Principal Survey

Spring 2007

Third Grade Follow-up

PRINCIPAL SURVEY

Setting Type:
Setting Name:
Setting ID:
Setting Address:
	Street
	City State Zip
Setting Phone:	( )
Respondent/ Provider Type: Respondent/
Room Number:

WESTAT

Dear Principal,

This survey is an important part of a major longitudinal study of children's school performance beginning with preschool and continuing through third grade. You have received this survey because one or more of the children in your school are participants in this study.

The Third Grade Follow-Up to the Head Start Impact Study is collecting information from children, parents, teachers, and principals to investigate the impact of Head Start on children's school performance.

This survey contains four sections:

1) School Characteristics

-- staffing

-- resources

-- instruction

2) Principal Characteristics, Role, and Beliefs

3) Community Interaction

4) Teacher Rating

Obviously, only you can provide the principal information. Although we realize you are very busy, we urge you to complete this survey as accurately as possible. The information you provide is confidential and only will be used for research purposes.

Please write your answers on the survey form by circling the appropriate number or writing your response in the space provided.

Thank you very much for your help.

NOTICE: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB Control Number. The valid OMB Control Number for this information collection is __________ (expires _____). The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection.

SCHOOL CHARACTERISTICS

1. What type of school is this? (CIRCLE ONE RESPONSE.)

Public school 1

Catholic school 2

Private school with other religious affiliation 3

Private school with no religious affiliation 4

2. School enrollment:

1. What was your enrollment at the start of this school year? _______________

2. About how many students enrolled after the start of the school year? _______________

3. About how many students left after the start of the school year? _______________

3. Approximately, what is the Average Daily Attendance for your school this year? (WRITE IN PERCENT. TO CALCULATE PERCENT, DIVIDE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ATTENDING ON AN AVERAGE DAY BY THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED.)

__________ %

Average Daily Attendance

5. Is your school building enrollment beyond its capacity?

YES 1 (GO TO Q5a)

NO 0 (GO TO Q6)

5a. If yes, are you using portables?

YES 1

NO 0

6. Approximately, what percentage of the children in your school belongs to each of the following racial/ethnic groups? (WRITE PERCENTAGE ON EACH LINE. ENTER “0” ON THE LINE IF YOUR SCHOOL HAS NO CHILDREN OF THAT RACIAL-ETHNIC GROUP. THE TOTAL ON THE PERCENTAGE COLUMN SHOULD ADD TO 100%.)

	Percent
a. Asian or Pacific Islander	__________%
b. Hispanic, regardless of race	__________%
c. Black, not of Hispanic origin	__________%
d. White, not of Hispanic origin	__________%
e. American Indian or Alaska Native	__________%
f. Other (Please specify)	__________%
g. TOTAL	__________%

7. Approximately what percent of your students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch?

__________%

8. Does your school currently receive Title I funds?

YES 1

NO 0 (GO TO Q11)

9. Is your school designated as a “school-wide” program under Title I?

YES 1

NO 2

10. Is your school currently designated as a “School in Need of Improvement”?

YES 1

NO 2

11. Are any of the children in this school English Language Learners (ELL)?

YES 1

NO 2 (SKIP TO Q14)

12. Approximately what percent of your school’s enrollment are ELL students?

____________ %

13. Are any of the following special services provided to families of ELL students? (CIRCLE ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH ITEM.)

		YES	NO
a.	Translators are made available to parents for parent/teacher and parent/school staff meetings and/or meetings are conducted in the parents’ non-English language	1	0
b.	Translations of written communications are provided to ELL families	1	0
c.	Home visits are made to families of ELL children	1	0
d.	An outreach worker assists in enrolling ELL children first entering school	1	0
e.	The school conducts special parent meetings for non-English background families	1	0
f.	Other (Please specify)	1	0

14. Approximately what percent of your students have Individual Education Plans (IEP’s)?

________ % (If ZERO, skip to Q18)

15. Where are children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) typically served in this school? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER.)

Children with IEPs typically spend most of their

day in separate classes 1

Children with IEPs typically spend most of their

day in the regular classroom 2

16. Are any of the following available to students at this school who are in the 3^rd grade?

		YES	NO
a.	Gifted and talented program	1	0
b.	Participating in community service programs	1	0
c.	Before or after school programs	1	0
d.	Summer school	1	0

17. By the end of the 3^rd grade, what is the maximum number of times that a student can be retained in grade?

________

18. In general, how adequate is each of the following school facilities for meeting the needs of the children in your school? (CIRCLE ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Do Not Have	Never Adequate	Often Not Adequate	Sometimes Adequate	Always Adequate
a.	Cafeteria	1	2	3	4	5
b.	Computer lab	1	2	3	4	5
c.	Library/media center	1	2	3	4	5
d.	Art room	1	2	3	4	5
e.	Gymnasium	1	2	3	4	5
f.	Music room	1	2	3	4	5
g.	Playground	1	2	3	4	5
h.	Classrooms	1	2	3	4	5
i.	Auditorium	1	2	3	4	5
j.	Multipurpose room	1	2	3	4	5
k.	Science room or lab	1	2	3	4	5
l.	Counselor(s)	1	2	3	4	5
m.	Health room	1	2	3	4	5
n.	Resource/Reading teacher(s)	1	2	3	4	5

19. Does your school take any of the following measures to ensure the safety of children? (CIRCLE ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH ITEM.)

		YES	NO
a.	Security guards?	1	0
b.	Metal detectors?	1	0
c.	Locked exterior doors during the day?	1	0
d.	A requirement that visitors sign in?	1	0
e.	A requirement that visitors be escorted by school staff?	1	0
f.	Teachers assigned to supervise the hallways?	1	0
g.	Hall passes required to leave class?	1	0
h.	Intercoms or telephones in classrooms?	1	0

FACULTY AND STAFF

20. Approximately how many staff members does your school currently have in the following categories? (PLEASE PROVIDE RESPONSES IN COLUMN (1) FOR STAFF MEMBERS WHO WORK FULL TIME AT YOUR SCHOOL AND IN COLUMN (2) FOR STAFF WHO WORK PART TIME AT YOUR SCHOOL. PLACE EACH STAFF MEMBER IN ONLY ONE STAFF CATEGORY. IF THERE ARE NO STAFF IN YOUR SCHOOL IN A CATEGORY, WRITE ZERO.)

		NUMBER WHO WORK FULL TIME IN THE SCHOOL	NUMBER WHO WORK PART TIME IN THE SCHOOL
a.	Assistant Principal	__________	__________
b.	Curriculum/Instructional specialist	__________	__________
c.	New teacher mentor	__________	__________
d.	Parent/community coordinator	__________	__________
e.	Regular classroom teachers	__________	__________
f.	Gym teachers	__________	__________
g.	Drama, Art, music teachers	__________	__________
h.	Special education and related service providers	__________	__________
i.	ELL/Bilingual education teachers	__________	__________
j.	Reading teachers/specialists	__________	__________
k.	Teachers of gifted/talented	__________	__________
l.	School nurse or health professional	__________	__________
m.	School psychologist, counselor, or social worker	__________	__________
n.	Paraprofessionals (e.g., classroom aides)	__________	__________
o.	Library media specialists/librarians	__________	__________

21. During the current school year, how many teachers:

Were newly hired in your school? __________

Were hired of your own choice? __________

Have you encouraged to leave? __________

Left of their own choice? __________

From last year did not return this year? __________

22. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about most of the faculty at your school? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a.	Teachers have a “can do” attitude	1	2	3	4	5
b.	Teachers are continually learning and seeking new ideas	1	2	3	4	5
c.	Teachers work together to do what is “best for kids”	1	2	3	4	5
d.	Teachers support me in enforcing school rules and discipline	1	2	3	4	5
e.	Teachers at this school respect their colleagues who are expert at their craft	1	2	3	4	5
f.	Teachers design instructional programs together	1	2	3	4	5
g.	Teachers at this school work hard to help their students succeed	1	2	3	4	5
h.	Teachers in this school really care about their students	1	2	3	4	5
i.	Rules for students are consistently enforced by teachers in this school, even for students who are not in their classes	1	2	3	4	5
j.	Teachers share my beliefs and values about the central mission of this school	1	2	3	4	5
k.	This school makes an effort to reach out to the community	1	2	3	4	5
l.	Most staff are aware of issues and concerns of the community in which the school is located	1	2	3	4	5
m.	Teachers in this school have a good grasp of the subject matter they teach	1	2	3	4	5
n.	Teachers in this school are really trying to improve their teaching	1	2	3	4	5

INSTRUCTION

23. Please indicate whether the following are part of your school’s current program for students in grade 3. (CIRCLE ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH LINE.)

		Yes	No
a.	Interdisciplinary teams of teachers who share the same students	1	0
b.	Common planning period for grade-level teams	1	0
c.	Classes organized for cooperative learning where students work in groups to help each other learn	1	0
d.	Self-contained classrooms	1	0
e.	Schools-within-a-school with their own administrative staffs such as alternative or magnet school programs	1	0
f.	Curriculum to emphasize critical thinking skills	1	0
g.	Regrouping by ability for instruction within grade	1	0
h.	Regrouping by ability for instruction across grades	1	0

24. For children in the third grade in your school:

1. How many hours are in a typical school day? (ROUND TO THE NEAREST HOUR.)

__________

2. How many minutes are devoted to lunch in a typical school day?

__________

3. How many minutes are devoted to recess and/or physical education in a typical school week?

__________

4. How many minutes are devoted to non “core subjects” (e.g., art, music) in a typical school week?

__________

TECHNOLOGY

25. Approximately how many computers in this school are used for instructional purposes (i.e., available for students to use either in classrooms and/or in a computer lab)?

__________

NUMBER OF

COMPUTERS

25a. Approximately what percent of them are connected to the Internet? __________%

25. Does your school have a technology coordinator?

Yes, full-time 1

Yes, part-time 2

No .. 3 (Go to Q29)

27. About how much time does your technology coordinator spend on the following activities? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

	None	A little	Some	A lot
Technical issues (troubleshooting hardware and software, network)	1	2	3	4
Developing curriculum to help teachers integrate technology into classroom lessons	1	2	3	4
Providing professional development to teachers	1	2	3	4
Teaching in computer labs	1	2	3	4
Team-teaching with classroom teachers	1	2	3	4

28. To what extent, if any, are each of these a barrier to teacher’s use of school computers or the Internet for instruction? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Not a Barrier	Small Barrier	Moderate Barrier	Great Barrier
a.	Not enough computers	1	2	3	4
b.	Infrastructure issues (wiring, network, etc.)	1	2	3	4
c.	Reliable Internet access	1	2	3	4
d.	Lack of release time for teachers to learn/practice ways to use technology	1	2	3	4
e.	Lack of appropriate professional development for teachers	1	2	3	4
f.	Difficulty recruiting and hiring computer teachers or technology coordinators	1	2	3	4

DATA DRIVEN DECISION MAKING

29. To what extent does each of the following influence you (and your leadership team) in determining school priorities? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Not at all	A little	Some	To a great extent
a.	Standardized test scores	1	2	3	4
b.	Other formal assessments	1	2	3	4
c.	Academic grades	1	2	3	4
d.	Rubric scoring of student work	1	2	3	4
e.	Student attendance	1	2	3	4
f.	Disciplinary records	1	2	3	4
g.	Direct classroom observations	1	2	3	4
h.	Surveys of students, teachers, or parents	1	2	3	4
i.	Other: _________________________	1	2	3	4

30. In general, to what extent do you use standardized test results to do the following? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Not at all	A little	Some	To a great extent
a.	Set school-wide goals for student achievement	1	2	3	4
b.	Set goals for individual student achievement	1	2	3	4
c.	Relate the use of particular instructional programs to student performance results	1	2	3	4
d.	Relate teaching practices to student performance results	1	2	3	4
e.	Compare classrooms and/or grades	1	2	3	4
f.	Compare subgroups of students (gender, race)	1	2	3	4
g.	Compare your school to similar schools	1	2	3	4
h.	Examine trends in student performance over time	1	2	3	4
i.	Examine trends in teacher performance over time	1	2	3	4

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS, ROLE, AND BELIEFS

LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

31. To what extent do you agree with each of the following statements? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a.	I feel responsible for making the school successful	1	2	3	4	5
b.	I have adequate time for teacher evaluation	1	2	3	4	5
c.	There is adequate time for teacher professional development	1	2	3	4	5
d.	It is very difficult to find enough time for this faculty to work together	1	2	3	4	5
e.	I have been too busy dealing with other requirements to give curricular issues the attention they deserve	1	2	3	4	5
f.	I use teacher evaluation to improve professional development	1	2	3	4	5

32. Who makes the following educational and administrative decisions made at your school? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Decision not made at school level	School admin decides alone	School admin and teachers decide together	Teachers decide alone
a.	Student promotion/retention policies	1	2	3	4
b.	Selecting students for special or remedial services	1	2	3	4
c.	Selecting teachers to provide special or remedial services	1	2	3	4
d.	Determining if students will be grouped in class by ability	1	2	3	4
e.	Determining discipline policies	1	2	3	4
f.	Determining consequences for student misbehavior	1	2	3	4
g.	Use of funds for staff development	1	2	3	4
h.	Selection of staff for professional development activities	1	2	3	4
i.	Hiring new staff	1	2	3	4
j.	Determining classroom composition	1	2	3	4

EDUCATIONAL GOALS

33. There are many educational goals. Inevitably teachers emphasize some goals more than others. In your school, how much do you want teachers to emphasize each of the following: (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		None	A little	Some	A great deal
a.	Teaching basic skills	1	2	3	4
b.	Preparing students for standardized tests	1	2	3	4
c.	Engaging students in higher-order thinking	1	2	3	4
d.	Developing students’ commitments and capacities for active citizenship	1	2	3	4
e.	Developing students’ creative and artistic capacities	1	2	3	4
f.	Assisting students achieve high standards	1	2	3	4
g.	Using curricula aligned with high standards	1	2	3	4
h.	Maintaining a quiet and orderly classroom	1	2	3	4
i.	Providing challenging tasks for higher-achieving students	1	2	3	4
j.	Using instructional strategies aligned with high standards	1	2	3	4
k.	Communicating well with parents	1	2	3	4
l.	Openness to new ideas and methods	1	2	3	4
m.	Participation in professional development activities	1	2	3	4
n.	Participation in school management	1	2	3	4
o.	Providing extra support to students outside of class (lunch, recess, before or after school)	1	2	3	4
p.	Consistently enforcing rules for students not in his/her class	1	2	3	4
q.	Speaks for the goals and mission of the school	1	2	3	4
r.	Teacher communicates with other teachers for planning curriculum and activities	1	2	3	4

THE WORK OF THE PRINCIPAL

34. Since the start of the school year, how has your time been spent? (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

	Activities	Never	Rarely	Monthly	Weekly	Daily
a.	Hiring staff	1	2	3	4	5
b.	Supervising staff	1	2	3	4	5
c.	Evaluating staff performance	1	2	3	4	5
d.	Staff development (planning, conducting)	1	2	3	4	5
e.	All staff meetings	1	2	3	4	5
f.	Work with individual teachers	1	2	3	4	5
g.	Student discipline	1	2	3	4	5
h.	Student-related activities (meetings, clubs, teams, special programs)	1	2	3	4	5
i.	Working with parents	1	2	3	4	5
j.	Principal’s professional development	1	2	3	4	5
k.	Walking hallways, playgrounds, lunch room, etc.	1	2	3	4	5
l.	Visiting classrooms	1	2	3	4	5

ROADBLOCKS

35. Below are several factors which some principals consider “roadblocks” that may prevent a school from improving. Please indicate the extent to which each may be a factor at your school. (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Not a factor	Somewhat a factor	Serious factor
a.	Lack of community support	1	2	3
b.	Pressure to constantly adopt new programs	1	2	3
c.	Pressure to get test scores up quickly	1	2	3
d.	Pressure to obtain external funds	1	2	3
e.	Lack of teacher knowledge or skills	1	2	3
f.	Lack of time for teacher planning and professional development	1	2	3
g.	Faculty apathy and resistance to change	1	2	3
h.	Teacher turnover	1	2	3
i.	Difficulty recruiting and hiring the right teachers	1	2	3
j.	Difficulty removing poor teachers	1	2	3
k.	Lack of time to evaluate teachers	1	2	3
l.	Lack of leaders within the faculty	1	2	3
m.	Lack of recognition/reward for principals	1	2	3
n.	State or federal mandates	1	2	3
o.	Mistrust between teachers and parents	1	2	3
p.	Parents apathetic or irresponsible about their children	1	2	3
q.	Social problems in the school’s community	1	2	3
r.	Racial or ethnic tensions in the school’s community	1	2	3

36. Indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about the school’s climate in the early grades. (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a.	Parents are actively engaged in this school’s programs	1	2	3	4	5
b.	Teacher absenteeism is a problem in this school	1	2	3	4	5
c.	Teacher turnover is a problem in this school	1	2	3	4	5
d.	Student absenteeism is a problem at this school	1	2	3	4	5
e.	The community is supportive of the school’s goals and activities	1	2	3	4	5
f.	There is consensus among administrators and teachers on goals and expectations	1	2	3	4	5
g.	Order and discipline are maintained satisfactorily	1	2	3	4	5
h.	Overcrowding is a problem at this school	1	2	3	4	5
i.	There are many opportunities for school-community activities (carnival, plays, etc.)	1	2	3	4	5

ABOUT YOU

37. At the end of this school year, how many years will you have been a principal in this school? Please include any years as an assistant principal.

__________

NUMBER OF YEARS

38. At the end of this school year, how many years will you have been a principal in this and other schools? Please include any years as an assistant principal.

__________

NUMBER OF YEARS

39. At the end of this school year, how many years of teaching experience will you have had?

__________

NUMBER OF YEARS

40. What is the highest earned college degree you hold? Circle only the highest degree.

Bachelors 01

(SPECIFY MAJOR: ____________________________________)

At least one year of course work beyond a Bachelor's but

not a graduate degree 02

Master's 03

(SPECIFY MAJOR: _____________________________________)

Education specialist or professional diploma based on at least

one year of course work past Master's degree level 04

Doctorate 05

(SPECIFY MAJOR: _____________________________________)

Other professional degree (e.g., M.D., L.L.B., J.D., D.D.S.) 06

Other (SPECIFY) ___________________________ 07

41. Please enter the types of teaching certifications you hold in each of the following.

None 01

Elementary school: __________________________________ 02

Middle school: ______________________________________ 03

Secondary school: ___________________________________ 04

Other: _____________________________________________ 05

COMMUNITY INTERACTION

42. Please indicate which of the following are available at your school: (CIRCLE YES OR NO FOR EACH ITEM.)

		Yes	No
a.	Parent resource center	1	0
b.	Designated liaison to work with parents and teachers	1	0
c.	Opportunities for parents to work as classroom volunteers, tutors, or aides	1	0
d.	Teaching parents activities they can use at home to reinforce instruction	1	0
e.	Parent advisory council	1	0
f.	Special activities for parents who lack literacy skills	1	0

PRINCIPAL TEACHER RATING FORM

Compared with other teachers in the school, how well does this study teacher do the following:

	Teacher: ________________________________________________
	CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH ROW
	Substantially below average		Average		Substantially above average
Reading/Language Arts Accurately discerns the specific learning needs of individual students in reading/language arts?	1	2	3	4	5
Uses advance planning to meet student-learning needs in reading/language arts?	1	2	3	4	5
Leads instructional activities during reading/language arts?	1	2	3	4	5
Modifies instruction during a reading/language arts lesson when necessary to meet individual needs?	1	2	3	4	5
Engages students actively in curriculum activities during reading/language arts?	1	2	3	4	5
Provides opportunities for student questions during reading/language arts?	1	2	3	4	5
Asks higher level open-ended questions during reading/language arts?	1	2	3	4	5
Encourages multiple student responses and student discussion during reading/language arts?	1	2	3	4	5
Math Accurately discerns the specific learning needs of individual students in math?	1	2	3	4	5
Uses advance planning to meet student-learning needs in math?	1	2	3	4	5
Leads instructional activities during math?	1	2	3	4	5
Modifies instruction during a math lesson when necessary to meet individual needs?	1	2	3	4	5
Engages students actively in curriculum activities during math? instruction?	1	2	3	4	5
Provides opportunities for student questions during math instruction?	1	2	3	4	5

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