Technical Assistance
Need help improving the conditions for learning in your school, district, state, or institution? Get Help
Upcoming Events
Higher Education Webinar Series:
Safer Campuses and Communities: Tools for Implementing Evidence-based Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Problems
June 26, 2013, 4:00 pm−5:30 pm ET
June 27, 2013, 11:00 am−12:30 pm ET
What's New
A recent blog post for stopbullying.gov reports on recently published research show that victims of childhood bullying have a greater risk of developing mental health problems later in life. Learn More
Safe and Supportive Schools Grantee Corner |
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students awarded 11 state educational agencies with a Safe and Supportive School grant in FY2010. The grantees are dedicated to improving conditions for learning in our schools. To help them reach their goals, they can share knowledge and work together as a team via a special workspace the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments developed: www.sssgrantees.org.
On the workspace, grantees can:
- update the community calendar with project and other related events (Home page);
- work on files jointly (Documents tab);
- find seminal project documents (Documents tab); and
- share ideas and information (Wiki tab, Forum tab).
If grantees need help using the shared workspace or have ideas on how to improve it, please contact Greta Colombi at 202-403-5123 or gcolombi@air.org.
2009 Parents and Teens Attitude Tracking Study
Consists of two nationally projectable samples: a survey that measures attitudes and behaviors of parents with children ages 10 to 19 that relate to substance abuse and a teen sample for students in grades nine through 12.
News Clips
State Gets Grant to Track Data on School Disciplinary Issues
Last year, more than 57,000 incidents of aggressive conduct were reported in public schools in West Virginia -- about 1,000 fewer than the previous year. In addition, the number of out-of-school suspensions decreased by 30,000 from 2011 to 2012. Read Story
Number Of US College Graduates Rises
A front-page story in the New York Times reports that according to new data from the National Center for Education Statistics, there has been a spike in the number of US college graduates in recent years, with that number reaching an all-time high. Read Story
Dartmouth Threatens to Punish Sexual Assault Protestors
A group of Dartmouth students protesting sexual violence is alleging that the college is coming down harder on them than it has on the perpetrators of the crimes. Read Story
Oklahoma State University Sexual Assault Suspect Waives Right to Preliminary Hearing
A former Oklahoma State University student accused of sexually assaulting several male students waived his right to a preliminary hearing Monday. Nathan Cochran, 23, will next appear in court at a June 21 arraignment, where he's expected to enter a plea. Read Story
Biddy Martin, Amherst President, Weighs Fraternities in Tackling Sexual Assault
Six months after Amherst College was pulled into a national discussion about rape on college campuses, school officials are considering whether to eliminate the activities of officially unsanctioned fraternities. "My feeling is that ambiguity is the worst of all possible worlds," said Amherst President Carolyn "Biddy" Martin in a recent interview, referring to the vague status of Amherst fraternities. Read Story
Virginia Gov. McDonnell Ceremonially Signs Bills Aimed at Improving School, Campus Safety
Gov. Bob McDonnell has ceremonially signed legislation aimed at improving school and campus safety in Virginia. McDonnell signed the legislation Wednesday afternoon at Robious Elementary School in suburban Richmond. The governor was joined by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, legislators and education and public safety officials. Read Story
HBCUs Play Vital Higher Education Role but Struggle Financially
When President Barack Obama addressed graduates at Morehouse College on Sunday, his visit put the spotlight on the broader community of historically black colleges and universities – a proud corner of higher education that has struggled more than most during the last few years of economic distress. Read Story
More US Students Attending Career Academies
USA Today reported that “about 4,800 high schools nationwide reported having at least one career academy,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics. “Federal and state governments are pushing to keep those numbers on the rise: President Obama has proposed $1 billion in his administration’s fiscal-year 2013 budget to expand the number of career academies and increase opportunities for students to participate in college-preparatory and career and technical curricula in their schools. Read Story
Duncan Announces $1.3 Million SERV Grant For Newtown
Several state media outlets and national wires covered Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s announcement Friday that ED is awarding $1.3 million in Project School Emergency Response to Violence funding to the school district in Newtown, Connecticut, to aid in the recovery from last December’s deadly school shooting there. Read Story
Webinar: Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) on Campuses
Did you know over 2,000 local jurisdictions and dozens of college and university campuses across the country have used the CERT model to prepare for disasters? Join us at 3:00 p.m. EDT on May 8, 2013 for a discussion of Campus CERT and its role in emergency preparedness. Read Story
SMU Emphasizes Awareness and Support in Changing Sexual Assault Culture
Men Walk in Heels to Raise Awareness
back to top ^Virginia Tech Alumnus Supports Gun Violence Prevention
College Binge Drinking Raises Risk of Heart Disease
New York Man Accused of Cyber Stalking Michigan College Students
ED Recognizes UN-Reno Cultural Diversity Center
ED has recognized the University of Nevada, Reno's Center for Student Cultural Diversity as a best-practice program for Achievement Gap Closure: Promising and Practical Strategies, which highlights the country's best programs in getting self-identified, underrepresented college students to graduation. Full Story
States Using S3 Grants For Scorecards To Gauge School Climate
Education Week (3/27, Shah, 39K) reports, "In 11 states, a new score card for high schools has been designed to measure school climate in an attempt to put safety and discipline, student engagement, and students' connection to school on the same footing as their performance in mathematics and reading." These assessments, intended for public review, "are based on a combination of student, staff-member, and parent perceptions of school climate and hard data on discipline, attendance, graduation, and dropout rates. States are enacting the new measures with support from roughly $37 million in Safe and Supportive School-or S3-grants won three years ago from the US Department of Education."
DC Charter Board Announces Special Education Discrimination Policy
The Washington Examiner (3/27, Baye, 93K) reports that under a new policy announced by the Washington, DC, Public Charter School Board on Tuesday, the District's "charter schools' special education programs will be investigated if the schools appear to discriminate against students with disabilities," adding, "eleven criteria can trigger an audit under the DC Public Charter School Board's new policy, including whether schools expel or suspend students with disabilities more frequently than other students, whether students with disabilities leave schools midyear more frequently than other students, or whether students with disabilities make up at least 7 percent of enrollment. The charter board initiated the change following a large number of questions about charter schools and their abilities to serve students with disabilities, said Naomi Deveaux, the board's deputy executive director."
Universities Trying To Make Education Accessible To Veterans
USA Today (3/26, Wang, 1.71M) reported, "Colleges across the country are scrambling to support growing student veteran populations that don't fit in so neatly on campuses of backpack-toting, fresh-out-of-high-school teenagers." Universities are "trying to make education accessible for people who volunteered to serve this country." In Indiana, for example, "many universities have established one-stop resource centers, such as IU's Office of Veterans Support Services."
Study Finds Top Universities Not Preparing Graduates For Dealing With Cybersecurity
The Washington Times (3/27, Waterman, 76K) reports the nation's "most prestigious institutes of higher learning are failing to prepare a new generation of students for leadership in a wired world," according a study published by the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University. "Pell Center Fellow Francesca Spidalieri surveyed 70 top-ranked master's degree-level programs in business, law, public affairs, public policy, international relations, criminal justice, and healthcare management. 'Not one of the programs reviewed - not one - includes any aspect of cybersecurity among their core requirements,' the summary states."
School Climate Survey Compendium (as of December 20, 2011)
To assist educators and education agencies in locating a valid and reliable needs assessment that suits their needs, the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center is developing a compendium of student, staff, and family surveys that can be used as part of a school climate needs assessment. Below is an initial list of school climate survey batteries. (Alternatively, click here to download a summary table (PDF) of each survey by respondent type.)
Please note that the Office of Safe and Healthy Students does not endorse any particular scale or survey presented in this compendium. Additionally, the database presented is not an exhaustive listing of available measures or survey instruments. If you would like to nominate a survey that is not currently included in the compendium, click on the link below.
Nominate a Survey
Alaska School Climate and Connectedness Survey
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments are not publicly available. Please contact Kim Kendziora at kkendziora@air.org for more information about this survey. |
American Institutes for Research Conditions for Learning Survey
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Constructs |
Safe and Respectful Climate, High Expectations, Student Support, Social and Emotional Learning |
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Respondents |
Students |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
There is no charge for using this survey. Please contact David Osher at dosher@air.org for additional information. |
California Healthy Kids Survey
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Constructs |
School connectedness, School supports - caring relationships, School supports - high expectations, School supports - opportunities for meaningful participation, Community supports - caring relationships, Community supports - high expectations, Community supports - opportunities for meaningful participation, Tobacco, alcohol, or drug use at school, Physical/ verbal/emotional violence victimization, Physical/ verbal/emotional violence perpetration, Harassment victimization, Peer supports - caring relationships, Peer supports - high expectations, Home supports - caring relationships, Home supports - high expectations, Home supports - opportunities for meaningful participation, Problem solving Self-efficacy, Cooperation and communication, Empathy, Self-awareness |
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Respondents |
Students |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://chks.wested.org/administer/download, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: http://chks.wested.org/. |
California School Climate Survey
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Constructs |
Collegiality, Resource provisions and training, Professional development – instruction, Professional development – cultural competence, Professional development – meeting student needs, Positive student learning environment, Caring and respectful relationships, High expectations of students, Opportunities for meaningful participation, Cultural sensitivity, Clarity and equity of discipline policies, Perceived school safety, Learning facilitative behavior, Learning barrier – risk behavior, Learning barrier – interpersonal conflict and destructive behavior |
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Respondents |
Staff |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://cscs.wested.org/training_support, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: http://cscs.wested.org/. |
California School Parents Survey
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Constructs |
Facilitation of parent involvement, Positive student learning environment, Opportunities for meaningful participation, Cultural sensitivity, Clarity and equity of discipline policies, Perceived school safety, Learning barriers |
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Respondents |
Parents |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://csps.wested.org/, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: http://cscs.wested.org/. |
The Center for Research in Educational Policy School Climate Inventory
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Constructs |
Orderly School Environment; Instructional Leadership; Positive Learning Environment; Parent and Community Involvement; Well-Developed and Implemented Instruction; Expectations for Students; Collaboration among Administration, Faculty, and Students |
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Respondents |
Teachers, Administrators and Professional Staff |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
This survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact the Center for Research in Educational Policy at CREP@memphis.edu or 1-866-670-6147 for more information. |
The Center for Social and Emotional Education Comprehensive School Climate Inventory
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff, Parents/Guardians, Community Members |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments are not publicly available. Please contact Darlene Faster, COO and Director of Communications, at the National School Climate Center at dfaster@schoolclimate.org or (212) 707-8799 x22 for more information on these surveys. |
Communities That Care Youth Survey
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
The 2010 survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact Michael Arthur at marthur@u.washinton.edu for information about this survey. |
The Consortium on Chicago School Research Survey of Chicago Public Schools
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Student surveys are available at http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/17242009_my_voice__9th-11th_student_codebook_.pdf and http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/23532009_my_voice_senior_student_codebook.pdf. Staff survey is available at http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/2009/HS_Teacher_Survey09Cdbk_8-6.pdf. Please note that the student and staff surveys are currently being updated and are copyrighted. Please contact Nick Montgomery at nmontgomery@uchicago.edu for additional information on these surveys. |
Culture of Excellence & Ethics Assessment
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Faculty/Staff, Parents |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments can be used free of charge, subject to the conditions of the User Agreement, and can be found at: http://excellenceandethics.com/assess/ceea.php. Please contact Vlad Khmelkov at vkhmelkov@excellenceandethics.com for additional information. |
Effective School Battery
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Teachers |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Additional information and order forms for these survey instruments can be found at: http://www.education.umd.edu/EDCP/schoolassess/Tools/ESB/ESB.html. Please contact Eva Yui at climate-assess@umd.edu for additional information. |
Perceived School Experiences Scale
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Constructs |
Academic Motivation, Academic Press, School Connectedness |
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Respondents |
Students |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
There is no charge for using this survey. Please contact Dawn Anderson-Butcher at anderson-butcher.1@osu.edu for additional information. |
Pride Learning Environment Survey
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Constructs |
School climate; teacher and student respect; student discipline; school safety; teacher to student relationships; teacher collaboration; student engagement; student encouragement; frequency of substance use; effect of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; age of first substance use; perceived harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; parents’ feelings towards alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; place of substance use; time of substance use; violence; bullying |
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Respondents |
Students |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://dbdemo.pridesurveys.com, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: |
Pride Teaching Environment Survey
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Constructs |
Like Teaching, Like Administrators – My School, Like Administrators – Instructional Leadership, Effective Teaching, Teacher Evaluation, Principal Support, Teacher Respect, Participatory Decision-making, Staff Collegiality, Desired Involvement in Improving Teaching Practices, Current Involvement in School Policies and Practices, Desired Involvement in Teaching Practice Policies, Student Discipline, Student Conduct Rules/Policies, Teacher Stress, Classroom Support, Teacher Attitude, Interpersonal Relationships, Student Engagement, Teacher Pay, Facilities and Resources, Teacher Workload |
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Respondents |
Faculty |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
Please note that while a copy of the survey instrument is publicly available at http://dbdemo.pridesurveys.com, it is copyright protected. Information on obtaining the survey instrument can be found at: |
Search Institute Creating a Great Place to Learn Survey
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
These survey instruments are not publicly available. Please contact the Search Institute for additional information at http://www.search-institute.org/survey-services. |
Secondary Classroom Climate Assessment Instrument
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Constructs |
Discipline environment, Student interactions, Learning assessment, Attitude and culture |
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Respondents |
Students, Staff |
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Reports |
|
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Survey Instruments |
Survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact John Shindler, Director of the Alliance for the Study of School Climate at jshindl@calstatela.edu for additional information on the CCAI. |
Secondary School Climate Assessment Instrument
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Constructs |
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Respondents |
Students, Faculty, Parents |
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Reports |
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Survey Instruments |
This survey instrument is not publicly available. Please contact John Shindler, Director of the Alliance for the Study of School Climate at jshindl@calstatela.edu for additional information on the SCAI. |









