| In addition
to its extensive research in the public sector, the Impact Analysis and
Strategies Group conducts research for private religious schools, offering
surveys of learning and development, school climate, and perceptions of
self in relation to group. The research instruments are customizable to
be appropriate for studies of any religious or ethics-based private school.
Research Results Are Both Anonymous and Confidential
As with all of IASG's research instruments, the personal anonymity of
all respondents is assured, as results are considered only in the aggregate.
There is no place on the instrument in which to write one's name. Students
place their completed survey in the class envelope, which is opened
by IASG staff members off-site. Pertinent responses to open-ended questions
are retyped by IASG staff members before being submitted to program
administrators.
Representative Example of Surveys for Private
Religious Schools:
The Learning and Development
in Jewish Day Schools
(LD-JDS) Surveys
The tables that follow list the variables and their definitions for the
research instrument assemblage used in a survey of Jewish day schools.
The development of these surveys is described in “Philosophy and
Empirical Evidence: Achieving Vision through Research” (Michael
Ben-Avie and James P. Comer, Journal of Jewish Education, 71:67-94, 2005.) Click
here to read this article.
| Table
1. Variables and Definitions: Learning and Development
in Jewish Day Schools: Parent Survey* (LD-JDS: Parent) |
| Academic Focus |
The emphasis that
teachers (including teachers of Judaic academic subjects) place
on maintaining an atmosphere of respect and trust in which students
can learn and achieve. |
| Achievement Motivation |
The extent to which
students at the school believe that they can learn and are willing
to learn. |
| Caring and Sensitivity |
The extent to which
the principal shows consideration for the students, parents, and
school staff and cares about their needs. |
| Hebrew Language Instruction |
Parental support for the Hebrew
language instruction curriculum. |
| Jewish Mores |
The extent to which Judaism's
teachings on the obligations between people and the obligations
between people and G-d
are reflected in the behavior of the students.
|
| Parent Involvement |
Frequency of parent participation
in school activities. |
Parents as Partners
in Education
|
The extent to which parents and
teachers collaborate well in behalf of the students’ learning
and development. |
| Student Engagement |
The extent to which the students
are (1) involved in their own learning and (2) intellectually engaged
in the different subject areas. |
| Successful Intelligence |
The extent to which the students
think and act analytically, creatively, and practically. |
| Support for Student Success |
The extent to which the school
provides the support that is required for the students to succeed,
including support for students with special needs and gifted students. |
| Academics and Religion: Parents’ Expectations
about the School |
The parents' expectations about
the school (1) as a private school and (2) as a specifically Jewish
day school. |
| Quality of Life: Parents’ Expectations
about the School |
The parents’ expectations
toward the school along four constructs that measure Quality of
Life: connectedness, successful intelligence, social and emotional
competence, and meaning and purpose |
* The Parent Survey is
a 144-item scale. All responses are self-reports or observations
made by the respondent.
N.B.: This survey can be customized
for any religious or ethics-based setting. |
| Table
2. Variables and Definitions: Learning and Development in Jewish
Day Schools: Educator Survey* (LD-JDS: Educator) |
| Achievement Motivation |
The extent to which students at
the school believe that they can learn and are willing to learn. |
| Collaborative Decision
Making |
The extent and quality of the involvement
of parents, educators, and students in the decisions affecting
the school. |
| Derech Eretz |
The extent to which the students
demonstrate and are reinforced for demonstrating considerate, kind,
polite, respectful behavior. |
| Fairness |
Equal treatment of students regardless of family
background, socioeconomic status, and gender. |
| Integration of Departments |
The extent and quality of the formal and informal
collaboration of the educators. |
Immersion of the Students
in a Jewish Venue
|
The extent to which the educators immerse the
students in a Jewish venue, and the school's sense of itself as
a small Jewish community. |
| Jewish Mores |
The extent to which Judaism's teachings on
the obligations between people and the obligations between people
and G-d
are reflected in the behavior of the students.
|
| Leadership |
The principal's role in guiding the direction
of the school and in creating a positive climate. |
| Learning Community |
The extent to which the educators collaborate
as well as create a culture in which they learn together and from
one another. |
| Order and Discipline |
Appropriateness of student behavior in the
school setting. |
| Parent Involvement |
Frequency of parent participation in school
activities. |
| School Expectations |
The educators’ expectations toward the
school as a private school and as a specifically Jewish day school. |
| Educators’ Expectations about
the Students |
The expectations educators have that students
will do well academically and lead a successful life. |
| Work Satisfaction |
The educators’ satisfaction with various
aspects of their own job and of the school as a work environment. |
* The Educator Survey is
a 112-item scale. All responses are self-reports or observations
made by the respondent. The Educator Survey is administered to
all teachers, professional personnel, noninstructional staff members,
and administrators in the school.
N.B.: This survey can be customized
for any religious or ethics-based setting. |
|
| Table 3.
Variables and Definitions: Learning and Development in Jewish
Day Schools: Student Survey (LD-JDS: Student) |
| Learning
Subscale (Self-Report) |
| Demographic Items |
Exploration of the respondent’s
gender, age, mobility, engagement in Jewish activities, and use of
out-of-school time. |
| Academic and Professional
Competencies |
Consistent demonstration of attributes
(e.g., work ethic) that contribute to high academic achievement and
that employers consider desirable in new employees. |
| Academic Focus |
Focus of attention on academic work,
especially with respect to keeping schoolwork organized. |
| Academic Persistence |
Persistence in performing strategic
behaviors that increase the likelihood of academic success, regardless
of obstacles or distractions. |
| Student Engagement |
Engagement with schooling and motivation
for high academic achievement. |
| Language Skills |
Effective use of language in both
academic and interpersonal settings. |
| Problem Solving in Math |
Effectiveness when solving challenging
problems in mathematics. |
| Development
Subscale (Self-Report) |
| Coping |
Quick recovery of one’s healthiest
sense of self during and after challenging social and academic situations. |
| Belonging |
Feeling of connection and affiliation
with the student body at the school or others in the respondents’ general
age group. |
| Future Orientation |
Conception of students’ own development:
Attention to the future, setting of goals beyond the immediate time
frame, and engagement in behaviors designed to reach future goals. |
| Friendship |
Students’ perception that they are intimate
with particular persons and that they participate in close friendships
with other students. |
| Seeking Adult Guidance |
Seeking out adults for guidance and to develop
supportive relationships with them. |
| Safety |
Sense of safety at school. |
| Self-Group Relationship |
Relationship of the students to the Jewish people. |
* The Student
Survey is a 106-item scale. All responses are self-reports
or observations made by the respondent.
N.B.: This survey can be customized
for any religious or ethics-based setting. |
| Table
4. Variables and Definitions: Learning and Development
in Jewish Day Schools: Student Survey Customized for Grades
4 and 5 (LD-JDS: Student 4 & 5) |
| Achievement Motivation |
Extent to which students at the
school believe that they can learn and are willing to learn. |
| Fairness |
Equal treatment of students regardless
of family background, socioeconomic status, and gender. |
| Order and Discipline |
Appropriateness of students’ behavior
in the school setting. |
| Parent Involvement |
Frequency of parent participation
in school activities. |
| Sharing of Resources |
Equal student opportunity to participate
in school activities as well as the equitable sharing of materials
and equipment. |
Student Interpersonal Relations
|
The level of caring, respect, and
trust that exists among the students in the school. |
| Student-Teacher Relations |
The level of caring, respect, and
trust that exists between students and teachers in the school. |
| Self-Group Relationship |
Relationship of the students to
the Jewish people. |
| Overall School Climate
Portrait |
The sum total of the academic and
social dimensions of the school context. |
* The Student
Survey Customized for Grades 4 and 5 is a 76-item scale.
All responses are self-reports or observations made by the
respondent.
N.B.: This
survey can be customized for any religious or ethics-based
setting. |
| Table
5. Internal Consistency Reliability for LD-JDS |
| Learning and Development in
Jewish Day Schools: Parent Survey |
High (.94) |
| Learning and Development in
Jewish Day Schools: Educator Survey |
High (.91). |
| Learning, Development In Jewish
Day Schools: Student Survey |
High (.92) |
| Learning, Development in Jewish
Day Schools: Student Survey Customized for Grades 4 and 5 |
Moderate (.83) |
|
