Parent Survey

OMB #: 1850-0800

Expiration Date: 4/12/08

Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program

Parent Questionnaire

Spring 2008

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 1850-0800 (expiration 4/12/08). The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1/4 hour, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please contact: Marsha Silverberg, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208, marsha.Silverberg@ed.gov. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, e-mail directly to: babettegutmann@westat.com.

Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

Your child’s name is listed on the cover. Please write his or her name here: ________________________. When you read “your child,” please think about this child only.

Where the terms “child” and “children” have been used in this questionnaire this means children of all ages – from 5-18

Please answer every question.

Part 1: About Your Child

This section asks questions about the child listed on the cover.

Q1. What is the child’s date of birth: |__|__|/|__|__|/|__|__|__|__|

D D M M Y Y Y Y

Q2. Please provide the following information for the school(s) this child attended for the 2007-08 school year:

	School Name	School Type ( Check one)	Grade	Months Attended (Between September 2007 and June 2008)
School 1		1 Neighborhood (assigned) public school 2 Public school (unassigned) (e.g., magnet school or other neighborhood) 3 Public charter school 4 Private, religious school 5 Private, non-religious school
School 2		1 Neighborhood (assigned) public school 2 Public school (unassigned) (e.g., magnet school or other neighborhood) 3 Public charter school 4 Private, religious school 5 Private, non-religious school

Q3. How far in school do you expect your child to go?

( Check one)

Some high school, but will not graduate	1
Complete high school	2
Attend but did not complete a 2-year college	3
Attend but did not complete a 4-year college	4
Obtain an associate’s degree (AA, AS) or a certificate	5
Obtain a bachelor’s degree	6
Obtain a master’s degree or other higher degree	7
Not sure	8

Q4a. In the last month, approximately how many days did this child:

( Check one)

	None	1-2 Days	3-4 Days	5 or more days	Don’t Know
a. Miss school	1	2	3	4	5

Q4b. In the last month, approximately how many days did this child:

( Check one)

	None	1-2 Days	3-4 Days	5 or more days	Don’t Know
a. Come to school ½ hour or more late	1	2	3	4	5

Q5. During the past year, was this child ever suspended from school for disciplinary reasons?

No ¹

Yes ²

Don’t know ³

Q6. On average, how long does it take this child to get from home to school each morning?

( Check one)

Under 10 minutes ¹

11-20 minutes ²

21-30 minutes ³

31-45 minutes ⁴

46 minutes to an hour ⁵

More than one hour ⁶

Q7. Does this child:

	( Check one)		If Yes, how well does this child’s school attend to the particular needs of this child? ( Check one)
	Yes	No	Very well	Adequately	Poorly
a. Have any physical disabilities?	1	2	3	4	5
b. Have any learning disabilities?	1	2	3	4	5
c. Speak a language other than English as a primary language?	1	2	3	4	5

Q8. Does your child receive any of the following services?

( Check all that apply)

	Yes	No
a. Before-school care	1	2
b. After-school care	1	2
c. Tutoring in school	1	2
d. Tutoring outside of school	1	2

Part 2: Questions about This Child’s School

Q9. How satisfied are you with the following aspects of this child’s current school?

( Check one box per row)

	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Does not apply
a. Location of school	1	2	3	4
b. School safety	1	2	3	4
c. Class sizes	1	2	3	4
d. School facilities	1	2	3	4
Respect between teachers and students	1	2	3	4
How much teachers inform parents of students’ progress	1	2	3	4
How much students can observe religious traditions’	1	2	3	4
h. Parental support for the school	1	2	3	4
i. Discipline	1	2	3	4
j. Academic quality	1	2	3	4
k. Racial mix of students	1	2	3	4
Services for students with special needs	1	2	3	4	5

Q10. How serious are the following problems at this child’s school?

( Check one on each row)

	Very serious	Somewhat serious	Not serious
a. Kids destroying property	1	2	3
b. Kids being late for school	1	2	3
c. Kids missing classes	1	2	3
d. Fighting	1	2	3
e. Cheating	1	2	3
f. Racial conflict	1	2	3
g. Guns or other weapons	1	2	3
h. Drug distribution	1	2	3
i. Drug and alcohol use	1	2	3
j. Availability of textbooks/supplies	1	2	3
k. Availability of computers	1	2	3
l. Teacher absenteeism	1	2	3

Q11. What overall grade would you give this child’s current school?

( Check one)

Excellent (A) ¹

Good (B) ²

Fair (C) ³

Unsatisfactory (D) ⁴

Failing (F) ⁵

Q12. During this school year (2007-08), how often did you do the following in this child’s school:

( Check one box on each row)

	Never	Once	2 or 3 times	4 or more times
a. Attend parent-teacher conferences	1	2	3	4
b. Volunteer in the school	1	2	3	4
c. Attend a PTA (or other similar organization) meeting)	1	2	3	4
d. Receive report cards about this child’s performance	1	2	3	4
e. Receive information about this child’s school, such as newsletters and school notices	1	2	3	4
f. Receive notification if the child was sent to the office for disruptive behavior	1	2	3	4
g. Accompany students on class trips	1	2	3	4

Q13. In the past MONTH, how often did you do the following?

( Check one box on each row)

	Never	Once	2 or 3 times	4 or 5 times	6 or more times
a. Help this child with his or her homework	1	2	3	4	5
b. Help this child with reading or math that was not part of his or her homework	1	2	3	4	5
c. Talk to this child about his or her experience in school	1	2	3	4	5
d. Work with child on school project	1	2	3	4	5

Part 3: Questions about choosing schools and the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program

Q14. What was the most important consideration in your choice of schools for this child for this school year?

	Mark Only One
Location of school …………..	1
School safety …………..	2
Class sizes …………..	3
School facilities …………..	4
Respect between students and teachers …………..	5
How much teachers inform parents of students’ progress…	6
How much students can observe religious traditions ……….	7
Parental involvement in the schools …………..	8
Discipline …………..	9
Academic quality …………..	10
Racial mix of students …………..	11
Services for students with special needs …………..	12

Q15. What was the second most important consideration in your choice of schools for this child for this school year?

	Mark Only One
Location of school …………..	1
School safety …………..	2
Class sizes …………..	3
School facilities …………..	4
Respect between students and teachers …………..	5
How much teachers inform parents of students’ progress…	6
How much students can observe religious traditions ……….	7
Parental involvement in the schools …………..	8
Discipline …………..	9
Academic quality …………..	10
Racial mix of students …………..	11
Services for students with special needs …………..	12

Q16. What was the third most important consideration in your choice of schools for this child for this school year?

	Mark Only One
Location of school …………..	1
School safety …………..	2
Class sizes …………..	3
School facilities …………..	4
Respect between students and teachers …………..	5
How much teachers inform parents of students’ progress…	6
How much students can observe religious traditions ……….	7
Parental involvement in the schools …………..	8
Discipline …………..	9
Academic quality …………..	10
Racial mix of students …………..	11
Services for students with special needs …………..	12

Q17. Do you plan to send this child to the same school next year?

No q¹

Yes q² (Go to question 19)

Q18. Why will the child not be attending the same school next year?

( Check all that apply)

The school is in an inconvenient location	q01
The school is too expensive	q02
The child was offered admission to a preferred private school	q03
The child was offered admission to a preferred public school	q04
My child was not comfortable at the school	q05
I want all of my children to be in the same school	q06
The quality of the teachers was unacceptable	q07
I am concerned about school safety	q08
The coursework was too difficult	q09
The coursework was too easy	q10
The discipline/rules were too strict	q11
The discipline/rules were too easy	q12
I did not feel the teachers were providing enough academic support for my child	q13
The child was asked not to return	q14
The child is graduating to another school	q15
The school did not meet the child’s special needs	q15
The child moved out of DC	q16

Q19. What was the most important reason for why you applied for a DC Opportunity Scholarship for this child?

	Mark Only One
So my child could be in a school with better academics	1
So my child could be in a school that is in a more convenient location	2
So my child could be in a school that is safer	3
So my child could be with a different group of friends	4
So my child could receive religious instruction	5
So my child could be in a school with a different racial/ethnic mix	6
So my child could be in a school with strict rules for behavior	7
Because the DC Opportunity Scholarship offers more scholarship money than other scholarship programs	8
Because the DC Opportunity Scholarship money was available	9

Q20. What was the second most important reason for why you applied for a DC Opportunity Scholarship for this child?

	Mark Only One
So my child could be in a school with better academics	1
So my child could be in a school that is in a more convenient location	2
So my child could be in a school that is safer	3
So my child could be with a different group of friends	4
So my child could receive religious instruction	5
So my child could be in a school with a different racial/ethnic mix	6
So my child could be in a school with strict rules for behavior	7
Because the DC Opportunity Scholarship offers more scholarship money than other scholarship programs	8
Because the DC Opportunity Scholarship money was available	9

Q21. What was the third most important reason for why you applied for a DC Opportunity Scholarship for this child?

	Mark Only One
So my child could be in a school with better academics	1
So my child could be in a school that is in a more convenient location	2
So my child could be in a school that is safer	3
So my child could be with a different group of friends	4
So my child could receive religious instruction	5
So my child could be in a school with a different racial/ethnic mix	6
So my child could be in a school with strict rules for behavior	7
Because the DC Opportunity Scholarship offers more scholarship money than other scholarship programs	8
Because the DC Opportunity Scholarship money was available	9

Q22. Did this child get an offer of a scholarship to attend a private school through the DC Opportunity Scholarship program?

( Check one)

No, This child did not get an offer of a scholarship	q1	(Go to question 26)
Yes, This child did get an offer of a scholarship and this child used the scholarship	q2	(Go to question 23)
Yes, this child did get an offer of a scholarship but this child did not use the scholarship	q3	(Go to question 25)

Q23. Did this child transfer to another school during the 2007-08 school year?

No q¹ (Go to question 26)

Yes q² (Go to question 24)

Q24. Why did this child leave the private school he/she attended?

( Check all that apply)

This child did not like that private school	01
The work at that private school was too hard	02
The work at that private school was too easy	03
It was too hard to get my child to that private school each day	04
The discipline/rules were too strict at that private school	05
This child was unable to make friends in that private school	06
The religious activities at that private school made my child uncomfortable	07
This child wanted to return to his/her friends in public school	08
This child liked his/her public school better than that private school	09
There was another private school this child liked better	10
This child did not get the academic support he/she needed at that private school	11

Q25. Why did this child not use the offer of the scholarship?

( Check all that apply)

This child did not want to leave his/her friends in public school	01
This child’s public school has sports that the private school(s) did not	02
This child thought the work might be too hard in the private school(s)	03
There was no space at the participating private school this child wanted to attend	04
The private school(s) this child was interested in were too far from home or too hard to get to	05
This child’s public school teachers are better	06
This child got into a charter school	07
This child did not want to be held back a grade	08
This child did not want to have religious instruction	09
This child did not have to wear a uniform in public school	10
This child did not pass the private school’s admission test	11
The private school(s) did not have the services for this child’s learning or physical disability or other special needs	12
The private school this child wanted to attend was not participating	13
This child moved out of DC	14

Part 4: Questions about the Child’s Parents or Legal Guardian

Q26. Who is the primary female guardian for this child:

( Check one)

Child's birth mother ¹

Child's stepmother ²

Child's grandmother ³

Other female (please specify on the line)

___________________________________ ⁴

Child has no female guardian ⁵

Q27. Who is the primary male guardian for this child:

( Check one)

Child's birth father ¹

Child's stepfather ²

Child's grandfather ³

Other male (please specify on the line)

___________________________________ ⁴

Child has no male guardian ⁵

Q28 Who is completing this questionnaire? Please mark your relationship to the child:

( Check one)

Child's primary female guardian ¹

Child's primary male guardian ²

Other (please specify on the line)

_____________________________ ³

Q29. Please mark the HIGHEST level of education that you completed

( Check one)

Beyond eighth grade, not high school graduation	q1
Eighth grade or less	q2
GED	q3
High School Graduation	q4
Less than two years of college	q5
Two year degree from any vocational, trade, or business school	q6
Two or more years of college	q7
Finish college (four or five year degree)	q8
Master degree or higher degree	q9

Q30. How many years have you lived in your current residence?

( Check one box)

Less than 3 months ¹

3-11 months ²

1-2 years ³

More than 2 years ⁴

Q31. Do you currently have a job outside the home, either full-time or part-time?

( Check one box)

Yes, a full time job (35+ hours) ¹

Yes, a part time job (less than 35 hours) ²

Not working now, but looking for work ³

Not working now and not looking for work ⁴

Don’t know ⁵

Q32. How many years and months have you worked, either part-time or full-time, since leaving school?

____Years ____Months

Part 5: Contact Information

Please Provide Your Current Contact Information:

Last Name: ____________________ First Name: ___________________ MI: ____

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Phone number ______________________________________________________________

Email Address: ______________________________________________________________

Additional Contact Information

Please provide the names and addresses for three people who are likely to know the whereabouts of the child in the future. The contact people listed do not have to be family members and can be friends and/or neighbors of the family.

Contact Information for:

Last Name: ____________________ First Name: ___________________ MI: ____

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Phone number ______________________________________________________________

Email Address: ______________________________________________________________

Relationship to child: ____________________________

Contact Information for:

Last Name: ____________________ First Name: ___________________ MI: ____

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Phone number ______________________________________________________________

Email Address: ______________________________________________________________

Relationship to child: ____________________________

Contact Information for:

Last Name: ____________________ First Name: ___________________ MI: ____

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

Phone number_______________________________________________________________

Email Address: ______________________________________________________________

Relationship to child: ____________________________

Thank you for completing the survey.