student or is it only provided at the classroom, grade, or school level? (Mark all that apply.)

	Reports for core academic subjects		Reports on behavior, discipline, non-academic performance
Types of data	District –generated	State-generated	District –generated	State-generated
Student level data
Classroom level data
School level data

24