About the New York City School Survey
In 2007, the New York City Department of Education began to administer an annual School Survey to all public school parents and teachers, as well as students in grades 6-12. The School Survey—the largest such effort in the nation—provides a rich source of information on schools’ overall learning environment, which cannot be adequately captured with test scores and other markers of student progress. The detailed insight into parents, students, and teachers’ perspectives can be used by district and school leaders to identify strengths as well as areas in need of improvement.
About Our Collaboration
Since 2010, the Research Alliance has partnered with the DOE to ensure that the New York City School Survey captures reliable and valid information, and to attempt to enhance the survey’s usefulness to administration and school leaders. Our early work resulted in several concrete improvements to the survey, and provided a variety of lessons for other cities engaged in similar efforts (see our 2013 policy brief, “Developing Measures of Effective Learning Environments from the NYC School Surveys”). It also served as the foundation for our ongoing collaboration with the DOE on the development of the School Capacity Framework.
This project was made possible through general operating support to the Research Alliance.
Related Publications
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools
We're Not All Average: Reconceptualizing School Climate
What are we missing when we focus on the “average” student experience? How do students’ perceptions of school climate vary? And could a clearer picture of this variation inform efforts to develop more inclusive and equitable learning environments, within schools and across the system? (2021)
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools
Redesigning the Annual NYC School Survey
This collection and policy brief highlight key lessons from the highly collaborative NYC School Survey redesign process between the Research Alliance and the New York City Department of Education. This work also demonstrates how a robust research-practice partnership can inform school district decisions and create useful measurement tools for the field. (2018)
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools
Strengthening Assessments of School Climate
Strengthening Assessments of School Climate outlines a set of broader lessons that have emerged from our work, which can provide guidance to the growing number of cities and states around the country that are implementing school survey efforts. (2013)
