Surveys

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What tools and data could help school leaders improve their students’ learning gains? What tools could help early childhood education leaders improve their programs and their students’ development? Since 1991, Consortium researchers have explored these questions, and many more. Here are the surveys we’ve developed for school improvement, and what we’ve learned about how school leaders can use them strategically:

Key Findings

5Essentials for School Improvement

Strong in 5Essentials, More Likely Improvement

EEE Surveys Provide Actionable Data

School Leaders Use 5Essentials For School Improvement

School leaders can use the 5Essentials surveys, developed by Consortium researchers, to identify key areas for school improvement.

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Schools Strong in 3 of 5Essentials 10x More Likely To Improve

Schools strong in at least three of five essential components are ten times more likely to improve than schools weak in at least three of them.

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Early Education Essentials Survey Provides Actionable Data - Part 1

The Early Education Essentials™ surveys, created in partnership with the Ounce of Prevention Fund, can provide ECE programs with actionable data to improve program quality.

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Early Education Essentials Survey Provides Actionable Data - Part 2

The Early Education Essentials™ surveys, created in partnership with the Ounce of Prevention Fund, can provide ECE programs with actionable data to improve program quality.

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Top Resources

December 2021
Report
5Essentials Survey in CPS
August 2020
Report
Supporting School Improvement

Early Findings from a Reexamination of the 5Essentials Survey
June 2015
Report
A First Look at the 5Essentials in Illinois Schools
January 2010
Book
Organizing Schools for Improvement

Lessons from Chicago

What's Next?

What's Next: 5Essentials

Due to its extensive validation and its basis in a unifying theory, the 5Essentials Survey has become one of the most widely used climate surveys across the country. However, the validation of the 5Essentials Survey framework was based largely on data from 1991-2005. With the expansion of interest in school climate surveys brought about by ESSA legislation and accumulated research findings, it is a critical time to investigate the degree to which the 5Essentials Survey and Framework continues to predict a school’s ability to improve student achievement.

With funding from the Gates Foundation we are currently working on validating the 5Essentials survey measures using longitudinal data from the Chicago Public Schools from 2011-19. The validation work will focus on both elementary and high schools, with student outcomes that include not only test scores, but attendance, grades, Freshman OnTrack status, graduation rates, and college enrollment for high schools as well.

What's Next: Early Education Essentials

Validation work for the Early Education Essentials concluded in 2018. Currently, the Early Education Essentials work is focused on preparations for administration, including final decisions about the content and design to be included on the survey tool. We anticipate that the Early Education Essentials survey will be available for administration to schools and districts via UChicago Impact by the 2019-20 school year. Check back here to stay updated.

What's Next: Cultivate

In 2022–23, Consortium researchers are leading quantitative and qualitative research projects to continue improving and monitoring survey quality, building out the toolkit available to make survey data actionable, and codify professional learning to support Cultivate in schools.

All Resources

Title	Type	Date Sort ascending
5Essentials Survey in CPS	Report	Dec 2021
Linking Social-Emotional Learning to Long-Term Success Student Survey Responses Show Effects in High School and Beyond	Article	Oct 2020
Supporting School Improvement Early Findings from a Reexamination of the 5Essentials Survey	Report	Aug 2020
The Challenges Facing CPS Administrators Roadblocks to School Improvement	Brief	Apr 2019
Early Education Essentials Validation of Surveys Measuring Early Education Organizational Conditions	Article	Dec 2018
Early Education Essentials Illustrations of Strong Organizational Practices in Programs Poised for Improvement	Report	Dec 2018
Organizing Early Education for Improvement Testing a New Survey Tool	Report	Mar 2018
Chicago's Charter High Schools Organizational Features, Enrollment, School Transfers, and Student Performance	Report	Nov 2017
Getting Ready for the Common Core State Standards Experiences of CPS Teachers and Administrators Preparing for the New Standards	Report	Mar 2017
Essential Organizational Supports for Early Education The Development of a New Survey Tool to Measure Organizational Conditions	Brief	Jul 2016

In the News

Chicago Tribune
November 2015
Illinois schools' strengths, weaknesses exposed in statewide survey
Read the Full Story
Education Week
April 2017
How a Chicago school is using data to improve school climate
Read the Full Story
Education Week
January 2010
Scholars identify 5 keys to urban school success
Read the Full Story

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