Parent Survey

PCI Data Collection Instrument

Draft

March 14, 2016

<ADD LOGIN PAGE>

Welcome to the Parent Information

and School Choice Study

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Parent Information and School Choice Study. This study is being conducted on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education by Mathematica Policy Research, an independent research firm based in Princeton, NJ.

The purpose of this study is to help schools, districts and policymakers better understand how parents choose schools for their children. By completing this consent page, you agree to complete a survey honestly and to the best of your ability. The survey will include questions about choosing elementary schools. You will then be asked to review a set of school profiles and answer questions about them.

The survey should take approximately 40 minutes. You may save your work at the end of any section and return later. However, once you start a section, you must complete and submit it before saving. Also, you will not be able to move backwards in the survey to see or change earlier responses.

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, identification numbers will be used on the surveys rather than names. 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 district, school, or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you, your school, or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

Your participation is voluntary. There are no risks associated with participating in this study. Information we collect will be kept strictly confidential. If you have questions about the study, please contact Lisbeth Goble at (XXX) XXX-XXXX or LGoble@mathematica-mpr.com. If you have questions about your rights as a research volunteer, please contact New England Institutional Review Board at toll-free 1-800-232-9570.

if you are willing to participate in the study, please mark here □

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is xxxx-xxxx. The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 40 minutes, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed and complete and review the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Meredith Bachman at 202-245-7494 or Meredith.Bachman@ed.gov and reference the OMB Control Number xxxx-xxxx.

A. SCHOOL CHOICE

Before you look at the school information, we want to understand a little more about you and your experience choosing schools.

ALL

A1. How many children in all, ages 3 to 18, live in your household?

CHILDREN AGES 3 TO 18

(RANGE 0-20)

HARD CHECK: IF A1=NO RESPONSE; Your response to this question is important. Please provide a response and continue.

A1 NE 0

A2. What grade did [FILL: IF A1 = 1 “this child” ELSE IF A1 >1 “these children”] most recently complete as of July 1, 2016?

Select all that apply

 Not yet in school 1

 Pre-Kindergarten 2

 Kindergarten 3

 1st grade through 5th grade 4

 6th through 8th grade 5

 9th through 12th grade 6

 Ungraded 7

 Other (SPECIFY) 99

Specify (STRING (NUM))

NO RESPONSE M

A3. Based on where you currently live, are there any children in your household who have the option to attend or apply to a public school other than your neighborhood public school, such as a magnet or charter school?

 Yes 1

 No 0 GO TO A6

 I don’t know 0 GO TO A6

NO RESPONSE M

A3 eq 1 and A1 ne 0

A4. Have any of your children ever applied to any public school other than your neighborhood public school?

Yes 1

No 0

NO RESPONSE M

A4 eq 1 and A1 ne 0

A5 To what types of public schools (has your child/have any of your children) ever applied?

Select all that apply

 Charter school 1

 Magnet school 2

 Another district school 3

 Something else? (SPECIFY) 99

Specify (STRING (NUM))

NO RESPONSE M

A1 NE 0

For the rest of this survey, we would like you to think about your [child/ youngest child].

A6. Enter the child’s first name, nickname, or initials: ______________

Your answer will be used to fill in questions that we ask later about this child.

A7. What is your role when making decisions about [FILL: Child’s name/intials from A6 IF A6 NE “” ELSE IF A1 EQ 1 “this child’s”; ELSE IF A1 GE 1 “the youngest child’s”] education?

Select one only

 I am the only person who makes decisions about [FILL NAME]’s education. 1

 I am the main person who makes decisions about my [FILL NAME]’s education, but I take into account the opinion of my child or another adult. 2

 I share equally in the decision with someone else (my child or another adult). 3

 I am involved in some other way. 4

 I am not involved in making decisions about [FILL NAME]’s education. 5

PROGRAMMER: FOR ALL ITEMS FILL = Child’s name/intials from A6 IF A6 NE “” ELSE IF A1 EQ 1 “this child’s”; ELSE IF A1 GE 1 “the youngest child’s”

HARD CHECK: IF Q#=NO RESPONSE; IF A7=NO RESPONSE; Your response to this question is important. Please provide a response and continue.

FILTER:

IF (A1 EQ 0) OR (A7 EQ 5) END

ELSE GOTO A8

A1 NE 0

A8. What is your relationship to [FILL NAME] ?

Select one only

 Biological parent 1

 Step parent, foster parent, grandparent, or guardian 2

 Boyfriend/girlfriend of parent or guardian 3

 Other adult who is a relative, including sibling who is age 18 and over 4

 Other adult who is not a relative 5

NO RESPONSE M

A1 ne 0

A9.1 Is [FILL NAME] a boy or a girl?

 Boy 1

 Girl 0

A9.2 Has [FILL NAME] ever had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or been determined to need special education?

 Yes 1

 No 0

ALL

A10. How important are each of the following factors when selecting the best school for [FILL NAME] to attend?

Assign a value to each of the following factors ranging from 0 (not at all important) to 100 (extremely important). Assigning the same value to two different items means that they are equally important to you.

	0 – Not at all important		100 = Extremely important
a. Services for students with special needs
b. School performance on standardized tests
c. Convenience of school location (for example close to your work or home)
d. Diversity of students at the school
e. School programs and facilities
f. Student discipline and safety

B. INTERNET USAGE

ALL

These next questions ask about your internet use.

B1. During the past 3 months, have you used the Internet:

	Yes	No
a. To search for information needed for your job or an education program you are enrolled in?	1 	0 
b. To search for a job?	1 	0 
c. To search for information about schools for your child?	1 	0 
d. To read or watch the news?	1 	0 
e. To search for information related to medical or health issues?	1 	0 
f. To purchase or get information about goods or services?	1 	0 
g. To pay bills, view account statements, or do online banking?	1 	0 
h. To use social networking sites? (for example, Facebook or Twitter)	1 	0 
i. For entertainment? (for example, playing games, listening to music or watching TV, movies or videos)?	1 	0 

if B1g = 1

B2. In a typical week, on average, how many hours do you spend on the Internet?

Please include internet use from all locations and devices. Your best estimate is fine.

Select one only

 Less than 5 hours 1

 5 to 9 hours 2

 10 to19 hours 3

 20 to 29 hours 4

 30 or more hours 5

NO RESPONSE M

C. DEMOGRAPHICS

all

C1. What is your age?

Select one only

 Under 25 years 1

 25 to 34 years 2

 35 to 44 years 3

 45 to 54 years 4

 55 years or above 5

NO RESPONSE M

all

C2. Are you male or female?

 Male 1

 Female 2

NO RESPONSE M

all

C3. Are you married or living with a partner?

 Yes 1

 No 0

NO RESPONSE M

all

C4. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

Select one response

 Less than high school 1

 High school diploma or GED 2

 Associate’s Degree 3

 Bachelor’s degree 4

 Master’s degree, Ph.D., or other professional or graduate degree 5

NO RESPONSE M

ALL

C5. We understand that you may not be able to provide an exact number for your family’s income. However, it would be helpful if you would mark the range that best estimates your total household income from all sources in 2015.

Please include all income such as income from work, investments and alimony.

Select one only

 $10,000 or less 1

 $10,001 to $20,000 2

 $20,001 to $30,000 3

 $30,001 to $40,000 4

 $40,001 to $60,000 5

 $60,001 to $80,000 6

 More than $80,000 7

NO RESPONSE M

all

C6. Which is the main language spoken in your home?

Select one only

 English 1

 Spanish 2

 English and Spanish equally 3

 Another language 4

 English and another language equally 5

NO RESPONSE M

all

C7. Are you Hispanic or Latino?

Select one only

 Yes, Hispanic or Latino, or 1

 No, not Hispanic or Latino? 2

NO RESPONSE M

all

C8. Which best describes your race?

Select one only

 American Indian or Alaska Native 1

 Asian... 2

 Black or African American 3

 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 4

 White. 5

 Two or more races 6

NO RESPONSE M

ALL

C9. Which of the following best describes the area in which you live?

Select one only

 Urban (city) 1

 Suburban 2

 Rural 3

NO RESPONSE M

ALL

C10. What is your current zip code?

(RANGE 00000-99999)

NO RESPONSE M

Thank you for answering these background questions! Now we would like you to review a set of school profiles designed to help parents choose elementary schools. Please imagine that you live in a city with these school options and you are trying to choose among them for [Fill with A2b or “your child” or “your youngest child”].

You will be able to access the profiles as you answer these questions. [Additional instruction goes here on how to access the profiles.] You will need to use these school profiles to answer the remaining questions in this survey.

Once you begin this exercise, it is important that you be able to complete the section before submitting. You will not be able to save your work until you submit, so please make sure you have about xx minutes now to complete the exercise before you begin.

D. SCHOOL SELECTION TASK

D1. Using the school profiles provided, please select the top 5 elementary schools from the list at the left that you would consider sending [FILL NAME] to and drag them to the right.

[LIST OF SCHOOLS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER]

[FIVE SLOTS WHERE Items in Section D will each be presented on a separate page, allowing us to record the elapsed time between responses. THE SCHOOLS CAN BE DRAGGED]

D2. Now, considering the school profile information, please put the 5 schools you selected in order from your first choice (most preferred) to your fifth choice (least preferred).

[LIST OF 5 SCHOOLS FROM D1 SHOWN IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER]

[FIVE NUMBERED AND LABELED SLOTS WHERE THE SCHOOLS CAN BE DRAGGED]

ALL

D3. Based on the available information, how strongly would you agree or disagree with the following statements?

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a, It was easy to choose my top 5 schools.	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
b. It was easy to decide how to rank my top 5 choices.	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
c. I am confident that I understand the information in the school profiles well enough to pick the best school.	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
d. I would recommend browsing these school profiles to a friend who was also trying to shop for schools.	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 

ALL

These next questions ask about the information you reviewed in the school profiles.

ALL

D4. For the following questions, think about [School X] and [School Y].

Which school is closer to your home?

Select one only

 [School X] is closer 1

 [School X] and [School Y] are about the same 2

 [School Y] is closer 3

 I don’t have enough information to answer 4

ALL

D5. Which school has better academic proficiency?

Select one only

 [School X] is better 1

 [School X] and [School Y] are about the same 2

 [School Y] is better 3

 I don’t have enough information to answer 4

ALL

D6. Which school has the highest rate of students with no suspensions?

Select one only

 [School X] is lower 1

 [School X] and [School Y] are about the same 2

 [School Y] is lower 3

 I don’t have enough information to answer 4

ALL

D7. Which school has access to more laptops and tablets?

Select one only

 [School X] is better 1

 [School X] and [School Y] are about the same 2

 [School Y] is better 3

 I don’t have enough information to answer 4

ALL

D8. Select all of the schools from the list below that are within X miles of home that have at least Y laptops or tablets per 100 students.

Check all that apply

 School 1 1

 School 2... 2

 School 3 3

 School 4 4

ALL

D9. Select all of the schools from the list below that have an academic proficiency rate greater than X and that also have at least XX% of students who have never been suspended.

Check all that apply

 School 1 1

 School 2... 2

 School 3 3

 School 4 4

ALL

D10. Select all of the schools from the list below that are within X miles of home that have an academic proficiency rate greater than Y and at least Z percent of students that have never been suspended.

Check all that apply

 School 1 1

 School 2... 2

 School 3 3

 School 4 4

ALL

D11. Select all of the schools from the list that are within X miles of home and have an academic proficiency greater than Y, at least XX laptops or tablets per 100 students and at least ZZ students who have never been suspended.

Check all that apply

 School 1 1

 School 2... 2

 School 3 3

 School 4 4

E. FEEDBACK ON THE SCHOOL PROFILES

ALL

E1. These next questions ask about your overall experience using the school information profiles.

	Strongly Disagree				Strongly Agree
a. If I had to choose a school for my child, I would like to use a set of profiles like this one	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
b. The school profile information was too complex	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
c. The school profile information was easy to use	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
d. I think that I would need in person help to be able to use this set of profiles effectively	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
e. Most people would learn to use? these school profiles very quickly	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
f. I was unfamiliar with many of the terms used in the school profiles	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 

ALL

E2. On a scale from 1 to 5, how difficult or easy was it to find information in the school profiles about…

	Very Difficult				Very Easy
a. Distance	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
b. Academics	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
c. Safety	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 
d. Resources	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 

ALL

Now we would like to know a bit more information about what kinds of school you prefer for your child so we can understand more about the responses you provided.

Sometimes people think that if something is good, the more they can have the better. Other times, people think that it is possible to have “too much of a good thing,” or that “less is more.”

E3. All else being equal, I would prefer:

a.) A school with more resources than all other schools for students with special needs

b.) A school with more resources than most other schools for students with special needs

c.) A school with an average amount of resources for students with special needs

d.) A school with fewer resources than average for students with special needs

E4. All else being equal, I would prefer:

a.) A school with standardized test scores that are higher than all other schools

b.) A school with standardized test scores that are higher than most, but not all other schools

c.) A school with standardized test scores that are about average

d.) A school with standardized test scores that are that are lower than average

E.5. All else being equal, I would prefer:

a.) A school that is closer to my house than all other schools

b.) A school that is closer to my house than most, but not all other schools

c.) A school that is an average distance to my house relative to other possible schools

d.) A school that is farther away from my house than most other schools

E.6. All else being equal, I would prefer:

a.) A school that is more racially diverse than all other schools

b.) A school that is more racially diverse than most other schools

c.) A school that has an average level of racial diversity

d.) A school that is less racially diverse than most other schools and mostly has students that are the same race as my child

e.) A school that is less racially diverse than most other schools and mostly has students that are a different race than my child

E.7. All else being equal, I would prefer:

a.) A school that has the most resources and most up to date facilities

b.) A school that has above average resources and facilities.

c.) A school that has average resources and facilities

d.) A school that has fewer resources and older facilities than other schools

E.8. All else being equal, I would prefer:

a.) A school that has more issues with student safety than most other schools

b.) A school that has an average number of issues with student safety

c.) A school that has less issues with student safety than most other schools

d.) A school that has less issues with student safety than any other school

ALL

E9. Overall, how would you describe your experience using the school profiles?

Specify (STRING 500)

ALL

E10. Do you have any suggestions or comments to help improve the school profiles?

Specify (STRING 500)

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.