What We Think Report
What We Think is the third school climate survey conducted by the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education. It follows last year’s
Where We Teach, which surveyed 4,700 teachers and administrators to solicit their perspectives on the urban learning experience. The first report in the CUBE school climate series,
Where We Learn, shared how students felt about their school environment through a survey of 32,000 urban students, the largest study conducted on urban school climate in public education.
With questions that mirror those of the student and teacher/administrator surveys, the third phase of this project solicited similar perspectives from parents and families about school climate. The report shares parent and family perceptions of seven major themes: parental involvement; expectations for success; safety; trust, respect, and ethos of caring; bullying; community welfare; and the importance of race.
Brian Perkins, CUBE’s Steering Committee past chair and school board president in New Haven, Connecticut, served as the principal investigator for all three studies, with the assistance of CUBE’s Urban Student Achievement Task Force. Dr. Perkins is Professor of Education Law and Policy in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Southern Connecticut State University and adjunct professor at Columbia University, Teachers College.
Resources
- What We Think (Full Report)
[PDF 2,823,090kb]
The third second school climate survey, this report shares parental perceptions about seven major themes as they realte to the urban school climate.
- Communications Guidelines for What We Think: Parent Survery [PDF 347,937kb]
Prepared to help school board members, superintendents, and school district communications directors talk with school staff, students, communities, and media about the survey report.