The Harvard Graduate School of Education has created a 71-question survey that school districts and parent groups can use to assess parent involvement in schools across the country. The survey is powered by SurveyMonkey.

Research published by a Harvard education lecturer shows that strong parent-school relationships boost students’ academic performance and social skills, ultimately facilitating graduation. 

The surveys’ creators stress that it’s important for schools to ask the right questions to evaluate parent involvement. And that’s where this “question bank” comes in. 

“The typical survey design process relies on extensive research and expert analysis to come up with questions. But the survey designer must take care not to neglect respondents’ interpretations of questions.

Dr. Gehlbach used interviews, focus groups, and pre-testing techniques with potential respondents to focus on how parents of K-12 children understood what they were being asked. This helped the survey designers understand how ambiguity in language might impact respondents’ interpretations across key areas.”

Principals, DOE staff, school boards and PTAs from any K-12 school are encouraged to use the survey to better understand the quality of parent involvement. 

Do you think Hawaii’s schools would benefit from this tool?

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