Part C Item Justification

National Household Education Survey 2016 (NHES:2016)

Full-scale Data Collection

OMB# 1850-0768 v.11

Part C

April 2015

Revised in July 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

JUSTIFICATION OF NHES SCREENER AND CHILD TOPICAL QUESTIONNAIRES

C.1 Screener 1

C.2 Early Childhood Program Participation Survey 2

C.3 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey 8

List of Exhibits

Exhibit

1 Content of Screener 1

2 Item-by-item descriptions of the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey and associated research questions 5

3 Item-by-item descriptions of Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey for Enrolled Students and associated research questions 12

4 Item-by-item descriptions of the Parent and Family Involvement in Education for Homeschooled Students Survey and associated research questions 15

PART C. JUSTIFICATION OF NHES SCREENER AND CHILD TOPICAL QUESTIONNAIRES

NHES:2016 data will be collected using a screener questionnaire and three extended topical questionnaires (two child and one adult topical questionnaires, where one of the child topical surveys will be administered in two versions depending on whether the child is homeschooled or not):

• The household screener, to be used to identify eligible households for participation in one of the topical surveys.

• The Early Childhood Program Participation Survey (ECPP), to be administered to a parent or guardian knowledgeable about the care and education of children from birth through age 6 and not yet in kindergarten (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers).

• The Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey (PFI), to be administered to a parent or guardian knowledgeable about the education of children enrolled in school in kindergarten through grade 12 or homeschooled at these grade levels. To reduce respondents’ burden, two questionnaires were developed for this survey: one for parents of children attending school and one for parents of homeschooled children.

The topics addressed in the ECPP and PFI have been covered in previous NHES administrations, including the first administration of the NHES as a mail, self-administered survey in 2012. The screener and topical surveys are provided in appendix 2.

C.1 Screener

The household screener is an essential part of the NHES survey instrumentation. It is used to confirm that the sampled address is a residential address, determine whether the household includes potentially eligible children or adults, and collect information required for conducting within-household sampling.

In the NHES:2012, a short screener questionnaire that was designed to quickly “screen out” ineligible households (those that did not have any children age 20 or younger) was used. Households without children age 20 or younger could indicate this by checking a box and returning the survey. Households with children age 20 or younger were asked to enumerate children living in the household (up to a total of five children) and provide basic demographic information about each child. The decision to incorporate an adult topical survey into the NHES required a complete household enumeration of children and adults, so a small experiment was conducted in conjunction with an ATES pilot test administered in 2013. The response rates for a 5-person child-only screener and a 10-person all household member screener were found to be comparable. The NHES-FS used the 10-person screener as part of its goal to evaluate the procedures needed to include an adult-focused survey in NHES and included an experiment comparing response rate differences between a screener that asked for age measured in years versus a screener that asked for age measured as year and month of birth. Based on the results of this experiment, NHES:2016 will use the screener that asks for age as year and month of birth.

The screener captures whether there are eligible children or adults in the household. The screener questionnaire uses a grid format over two pages that are viewable on opposite facing pages. This form of navigation reduces the space necessary for enumerating household members and possibly decreases the potential for respondent errors such as omission of a household member. The screener collects information on up to ten household members over a total of four pages (two sets of the grid format over two pages that are viewable on opposite facing pages).

Commonly Asked Questions. The back of the screener contains commonly asked questions and responses intended to address questions that many respondents may have. The purpose of this material is to inform respondents fully and assure them of the sponsorship, legitimacy, and privacy protections of the study. Exhibit 1 includes item-by-item descriptions of the NHES screener.

Exhibit 1.  Content of Screener

Question #	Item Stem	Research Question/Purpose
1	How many people live in this household?	Determine Eligibility
2	What is his or her first name, initials, or nickname?	Sampling
3	What is this person’s month and year of birth?	Sampling
5	What is this person’s sex?	Sampling
6	Is this person currently in…	Sampling
7	What is this person’s current grade or equivalent?	Sampling

C.2 Early Childhood Program Participation Survey

The items in the NHES:2016 ECPP questionnaire are the same as those in the NHES:2012 ECPP questionnaire, with the exceptions noted in appendix C, which drew items from several previous NHES administrations and was very similar to the NHES:2005 and NHES:2001 ECPP interviews. The following topics are included in the survey:

• Participation in relative care, nonrelative care, center-based programs, and Early Head Start/Head Start;

• Care/program characteristics such as location, days and hours per week, and cost;

• Care provider characteristics such as language;

• Difficulty in finding care and child care selection criteria;

• Family education activities such as visiting a library and reading to the child;

• Emerging literacy and numeracy;

• Children’s health and disability;

• Parent characteristics; and

• Household characteristics.

Below, the survey items are discussed in more detail. The descriptions are presented in the order the questions appear in the printed instrument.

Instructions

The first page of the questionnaire identifies the selected child using information from the screener and provides the respondent with instructions for completing the questionnaire. Contact information is provided (a toll free number) in case there is confusion about the selected child or the household has no child fitting the description given.

Section 1. Early Childhood Care and Programs

A major focus of the ECPP Survey is addressed in the first section of the questionnaire, which focuses on types of nonparental care and education: care by relatives, care by nonrelatives, and center-based programs. Three sets of items within section 1, one focused on each of the previously mentioned types of nonparental care and education, collect extensive information to describe the different types of nonparental care and education that children may receive. These items provide detailed information on the extent of current participation in the different types of care arrangements and programs, location, amount of time children spend in current arrangements or programs, and the financial cost of current care arrangements or programs to the child’s household. This information can in turn be related to children’s personal, family, and household characteristics. The following information is collected in each of these sets of items:

• The number of current arrangements or programs of the respective type;

• The location of the arrangement or program (including whether programs are located at parents’ workplaces);

• The number of days and hours per week the child receives care or attends a program on a weekly basis, and the length of time in attendance at the arrangement or program;

• The language of the care provider;

• Whether the care provider will care for the child when the child is sick; and

• The cost to the household of the arrangement or program, and assistance in paying for the arrangement.

In addition to these common items, the section on relative care contains an item concerning the relationship of the care provider to the child and an item asking the age of the relative care provider. Age of the nonrelative care provider and whether the parent already knew the care provider is obtained in the nonrelative care section. The section on center-based care asks additional items on whether the center provides health services such as hearing, speech, or vision testing, and if the center is religiously affiliated.

Care Your Child Receives From Relatives (Questions 1-16). This series collects information regarding care provided on a regular basis by relatives other than the child’s parents. This includes grandparents, aunts or uncles, brothers or sisters, etc. Occasional babysitting is explicitly excluded. The care may be provided in the child’s home or in another home. For the child care arrangement in which the child spends the most time, key facets of care such as location, hours, and cost are collected. Limited information on other relative care arrangements is collected to provide a full accounting of time spent in care without undue burden.

Care Your Child Receives from Nonrelatives (Questions 17-34). This series collects information on care provided in a private home on a regular basis by nonrelatives. This includes home child care providers, regular sitters, or neighbors. Care may be provided in the child’s home or in another home. Occasional babysitting is explicitly excluded. Key indicators (e.g., location, hours, cost) are collected for the primary nonrelative care arrangement, and hours for other arrangements are collected to provide a full accounting of time spent in care.

Day Care Centers and Preschool Programs Your Child Attends (Questions 35-53). This series collects information on programs provided for groups of children in day care centers, preschools, and pre-kindergartens. This can include daycare centers, preschools, prekindergartens, or center-based Head Start or Early Head Start programs. Key indicators (e.g., location, hours, and cost) are collected for the primary center-based program arrangement, and hours for other arrangements are collected to provide a full accounting of time spent in care.

Early Head Start/Head Start (Questions 38 and 54). Head Start is a federally funded early childhood education program for disadvantaged children. Most participants are 3 to 5 years old. Participation in an Early Head Start program may begin at birth. Respondents with a child in center-based care are asked if it is a Head Start arrangement. Following the collection of relative, nonrelative, and center-based care arrangements, respondents are asked if the child has ever attended Head Start or Early Head Start. These items help to characterize the arrangements in which a child participates.

Section 2: Finding and Choosing Care for Your Child (Questions 54-58)

Access to care and early education programs is a topic of concern to experts in child development and early education and to policymakers. This section asks parents if they feel they have good choices for child care where they live and the difficulty parents have had finding the type of child care they want. The last item addresses the importance of factors in choosing child care and early education arrangements.

Section 3: Family Activities (Questions 59-65)

Activities with potential education benefits that families can do together are measured in this section of the questionnaire. Parents are asked about reading to their children and the amount of time spent reading to the child every day. In addition, parents are asked about other activities such as telling a story, teaching letters or numbers, or doing arts and crafts. Also asked of parents is whether someone in the family has visited a library with the child in the past month. These items are indicators of the richness of the child’s education environment at home and the parents’ involvement in promoting the child’s development.

Section 4: Things Your Child May Be Learning (Questions 66-73)

This series measures the child’s accomplishment of developmental tasks that indicate readiness for school. Analysts and policymakers are interested in tracking progress in emerging literacy and numeracy across time and examining the relationship of emerging literacy and numeracy with preschool program participation and family education activities.

Section 5: This Child’s Health (Questions 74-84)

This section includes items about the child’s overall health, any serious medical conditions, and disability services the child may be receiving. The presence of diagnosed conditions is an important risk factor and is related to children’s development and education experiences in the preschool years as well as their later experiences in school. Condition status may be associated with access to nonparental care and education programs.

Section 6: Child’s Background (Questions 85-92)

Questions about the child’s month and year of birth, race/ethnicity, country of origin, and language will be used to examine differences in children’s participation in care and education programs. For children whose primary language is not English, a question about participation in English language education is asked. English language education may help children to participate in other early education and prepare for school.

Section 7 : Child’s Family (Questions 93-127)

This section collects information on the child’s parents or guardians who reside in the household. The topics include age at first becoming a parent or guardian, native language, country of origin, marital status, educational attainment, and employment status. These items on parent characteristics measure factors that may be associated with participation in early care and education and may also indicate risk factors, such as low parent education, that could be associated with participation in care, child development, and preparation for school.

Section 8: Your Household (Questions 128-139)

This final series of items collects information on the relationship of people in the household to the child, receipt of public assistance, and household income. Household composition is an indicator of resources for care and opportunity for interaction within the household. Receipt of public assistance and household income are used to classify families according to the economic resources available to them, and to examine the relationship of the family’s economic status to early childhood program participation. These variables, taken along with parent characteristics, can be used to identify children who may be at risk in terms of development and education preparation.

Early Childhood Program Participation Survey Research Questions

The items in the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey (ECPP) will obtain information useful for investigating the following research questions.

1. To what extent do preschool children (birth to age 6 and not yet in kindergarten) participate in nonparental care and early childhood programs?

a. In what different types of nonparental care arrangements/programs do children participate?

b. How many children participate in multiple care arrangements/programs?

c. Where are care arrangements/programs located?

d. How much time do children spend in nonparental care arrangements/programs?

e. What is the relationship of relative care providers to the children for whom they are caring?

f. What is the cost and what payment arrangements are made for the cost of care arrangements/programs?

g. How are child and family characteristics related to the care or early childhood education children receive?

h. What resources do parents use to find child care?

i. Is (emergent) literacy and numeracy related to the type of child care, amount of time in child care, or stability of child care?

j. What is the availability of sick child care?

k. How does parents’ employment status influence their choice of arrangements?

l. Do parents report difficulty in finding child care?

m. What factors do parents consider important when selecting child care arrangements?

2. How has the participation of preschool children in nonparental care arrangements/programs changed from 1991 to the present?

a. Have the subpopulations of children participating in various types of care arrangements/programs changed?

b. Has the amount of time children spend in care arrangements/programs changed?

3. Do at-risk children have the same access to nonparental care arrangements/programs as other children?

a. Are at-risk children more or less likely to participate in nonparental care arrangements/programs than other children?

b. Do at-risk children participate in different numbers and/or types of care arrangements/programs than those children not classified as at-risk?

4. What type of child care subsidies/benefits have parents received from government agencies or from their employers?

5. What is the extent of families’ involvement in family-child education activities?

a. To what extent do families participate in selected education activities at home with their child?

b. Is participation in education activities related to preschoolers’ emerging literacy and numeracy?

6. How is children’s health/disability status related to their participation in nonparental care and education?

These research questions are reflected in exhibit 2 which includes item-by-item descriptions of the ECPP questions and their associated research questions.

Exhibit 2.  Item-by-item descriptions of the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey

Question #	Item Stem for ECPP	Research Question/Purpose
Section 1: Childhood Care and Programs; Questions 1-53
1	Child receiving relative care from someone other than a parent or guardian	Household/family composition; Research Question 1a.
2	Arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week	Research Question 1d.
3	Relative care provider’s relationship to the child	Research Question 1e.
4	Age of relative care provider	Research Question 1e.
5	Place care is provided	Research Question 1c.
6	Number of days each week child receives care	Research Question 1d.
7	Number of hours each week child receives care	Research Question 1d.
8	Age of child when this particular care began	Research Question 1d.
9	Language relative speaks while giving care	Research Question 1g.
10	Relative care for child when sick	Research Question 1j.
11	Fee charged for care	Research Question 1f.
12	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses	Research Question 1f, 4.
13	Total amount paid for relative childcare	Research Question 1f.
14	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 1f.
15	Any other relative care arrangements	Research Question 1a.
16	Total hours each week spent in those other relative care arrangements	Research Question 1d.
17	Child receiving non-relative home-based care on a regular basis	Household/family composition; Research Question 1a.
18	Arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week	Research Question 1d.
19	Care provided in home or in another home	Research Question 1c.
20	Care provider lives in household	Research Question 1c.
21	Number of days each week child receives care	Research Question 1d.
22	Number of hours each week child receives care	Research Question 1d.
23	Age of child when this particular care arrangement began	Research Question 1d.
24	Was the care provider someone the respondent knew	Research Question 1h.
25	Provider aged 18 or over	Research Question 1e.
26	Language non-relative speaks while giving care	Research Question 1g.
27	Non-relative care for child when sick	Research Question 1j.
28	Would you recommend this care provider to another parent	Research Question 1h.
29	Fee charged for care that is paid by respondent or another person/agency	Research Question 1f.
30	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses	Research Question 1f, 4.
31	Total amount paid for nonrelative childcare	Research Question 1f.
32	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 1f.
33	Any other non-relative home-based care arrangements	Research Question 1a.
34	Total hours each week spent in those other non-relative home-based care arrangements	Research Question 1d.
35	Is child now in any center-based/preschool/prekindergarten care arrangements	Research Question 1a.
36	Does child go to a center-based care/preschool/prekindergarten at least once a week	Research Question 1d.
37	What is the child's current program	Research Question 1a, 3b.
38	Is this program a Head Start or Early Head Start program	Research Question 1a, 3b.
39	Location of center-based care arrangement	Research Question 1a, 3b.
40	Religious affiliation of childcare	Research Question 1c, 1g.
41	Care provided at parents workplace	Research Question 1c.
42	Number of days each week child receives care	Research Question 1d.
43	Number of hours each week child receives care	Research Question 1d.
44	Age of child when this particular care arrangement began	Research Question 1d.
45	Language main care provider speaks while giving care	Research Question 1g.
46	Would you recommend this program to another parent	Research Question 1h.
47	Program provides services to the child/family	Research Question 1g.
48	Fee charged for care	Research Question 1f.
49	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses	Research Question 1f, 4.
50	Total amount paid for this program	Research Question 1f.
51	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 1f.
52	Does this child have any other center-based care arrangements	Research Question 1a.
53	Total hours each week spent in those other center-based care arrangements	Research Question 1d.
Section 2: Finding and Choosing Care (54-58)
54	Has child ever attended Head Start	Research Question 1g, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4.
55	Main reason for wanting childcare	Research Question 1l, 1m.
56	Good choices for childcare	Research Question 1l, 1m.
57	Difficulty finding care	Research Question 1l, 1m.
58	Importance of factors considered when choosing childcare arrangement	Research Question 1l, 1m.
Section 3: Family Activities (59-65)
59	Number of books this child owns	Research Question 1i.
60	Number of times child was read to in the past week	Research Question 1i, 5a.
61	During those times, how many minutes are spent reading to the child	Research Question 1i, 5a.
62	Activities done in the past week	Research Question 1i, 5a.
63	Visited the library in the past month	Research Question 1i, 5a.
64	Visited a bookstore in the past month	Research Question 1i, 5a.
65	Eaten meals together in the past week	Research Question 1i.
Section 4: Things your Child may be Learning (66-73)
66	Child 2 years of age or younger/older	verification item
67	Child can identify primary colors by name	Research Question 1i, 5b.
68	Child can recognize letter of the alphabet	Research Question 1i, 5b.
69	How high can this child count	Research Question 1i, 5b.
70	Can child write his/her name even if words are backwards	Research Question 1i, 5b.
71	Does this child read or pretend to read storybooks on his/her own	Research Question 1i, 5b.
72	Does this child actually read the words written in books or does he/she look at the book and pretend to read	Research Question 1i, 5b.
73	When child pretends to read, does it sound like a connected story	Research Question 1i, 5b.
Section 5: This Childs Health (74-84)
74	Describe child’s health	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
75	Child's diagnosed conditions	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
76	If child under 3, has professional said child is “at-risk” for developmental delay	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
77	Response to question 75 or 76	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
78	Child receiving services for condition	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
79	Who are those services provided by	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
80	Services provided by an IFSP or IEP	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
81	Adult in household helped to develop/change child’s IFSP or IEP	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
82	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with child’s IFSP or IEP	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
83	Child currently enrolled in special education classes/services	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
84	Child’s condition affect his/her ability to do the following things	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
Section 6: Child’s Background (85-92)
85	In what month and year was this child born	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
86	Where was this child born	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
87	Age of child when first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
88	Is this child of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
89	Child’s race	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
89a	Child’s sex	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
90	Childs address since the beginning of the school year	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
91	Language child speaks at home	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
92	Child currently enrolled in English as a second language, bilingual education, or an English immersion program	Demographic/ background characteristics
Section 7: Child’s Family (93-127)
Parent 1	Parent/Guardian section
93	Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1g.
94	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1g.
95	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1g.
96	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1g.
97	What language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1g.
98	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1g.
99	How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1g.
100	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1g.
101	What is this person’s race	Research Question 1g.
102	Parent/guardian’s highest level of education completed	Research Question 1g.
103	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Research Question 1g.
104	Parent/ guardian employment status	Research Question 1g.
105	Number of hours worked per week for pay, if employed/self-employed	Research Question 1g, 1k.
106	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1g, 1k.
107	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1g, 1k.
108	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1g.
109	Age when first became a parent/guardian to any child	Research Question 1g.
Parent 2	Parent/Guardian section
110	Parent/guardian # 2 present in the household	Research Question 1g.
111	Parent/ guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1g.
112	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1g.
113	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1g.
114	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1g.
115	What language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1g.
116	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1g.
117	How old was this person when he/she first moved to the US/District of Columbia	Research Question 1g.
118	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1g.
119	What is this person’s race	Research Question 1g.
120	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1g.
121	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Research Question 1g, 1k.
122	Parent/ guardian employment status	Research Question 1g, 1k.
123	Number of hours worked per week, if employed/self-employed	Research Question 1g, 1k.
124	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1g, 1k.
125	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1g.
126	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1g.
127	Age when first became a parent/guardian to any child	Research Question 1g.
Section 8: Your Household (128-140)
128	Number of people in household	Household Demographics
129	How many of the following live in the household with this child	Household Demographics
130	How is respondent related to child	Household Demographics
131	Languages spoken by adults in household	Household Demographics
132	Benefits received in the past 12 months	Household Demographics
133	Total household income	Variables used for weighting; Research Question 1g, 2a.
134	Number of years at address	Household Demographics
135	Home ownership	Household Demographics
136	Mail received at another address including P.O. Boxes	Household Demographics
137	Internet access in household	Household Demographics
138	Internet access on cell phone	Household Demographics
139	Internet usage	Household Demographics

C.3 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey

The NHES:2016 PFI questionnaires will be the same as those used in the NHES:2012, with the exceptions noted in appendix C, which drew upon the PFI surveys of 1996, 2003 and 2007. Separate PFI questionnaires are used for parents of children enrolled in school or homeschooled for ease of respondent self-administration. The following topics are included in the PFI surveys:

• School characteristics such as control (public/private) and school choice;

• Student experiences in school, academic grades, and grade repetition;

• Parent and family involvement/participation in school including involvement in school decision-making and barriers to such participation;

• School practices to involve and support families;

• Family involvement in children’s schoolwork;

• Homeschooling;

• Family activities such as arts and crafts, visiting a library, or attending a play or concert;

• Children’s backgrounds;

• Children’s health and disability;

• Parent characteristics; and

• Household characteristics.

School enrollment or homeschooling status and grade are collected for all children in the screener and displayed at the beginning of the self-administered topical questionnaire. Parents of children enrolled in elementary or secondary school are asked about their children’s experiences in school, feedback that they receive from teachers on their child’s school performance, their involvement in school activities, school practices to involve families, and their involvement in homework. Parents of homeschooled students are asked about their reasons for homeschooling and sources of instruction used in their children’s homeschooling. All parents are asked questions on their home activities and family involvement in activities outside of school, such as visiting a library. Finally, parents of all children are asked questions on their children’s health, disabilities, and demographic characteristics; the characteristics of parents/guardians residing in the household; and household characteristics.

Below, the survey items are discussed in more detail. The descriptions below begin with the questionnaire for parents of children enrolled in school.

Instructions

The first page of the questionnaire identifies the selected child using information from the screener and provides the respondent with instructions for completing the questionnaire. Contact information is provided (a toll free number) in case there is confusion about the selected child or the household has no child fitting the description given.

Section 1: Child’s Schooling (Questions 1 through 25)

This section covers questions that are asked of all parents with children in elementary, middle or high school who are not homeschoolers. The section provides detailed information on the characteristics of the school that the child attends. This covers topics such as whether the school is a private or public school, whether it is a school that has been assigned or is a school that parents have chosen for their child, whether it is a charter school, and whether it is a Catholic school or has another religious affiliation. The characteristics of schools provide important contextual variables that may be related to parent and family involvement and children’s education experiences. On the homeschooling version, these items are replaced with questions about the decision to homeschool and the child’s homeschool experience.

A series of questions (Questions 7 through 11) asks for information on whether parents chose the school that their children are enrolled in, including the information that parents obtained about the school before making a choice and whether the school was the parent’s first choice for their child.

A list of schools in the family’s area will be provided on the last page of the questionnaire. Identifying the child’s school permits linking data about schools from existing data sources at NCES, notably the Common Core of Data and Private School Universe Survey. This permits the analysis of family experiences in the context of school characteristics including public/private control, religious affiliation, school size, urbanicity, standardized test performance, and school population measures. These measures can also be used to assess the accuracy of parent responses about school characteristics.

This section of the instrument also includes items that address specifics of children’s and families’ experiences with schools that may be associated with parent involvement:

• Student experiences in school including grades and academic performance (Questions 15 and 22);

• Teacher feedback on the child’s school performance and behavior (Question 16);

• Grade repetition since starting kindergarten (Questions 19);

• Suspension or expulsion from school (Question 20); and

• Parents’ plans for their child’s education after high school (Question 21).

Section 2: Families and Schools (Questions 26-30)

A core area of interest in the PFI Survey is parents’ involvement in their children’s schools. This section includes questions on the frequency and nature of parents’ involvement in school including attending meetings, volunteering, serving on school committees, and other types of contact with school staff and teachers. Another aspect of parents’ contact with the school involves school practices to communicate with parents regarding their child’s progress and placement and parents’ expected role. Schools contact parents for various reasons including students’ performance, school volunteering opportunities, other methods and opportunities that can help children in their education, and planning for attending college or work after completion of education. The nature of contact measured includes letters, newsletters and email. Finally, parents are given the opportunity to express their level of satisfaction with the school.

Section 3: Homework (Questions 31-37)

Parent and family involvement in homework is another form of support for children’s education; Section 3 addresses this topic. This section includes questions about the amount of homework that children receive, the home environment that families create for children to do homework, and the involvement of parents and other family members in ensuring that children complete their homework.

Section 4: Family Activities (Questions 38-40)

Parent and family involvement in non-school activities with potential education benefits represents another way that parents and families can support children’s education and development. Parents are asked about activities such as telling a story, doing arts and crafts, playing sports and games, or getting involved in other projects. Parents are asked to report on the activities done with their child in the past week and in the past month with anyone in the family.

Section 5: Child’s Health (Questions 41-50)

This section includes items to identify disabled children and to determine whether children with disabilities are receiving services. The presence of disabilities is an important risk factor for all children and is related to children’s development and education experiences in school. These items will also provide the data to analyze the accessibility of special education and other programs and plans for disabled children.

Section 6: Child’s Background (PFI-Enrolled, Questions 51-58)

This section collects demographic information on the child’s race/ethnicity and country of origin. These characteristics can be correlated with the various levels of family involvement in children’s education.

Section 7: Child’s Family (Questions 59-99)

This section collects information on the child’s parents or guardians who reside in the household: mother and father, or other guardians if parents are not present. The topics include age at first becoming a parent or guardian, native language, country of origin, educational attainment, and employment status. These items on parental characteristics measure risk factors that could be associated with children’s development and progress through school. Other questions within both parent characteristics sections can be used to relate family involvement in education with parents’ characteristics including their education, choice of employment as well as the number of hours they work.

For parents of children who attend school, questions about school accommodations for parents or guardians whose primary language is not English are also included in these sections. These are important indicators of possible barriers to parent involvement.

Section 8: Your Household (Questions 100-113)

This final series of items collects information about who lives in the household with the sampled child, household receipt of public assistance, and household income. Receipt of public assistance and household income can be used to classify families according to the economic resources available to them, identify child risk factors, and examine the relationship of the family’s economic status to school participation.

Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey Research Questions

The items in the Parent and Family Involvement in Education survey will obtain information useful for investigating the following research questions.

1. In what ways and to what extent are parents and families involved in their children’s schooling?

1. To what extent are parents and families involved in choosing their children’s schools?

2. What are the reasons for parents’ school choices and what types of information do parents obtain to make these choices?

3. In what ways are parents and families involved directly with their children’s schools (e.g., meetings, volunteering, etc.)?

4. What is the relationship between parents’ characteristics and the extent of parents’ and families’ involvement in school choice and children’s schooling?

5. What is the relationship between parent and family involvement in school and student experiences and performance (e.g., grades, retention)?

6. What is the relationship between parent and family involvement in school and student characteristics?

2. What are parents’ perceptions of communication by teachers or other school personnel with parents or families?

1. What is the type and purpose of school communication reported by parents including school contact to discuss both problems and how well the child is doing in school?

2. What frequency and modes of school contact with families do parents report?

3. What are the differences in parent perceptions of the purpose and frequency of communication by school characteristics?

4. How are parent perceptions of school/family communication related to their involvement with the school, in homework, and in learning activities outside of school?

3. What types of school practices to involve and support families are reported by parents?

1. What are the school practices that parents report?

2. What is the relationship between school practices and different types and levels of involvement with the school, in homework, and in learning activities outside of school?

3. What are the differences in reports of school practices based on school characteristics?

4. What is the relationship of parent-reported school practices to levels of involvement by socioeconomic status?

5. What is the relationship between family involvement with the school and parent assessments of the school environment concerning parent and family involvement?

4. What are the barriers to school involvement by families?

1. What are the language barriers that language minority families face and how do they relate to the type and extent of their involvement with the school?

2. Do parent perceptions of the efficacy of their involvement relate to the type and extent of family involvement?

5. In what ways and to what extent are parents and other household members involved in their children’s homework?

1. How does the involvement of household members in homework relate to student experiences and performance?

2. How often do household members help children with homework?

3. How does the environment that families create for homework completion relate to student experiences and performance?

4. How do parents’ characteristics relate to the extent of parents’ involvement in children’s homework?

6. In what ways are parents and family members involved in non-school activities with children at home?

1. What is the type and extent of family involvement in daily activities and other learning activities of children and how does this relate to student experiences and performance?

7. How is children’s health/disability status related to family involvement and student behavior, experiences and performance?

1. How is children’s health related to the level of parent and family involvement in their education?

2. What is the extent of parent reporting of children’s disabilities?

3. How are children’s health and disabilities related to the extent of parent and family involvement, school practices, and student experiences and performance?

4. To what extent do children receive services for disabilities and from what sources?

5. What is the extent of children’s participation in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or enrollment in special education classes?

6. What is the extent of parents’ and families’ involvement with the school in developing their children’s IEPs?

7. Are parents satisfied with their children’s IEPs or special education classes or services, including the school’s communication with the family, the special needs teacher or therapist, and the school’s ability to accommodate the child’s special needs?

8. What is the extent of homeschooling of children during their school years?

1. To what extent do homeschooled students also attend schools to receive some of their instruction?

2. To what extent do parents use homeschool communities or resources such as distance learning/Internet to obtain materials or develop curricula?

3. Of the total school-going years, how many years are children homeschooled?

4. What are the reasons for homeschooling by parents?

5. What is the role of the Internet and the use of other technology or media for homeschooling instruction and curriculum development?

These research questions are reflected in exhibit 3, which includes item-by-item descriptions of the NHES Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey questions for enrolled students and their associated research questions, and exhibit 4, which includes item-by-item descriptions of the NHES Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey questions for homeschooled students and their associated research questions.

Exhibit 3.   Item-by-item descriptions of Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey for Enrolled Students and associated research questions

Question #	Item Stem	Research Question/Purpose
Section 1: Childs Schooling (1-25)
1	Confirm this child’s grade	Research Question 1.
2	Is child homeschooled part-time	Verification question
3	Type of school this child attends	Research Question 1a, 2b, 3c.
4	His/her regularly assigned school	Research Question 1a, 2b, 3c.
5	School a charter school	Research Question 1a, 2b, 3c.
6	Move so that this child could attend his/her current school	Research Question 1a, 1e.
7	Does school district allow choice	Research Question 1a, 1e.
8	Consider other schools for this child	Research Question 1a, 1e.
9	Seek information on the performance of the schools you were considering	Research Question 1a, 1e.
10	School this child attends your first choice	Research Question 1a, 1e.
11	Child has been in the same school since the beginning of this school year	Research Question 1a.
12	Month and year child started at his/her current school	Research Question 1c.
13	Child enjoys school	Research Question 3e.
14	Grades the child gets	Research Question 1e.
15	Child currently enrolled in advanced placement classes	Research Question 1e.
16	Number of times this child’s school contacted your household	Research Question 2a.
17	Number of days child has been absent	Research Question 1e.
18	Has child repeated any grades	Research Question 1e.
19	Grade or grades he/she repeated	Research Question 1e.
20	School suspensions	Research Question 1e
21	Expectations of child’s education	Research Question 1e.
22	Child’s work at school	Research Question 1e.
23	Take courses on Internet	Research Question 1e.
24	Provider of Internet instruction	Research Question 1e.
25	Fee for Internet instruction	Research Question 1e.
Section 2: Families and School (26-30)
26	Activities adult in the HH has done at this child’s school	Research Question 1c, 3a, 3d, 3e.
27	Number of school activities household has participated in	Research Question 1c, 3a, 3d, 3e.
28	Notes received from school	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d.
29	How well has this child’s school done the following things	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d.
30	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d.
Section 3: Homework (31-37)
31	How often does child receive homework	Research Question 5.
32	Child’s time spent on homework	Research Question 5.
33	Feelings towards the amount of homework (respondent)	Research Question 5.
34	Feelings towards the amount of homework (child)	Research Question 5.
35	Place set aside in home for child to complete homework	Research Question 5c.
36	Adult in household checks homework	Research Question 5b.
37	Number of days, per week, an adult in household helps child with homework	Research Question 5b.
Section 4: Family Activities (38-40)
38	In the past week, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
39	Number of days family has eaten the evening meal together	Research Question 6a
40	In the past month, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
Section 5: Childs Health (41-50)
41	Describe child’s health	Research Question 7a.
42	Child’s diagnosed conditions	Research Question 7a, 7b, 7c.
43	Did you mark yes to any condition	Research Question 7a, 7b, 7c.
44	Child receiving services for his/her condition	Research Question 7d.
45	Who are those services provided by	Research Question 7d.
46	Services provided by an IEP	Research Question 7e.
47	Adult in household helped to develop/change child’s IEP	Research Question 7f.
48	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with child’s IEP	Research Question 7g.
49	Child currently enrolled in special education classes	Research Question 7d.
50	Child’s conditions affect his/her ability to do the following things…	Research Question 7c.
Section 6: Child’s Background (51-58)
51	In what month and year was this child born?	Demographic/ background characteristics
52	Where was this child born	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
53	Age when first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
54	Is this child of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
55	Child’s race	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
55a	Child’s sex	Research Question 1f.
56	Child’s address for this school year	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
57	Language child speaks at home	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
58	Child currently enrolled in English as a second language, bilingual education, or an English immersion program	Research question 1f.
Section 7: Child’s Family (59-99)
Parent 1	Parent/Guardian section
59	Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1d.
60	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1d.
61	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1d.
62	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1d, 3a, 3b.
63	What language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1d.
64	Difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1d.
65	Does school have interpreters	Research Question 1d.
66	Does school have translated materials	Research Question 1d.
67	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1d.
68	How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1d.
69	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1d.
70	What is this person’s race	Research Question 1d.
71	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1d.
72	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Demographic/ background characteristics
73	Parent/ guardian employment status	Research Question 1d
74	Number of hours worked per week, if employed	Research Question 1d
75	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1d.
76	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1d.
77	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1d.
78	How old was this parent when she first became a parent to any child	Research Question 1d.
Parent 2	Parent/Guardian section
79	Presence of a second parent or guardian	Research Question 1d.
80	Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1d.
81	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1d.
82	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1d.
83	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1d, 3a, 3b.
84	Language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1 d.
85	Difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1 d.
86	Does school have interpreters	Research Question 1 d.
87	Does school have translated materials	Research Question 1 d.
88	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1 d.
89	How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1 d.
90	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1 d.
91	What is this person’s race	Research Question 1 d.
92	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1 d.
93	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Research Question 1 d.
94	Parent/ guardian employment status?	Research Question 1 d.
95	Number of hours worked per week, if employed	Research Question 1d.
96	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1d.
97	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1d.
98	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1d.
99	Age first became parent to any child	Research Question 1d.
Section 8: Your Household (100-113)
100	Total number of people in household	Household Demographics
101	How many of the following people live in the household with the child	Household Demographics
102	Respondent relationship to child	Household Demographics
103	Languages spoken by adults in the household	Household Demographics
104	Benefits received in the past 12 months	Household Demographics
105	Total household income	Household Demographics
106	Number of years at address	Household Demographics
107	Home Ownership	Household Demographics
108	Mail received at another address, including P.O. Boxes	Household Demographics
109	Internet access in household	Household Demographics
110	Internet access on cell phone	Household Demographics
111	Internet usage	Household Demographics
112	Identify child's school	Household Demographics
113	School Information	Household Demographics

Exhibit 4.  Item-by-item descriptions of Homeschool Survey and associated research questions

Question #	Item Stem	Research Question/Purpose
Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the PFI enrolled questionnaire have been replaced with the following questions for those students who are homeschooled.
Child’s Homeschooling (1-20)
1	Person in household who mainly homeschools this child	Understand trends in homeschooling
2	Is any instruction provided by a private tutor or teacher	Understand trends in homeschooling
3	Any of this child’s instruction provided by a local homeschooling group or co-op	Research question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
4	Does child attend a public or private school or college or university for instruction	Research Question 8a, Understand trends in homeschooling
5	What type of school(s) does this child attend	Research Question 8a, Understand trends in homeschooling
6	Number of hours per week child goes to school for instruction	Research Question 8a, Understand trends in homeschooling
7	Grade or year in school child would in if he/she was attending school	Understand trends in homeschooling
8A	Number of days each week this child is homeschooled	Understand trends in homeschooling
8B	Total hours each week child is homeschooled	Understand trends in homeschooling
9	Has child participated in any activities with other homeschooled children	Research Question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
10	Formal curriculum versus informal learning	Research Question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
11	Sources of curriculum or books used to homeschool child	Research Question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
12	Courses taken to help prepare child’s home instruction	Research Question 8b, 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
13	Does child take courses over the Internet	Research Question 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
14	Is Internet instruction provided by local public school or other provider	Research Question 8b, 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
15	Charge or fee for Internet instruction	Research Question 8b, 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
16	Grade(s) child was homeschooled for some classes or subjects	Understand trends in homeschooling
17	Reasons parents choose to homeschool their child	Research question 8d,Understand trends in homeschooling
18	Most important reason for homeschooling child	Research question 8d, Understand trends in homeschooling
19	How far do you expect child to go in education	Understand trends in homeschooling
20	Subject areas	Understand trends in homeschooling
Family Activities (21-26)
21	In the past week, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
22	Days that family ate the evening meal together	Research Question 6a
23	In the past month, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
24	Does the family participate in other homeschooling activities or meetings	Understand trends in homeschooling
25	Number of times has family gone to meetings/participated in local homeschooling events	Understand trends in homeschooling
26	Member of a national homeschooling organization	Understand trends in homeschooling