Staff Surveys

Designed to gather perspectives from faculty & staff to provide schools and the broader community with a rich understanding of their students and staff.

SURVEY OVERVIEW

The Faculty & Staff Survey

The Challenge Success Faculty and Staff Survey is a 20-30-minute online survey for school staff that measures perceptions of their own well-being, stress, support structures, feelings of belonging, and their perceptions of the student experience and comfort with the implementation of practices that support student well-being and engagement. Along with our Student Survey and Parent Survey, it provides data and insights that lead to actionable changes designed to improve well-being, belonging, and engagement for students and staff.

Topics covered in survey

School climate
Faculty/staff engagement and belonging
Faculty/staff stress and workload
Student stress and workload
Curriculum and assessment

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 School 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 strives to offer need-based financial assistance in an effort to support schools and organizations with limited resources. We believe that cost should not be a deterrent to accessing quality programs. To apply, please complete this form. All requests will be reviewed by our Executive Director.

Interested in bringing a Faculty & Staff 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 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

“This data is so helpful and so powerful. We can now take some concrete action to improve things. This work is really going to make a tangible difference for our students and staff.”
HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR

SAMPLE SURVEY QUESTIONS

Below you’ll find a selection of sample questions from several sections of our Faculty & Staff Survey.

Staff Well-Being
Select all that apply

I feel worn out because of my work as a teacher.
I feel overwhelmed because my work load seems endless.
I find it difficult to separate my personal life from my life as a teacher.

Teacher Practices
Select all that apply:

I have students make sense of and solve unfamiliar problems.
I have students analyze others’ ideas and arguments.
I have students design or create problems or topics for other students to investigate.

Perceptions of Student Well-Being

To what extent are you confident in the ability of your students at your school to cope with stress?
How often do students fall asleep in your class?
What percentage of your students complete their homework assignments during a typical school week?

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 Faculty and Staff Survey measure?

The Challenge Success Faculty and Staff Survey is a 15-minute online survey for school staff that measures perceptions of their own well-being, stress, support, belonging, and the student experience as well as their implementation of practices that support student well-being and engagement with learning.

How was the Faculty and Staff Survey developed?

This survey was developed in 2020 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 faculty and staff 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 Faculty and Staff Survey?

Survey findings can help schools make data-driven policy and practice decisions that improve faculty and staff well-being and promote practices associated with student well-being and engagement with learning. Schools know that teachers experience a wide range of stressors and that staff well-being goes hand-in-hand with their ability to support students and families. Faculty & Staff Survey results can be especially powerful when combined with data collected from the Student Survey and helps drive staff and faculty wellness, morale, and instructional improvement efforts.

Administering the Survey

How do we administer the Faculty and Staff Survey?

Challenge Success will provide you with an online survey link that you can share with school staff. Staff 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 staff at your school. If you are also administering another Challenge Success 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 week time period. The Challenge Success research team can tell you how many staff 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 participation from nearly all consenting school staff you identify for participation.

How long is the survey?

The Faculty and Staff Survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The length is shorter for staff in non-instructional roles.

Do faculty and staff members have to complete the survey in one sitting?

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

Can teachers complete the survey for multiple classes?

Yes, most of the survey is applicable to all classes. In some cases, teachers are directed to focus on the one course that represents the biggest segment of their teaching assignment.

Is the survey only for teachers?

No, all adults you identify as supporting student well-being and engagement with learning may participate. Responses can be filtered by the participant’s primary role. Who you invite to participate is your decision.

Can staff members in any division take the survey?

While the survey is appropriate for adults across divisions and grade levels, questions about homework, assessment, and instructional practices are most relevant to middle and high school teachers.

Survey Results

Are survey results confidential?

Survey results are kept strictly confidential. Participants do not report their names and can opt out of answering any questions.

When and how will we receive our survey results?

It takes our research team approximately two weeks to process your survey data and prepare one online dashboard of the results. Explore this example of the dashboard. Once complete, we will set up one 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. Multiple dashboards and debriefs for specific divisions may be provided for a fee.

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

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