Parent/Caretaker Surveys

Designed to gather perspectives from parents and caretakers to provide schools and the broader community with a rich understanding of their students.

SURVEY OVERVIEW

The Parent/Caretaker Survey

The Challenge Success Parent/Caretaker Survey is a 20-minute online survey for parents and caretakers of middle and high school students that helps schools understand parents’/caretakers’ perceptions of their students’ experience. Along with our Student Survey and Staff Survey, it provides data and insights that lead to actionable changes designed to improve student well-being and engagement with learning.

Topics covered in survey

Student stress & worry
Student sleep
Homework load & habits
College process
Parent/caretaker expectations
Family time

What’s included

SURVEY: Support administering one online survey
DASHBOARD: Interactive, online dashboard of results with executive summary
DEBRIEF CALL: Video call with members of our Research or Program teams to debrief results and recommend next steps
RESEARCH TEAM OFFICE HOURS: Access to a member of the Research team on Thursdays at 12pm PT for follow-up questions.

Many schools have accessed state, local, and community funding to support this work. Learn more about potential sources of funding here. Challenge Success offers limited financial assistance based on need.

Interested in bringing a Parent/Caretaker Survey to your school?
We’d love to hear from you! Tell us more about your school, the challenges you’re facing, and the goals you’re trying to achieve using the form below.

WHAT SCHOOLS ARE SAYING

“The survey made me aware that I don’t really know what my son’s feelings and expectations are about college, and now I want to find out.”
PARENT

“The data we collected really helped us understand better the stresses our students faced and what levers we could pull to help students get beyond ‘doing school’ and become more curious and engaged in their learning.”
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR

SAMPLE SURVEY QUESTIONS

Below you’ll find a selection of sample questions from several sections of our Parent/Caretaker Survey.

Homework

On a typical weekday, approximately how much school-assigned homework does your child do after school?
How would you rate the amount of homework your child has on a nightly basis?
Which of the following norms/rules about homework does your family have? (Please select all that apply.)

Sleep

How many hours of sleep does your child usually get each school night?
If your child has a smartphone, how often does your child typically use the phone as an alarm clock on school days to wake up?

Family Rules and Norms

Which of the following norms/rules about homework does your family have?
From Monday through Friday, how often does your family eat a meal together?
Do you or your partner/spouse enforce maintaining a high GPA/getting high grades?
How often do you spend time together as a family when all family members who currently live in the home are together?

Want to see more sample questions? Get in touch with our team to discuss survey solutions for your school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Reach out to our team directly for more information: research@challengesuccess.org

About the Survey

What does the Challenge Success Parent/Caretaker Survey measure?

The survey measures parents’ perceptions of their children’s experiences in areas such as academic stress, homework, sleep, technology use, and family rules and norms.

How was the Parent/Caretaker Survey developed?

The Challenge Success Parent Survey was developed in 2018 by Stanford researchers. It was carefully designed to align with the Challenge Success Student Survey that has been used by schools since 2007. Questions for parents primarily focus on issues about which they can be reliable observers and over which they have the control to change.

Why should our school administer the Parent/Caretaker Survey?

Survey findings can help schools make data-driven policy and practice decisions that improve student well-being and engagement with learning. For instance, some schools have used survey results to revise homework policies, change bell schedules, provide student and parent workshops on sleep and physical health, and revise their honor codes. Schools know that parents have concerns, need their voices heard, and want to be a part of the solution for their students. Parent Survey results can be especially powerful when combined with data collected from the Student Survey and can help drive parent education and outreach efforts.

Administering the Survey

How do we administer the Parent/Caretaker Survey?

Challenge Success will provide you with an online survey link that you can send to parents. We recommend pushing the link out to your parent community in multiple ways for the greatest response rate, including in a stand-alone email, your school newsletter, and posting it on your website. Parents can take the survey on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

When is the best time of year to administer the survey?

We recommend administering the survey during a time that is typical for students and families at your school. Parents should not be asked to take the survey right before or after student exams, breaks, summer vacation, or during the first or last few weeks of school. If you are also administering the Challenge Success Student Survey, we recommend doing both surveys at a similar time in the school year.

How long should we keep the survey open?

We recommend that schools keep the survey open for a 1-3 week time period. The Challenge Success research team can tell you how many parents have taken the survey at any given point and work with you to decide how long to keep the survey open.

What is a good participation rate for the survey?

We aim for a response rate of at least 50% and, ideally, a 70% or higher response rate so that the results adequately represent your parent community.

How long is the survey?

The Parent Survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and has about 65 questions.

Do parents/caretakers have to complete the survey in one sitting?

Yes, just as with the Challenge Success Student Survey, parents have to take the survey in one sitting. The survey will not allow participants to resume where they left off at a later date.

Can parents/caretakers complete the survey for multiple children?

We ask parents to focus on one child when they take the survey. If they wish, however, parents are encouraged to take the survey multiple times for each child they have enrolled at your school.

Can parents/caretakers of both middle and high school students take the survey?

Yes, the survey is applicable to parents/caretakers of students in grades 6-12.

Survey Results

Are survey results confidential?

Survey results are kept strictly confidential. Participants are not asked to provide any identifying information other than their children’s grade level and age, and can opt out of answering any questions.

When and how will we receive our survey results?

It takes our team approximately 2-4 weeks to process your survey data and prepare an online dashboard of the results. Explore this example of the dashboard. Once complete, we will set up an hour-long video call with representatives from your school to debrief the results. During this call, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions about the data, consider ways to build upon your school’s strengths, and discuss areas of need or concern.

Can I have a copy of the dashboard emailed to me?

Additional reports with survey data may be provided for a fee.