Q & A on the Importance of Perceptions Data
The purpose of the Characteristics of Successful Schools (CSS) survey site is to address the need to analyze and use different types of data beyond achievement data in school improvement planning. After using CSS to survey the school and district community, users can compare the results from different groups of stakeholders. By developing an understanding of the district or school climate, new strategies around maintaining or improving the climate and relationships with various stakeholders can be undertaken. This increased climate awareness could positively impact student perceptions and performance. Here are some additional questions you may have on how to use perceptions data:
Why collect perceptions data?
Educators need to recognize the many different members of the district community and realize how stakeholder groups value the school or district's services impacts student profoundly. While the district's community may be invited to board meetings, sometimes they comment on decisions that may affect their own personal interests rather than the students. However, it is important to take a more community-driven approach that will help the district and school administration "build a long-lasting, meaningful relationship with stakeholders" (Carroll and Carroll, 2001). By collecting data and information from the community, a dedicated and confident support system for continuous and successful improvement can be built within the district. Victoria Bernhardt explains that "People act according to what they believe about different topics, so if you want to change a group's perceptions, you have to know about their beliefs." (Bernhardt, 2003)
How do we use perceptions data with the other types of data collected?
Perceptions data should be collected, in addition to other types of data, to assist educators in addressing school improvement issues. By "crossing" measures, instead of using one data measure like achievement data, educators can be provided much deeper insight into the school (Bernhardt, 2003). And by ensuring continual exposure to multiple sources of data, a culture can be built which values the use of reliable complete information to guide decisions and solve problems. The collection and analysis of perceptions data can be enlightening because they help educators pay attention to the opinions and ideas of the school community and start to make comparisons to achievement, demographic, or program data. The perceptions data collected depends on the survey taken, but some examples include: (1) the presence of different programs or communication methods, (2) leadership and community involvement, and (3) satisfaction in general. School leadership can illustrate through evidence collected and analyzed from perceptions data the correlation between student achievement and demographic location. As a result, these leaders can facilitate an understanding of the stakeholders interests, foster more well-informed decisions, and move forward on improvement plans.
How should perceptions data be collected?
While these data may seem intangible to member of the district and school community, there are many innovative ways to go about collecting it. Data collected via surveys, focus groups, polls, as well as analyses of local newspaper editorials and readers' letters can suggest a school climate. Surveys can be a useful tool when used regularly and efficiently. The online use of surveys can assist leadership in using the same survey longitudinally (over multiple years) and collecting the most reliable and useful data. This not only allows staff to see trends in the opinions and beliefs of community members, but also to evaluate past interventions for effectiveness.
Who are the "best" participants? Whose opinion matters?
To evaluate satisfaction, the district or school administration should begin with a list of stakeholders in the school community that make up a school community. Online surveys can be useful when trying to connect with hard to reach parents, or large numbers of community members, while interviews and focus groups could be used with smaller groups that create a good representation of the community (Harvard Family Research Project, 2004).
References and Resources
Bernhardt, Victoria L. (2003). No Schools Left Behind. Educational Leadership, 5, 26-30.
Bernhardt, Victoria L. (2000). Intersections: New routes open when on type of data crossed another. Journal of Staff Development, Winter 2000. Downloaded on August 23, 2005 at www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/bernhardt211.cfm
Bernhardt, V. L. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Carroll, Susan Rovezzi, & Carroll, David. (2001) Outside-Inside Marketing. The School Administrator Web Edition. Downloaded on March 2, 2005 at www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2001_08/carroll.htm.
Harvard Family Research Project: Harvard Graduate School of Education. (Aug 2004). Detangling Data Collection: Methods for Gathering Data. Out of School Time Evaluation Snapshots, number 5.
Learning Point Associates. (2004). Guide to Using Data in School Improvement Efforts. Downloaded on May 25, 2005 at www.ncrel.org/datause/howto/guidebook.pdf.
Leithwood, Kenneth et al. (2004) Executive Summary: How leadership influences student learning. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, University of Minnesota.
