Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Scholarships For Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Program

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Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program

High School (Grades 9-12)

Student Questionnaire

Spring 2013

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.  The valid OMB control number for this information collection is xxxx-xxxx.  Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. Completion of this survey is required to obtain or retain benefits, per the SOAR Act Sec. 3009(a)(3)(C). 

All information from this study will be kept confidential as required by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (Title I, Part E, Section 183). To ensure privacy, no personally identifiable information will be disclosed as part of the evaluation. All of the information that is collected will be stored separately from school records in a secure location. 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 school or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your school to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., LBJ, Room 2E117, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or send electronically through the Federal eRulemaking  Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number.

Please answer all the questions.

Part 1: About You

This first section asks questions about you.

Q1. What is your gender

( Check one)

Male or ¹

Female? ²

Q2. How often do you read books that are not assigned by your teacher?

( Check one)

Every day ¹

Most days ²

Some days ³

Never ⁴

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

( Check one)

Less than high school completion ¹

Complete a high school diploma, GED or alternative high school credential ²

Complete a certificate or diploma from a school that provides occupational training ³

Complete an Associate’s degree ⁴

Complete a Bachelor’s degree ⁵

Complete a Master’s degree ⁶

Complete a Ph.D., M.D., law degree, or other high level professional degree ⁷

Q4. How far in school do you want to go?

( Check one)

Less than high school completion ¹

Complete a high school diploma, GED or alternative high school credential ²

Complete a certificate or diploma from a school that provides occupational training ³

Complete an Associate’s degree ⁴

Complete a Bachelor’s degree ⁵

Complete a Master’s degree ⁶

Complete a Ph.D., M.D., law degree, or other high level professional degree ⁷

Q5. During this year, have you done any of the following?

( Check yes or no on each row)

			Yes	No
Participated in groups or activities at your church (like choir or youth group)			1	2
Participated in a team or club (like little league or girl scouts/boy scouts) in your community			1	2
Participated in a team or club (like sports, music, or dance) at your school………………………			1	2
Participated in a community service activity or volunteer work at your school or in your community			1	2
Gone to religious services			1	2

Q6. On a regular school day, how long are you at home after school with no adult there?

( Check one)

None ⁰

Less than 1 hour ¹

1-2 hours ²

2-3 hours ³

More than 3 hours ⁴

Q7. Do any of the following encourage you to work harder in school?

( Check one box on each row)

	A Lot	A Fair Amount	A Little Bit	Not At All
a.Pressure from my parents	1	2	3	4
b.Pleasing my parents by getting good grades	1	2	3	4
c.Teacher expectations	1	2	3	4
d.Pleasing my teacher	1	2	3	4
e.Encouragement from my teachers	1	2	3	4
f.Learning the material	1	2	3	4
g.Interest in the subject	1	2	3	4
h.Keeping up with my friends	1	2	3	4
i.Getting a better job	1	2	3	4
j.Getting into college	1	2	3	4
k.Pressure from my friends	1	2	3	4
l.Not embarrassing my family	1	2	3	4

Q8. Who has had the most influence on your thinking about careers, if anyone?

( Check one)

A high school counselor ⁰¹

A teacher ⁰²

Your parents ⁰³

Another family member ⁰⁴

Your friends ⁰⁵

Your employer ⁰⁶

A military recruiter ⁰⁷

A coach or scout ⁰⁸

Yourself ⁰⁹

No one in particular ¹⁰

Q9. Have you ever done any of the following activities [to prepare for life after high school]?

( Check one box on each row)

	Yes	No
Attended a career day or job fair?	1	2
Attended a program at, or taken a tour of a college campus?	1	2
Sat in on or taken a college class?	1	2
Participated in an internship* or apprenticeship related to your career goals?	1	2
Worked or volunteered in a job related to your career goals?	1	2
Searched the Internet for college options or read college guides?	1	2
Talked about your options for life after high school with a counselor hired by your family?	1	2

* An internship is a work-related learning experience for individuals who wish to develop hands on work experience in a certain occupational field. Apprenticeship programs provide formal training in specific occupations; the apprentice/participant learns a trade through on-the-job training and other related instruction, often under the supervision of a journey-level craft person or trade professional.

Q10. Have you ever taken any of the following tests?

( Check one box on each row)

	Never	Once	Twice	Three or more times	Don’t know what this is
Preliminary SAT (PSAT)	1	2	3	4	5
SAT	1	2	3	4	5
PLAN	1	2	3	4	5
ACT	1	2	3	4	5
Any Advanced Placement (AP) test	1	2	3	4	5
Any International Baccalaureate (IB) test	1	2	3	4	5

Q11. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements:

( Check one box on each row)

	Agree strongly	Agree	Disagree	Disagree strongly
a.Even if you study, you will not be able to get into college	1	2	3	4
b.Even if you study, your family cannot afford to pay for you to attend college	1	2	3	4
c.Working is more important for you than attending college	1	2	3	4
d.Studying in school rarely pays off later with good jobs 1 2 3 4	1	2	3	4

Part 2: About Your School

This section asks questions about the overall climate at your school, support from teachers and other adults in the school and other students’ attitudes.

Q12. Do you agree or disagree with these statements about your school?

( Check one box on each row)

	Agree strongly	Agree	Disagree	Disagree strongly
a.Students are proud to go to this school	1	2	3	4
b.Students at this school have a lot of opportunities to learn	1	2	3	4
c.Rules of behavior are strict	1	2	3	4
d.People at my school are supportive of each other	1	2	3	4
e.I feel lonely at my school	1	2	3	4
f.I enjoy going to school	1	2	3	4
g.There is respect, among students and teachers, for other religions and cultures, at my school	1	2	3	4
h.Students are taught to be kind and responsible for their actions	1	2	3	4

Q13. Overall, how safe do you feel your school is?

Very safe ¹

Somewhat safe ²

Not safe ³

Q14. Did the following ever happen to you at school this year?

( Check one box on each row)

	Never	Once or twice	3 times or more
Had something stolen from your desk, locker, or other place	1	2	3
Been forced by other kids to give them money or my stuff	1	2	3
Been offered drugs	1	2	3
Been physically hurt by another student	1	2	3
Been threatened with physical harm	1	2	3
Seen anyone with a real or toy gun or knife at school	1	2	3
Been bullied at school	1	2	3
Been called a bad name	1	2	3

Q15. Do you agree or disagree with these statements about the teachers and other adults at your

school?

( Check one box on each row)

	Agree strongly	Agree	Disagree	Disagree strongly
At my school, there is a teacher or some other adult who…
listens to me when I have something to say	1	2	3	4
really cares about me	1	2	3	4
believes I will be a success	1	2	3	4
always wants me to do my best	1	2	3	4
tells me when I do a good job	1	2	3	4
notices when I’m not there	1	2	3	4
talks to me about problems I have at home or with my friends	1	2	3	4
motivates me to work hard	1	2	3	4

Q16. During the current school year (2012-2013), have teachers and other school staff provided you with support? Did it help you stay in school or prepare for life after school?

( Check two boxes on each row)

	Yes	No	Very Helpful	Somewhat Helpful	Not Helpful	Not Applicable (N/A)
Extra help before or after school in academic subjects?	1	2	1	2	3	4
Academic instruction on weekends?	1	2	1	2	3	4
Help completing college applications?	1	2	1	2	3	4
Guidance about which courses to take?	1	2	1	2	3	4
Help reviewing college entrance test results and suggesting re-testing if necessary?	1	2	1	2	3	4
Help arranging or taking you on visits to colleges or college fairs?	1	2	1	2	3	4
Help identifying possible career options?	1	2	1	2	3	4
Talked with a high school counselor about your options for life after high school?	1	2	1	2	3	4

Q17. Do you agree or disagree with these statements about the students at your school?

( Check one box on each row)

	Agree strongly	Agree	Disagree	Disagree strongly
At my school, students…
behave well with the teachers	1	2	3	4
neglect their homework	1	2	3	4
often make fun of each other	1	2	3	4
often disrupt class	1	2	3	4
who misbehave often get away with it	1	2	3	4

Q18. What overall grade would you give your school?

( Check one)

A-Excellent ¹

B-Good ²

C-Fair ³

D-Unsatisfactory ⁴

F-Failing ⁵

Part 3: About Your Math and English Classes

This next section asks questions about the classes you are taking at school.

Q19. During this year, have you taken classes in?

( Check yes or no on each row)

	Yes	No
Art, music, or dance lessons	1	2
Foreign language classes	1	2
Religion	1	2
Sports exercise or gymnastics	1	2

Q20. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements about your English and Math

teachers? Remember, none of your teachers or your principal will see any of the answers you

provide. Your English/Math teacher…

( Check one box on each row)

	Agree strongly	Agree	Disagree	Disagree strongly
Values and listens to students’ ideas	1	2	3	4
Treats students with respect	1	2	3	4
Treats every student fairly	1	2	3	4
Thinks every student can be successful	1	2	3	4
Thinks mistakes are okay as long as all students learn	1	2	3	4
Treats some kids better than other kids	1	2	3	4
Makes this class interesting	1	2	3	4
Treats males and females differently	1	2	3	4
Makes this class easy to understand	1	2	3	4
Goes through the materials too quickly	1	2	3	4
Only pays attention to the smart students	1	2	3	4
Only pays attention to students who are struggling	1	2	3	4
Helps students if they ask a question	1	2	3	4

Q21. To what extent do you understand what is being taught in your English or Math class?

English Math

None of the time ¹ ¹

Less than half the time ² ²

About half the time ³ ³

More than half the time ⁴ ⁴

All the time ⁴ ⁴

Q22.

English Math

H

ow many students are in your class?

(your best guess is fine)

Q23. On average, how many hours do you spend doing math or English homework per week?

( Check one)

Math English

Zero to 5 hours ⁰ ⁰

5 to 10 hours ¹ ¹

More than 10 hours ² ²

Part 4: About Your Friends

This section asks questions about your friends.

Q24. How many of your close friends do your parents know by name?

( Check one)

All of them ¹

Most of them ²

Some of them ³

None of them ⁴

Q25. Think about your close friends. How many of them do the following?

( Check one box on each row)

	All of them	Some of them	A few of them	None
a.Use bad language regularly	1	2	3	4
b.Smoke cigarettes regularly	1	2	3	4
c.Drink beer or alcohol regularly	1	2	3	4
d.Use illegal drugs regularly	1	2	3	4
e.Talk about college and careers	1	2	3	4
f.Talk about classes in school and what they are learning	1	2	3	4
g.Talk about what could be done to improve the neighborhoods and the city	1	2	3	4

Q26. How important do your school friends think it is to:

( Check one box on each row)

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Not at all important
a.Study hard to get good grades	1	2	3	4
b.Talk/hang out with friends	1	2	3	4
c.Participate in class	1	2	3	4
d.Go to college	1	2	3	4
e.Go to one of the best colleges	1	2	3	4

Q27. How many of your close friends…

( Check one box on each row)

	None of them	Less than half	About half	More than half	All of them
Get good grades?	0	1	2	3	4
Have ever dropped out of high school?	0	1	2	3	4
Have taken the PSAT, SAT, PLAN or ACT?	0	1	2	3	4
Plan to attend a school that provides occupational training (usually less than 2 years)?	0	1	2	3	4
Plan to attend a 2-year community college?	0	1	2	3	4
Plan to attend a 4-year college?	0	1	2	3	4
Plan to have a full-time job instead of continuing their education?	0	1	2	3	4
Plan to join the military?	0	1	2	3	4
Plan to attend a trade or vocational (VoTech) school?	0	1	2	3	4

Q28. Which group of friends has the biggest influence on how you think about school?

( Check one box)

Friends from your neighborhood ¹

Friends from school ²

My neighborhood friends are the same
as my school friends ³

Thank you, please hand in your survey.