Menlo Park City School District and SurveyMonkey Launch Harvard Graduate School of Education Parent Survey

MENLO PARK, Calif., Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD), in conjunction with SurveyMonkey, the world's largest survey company, became the first in the Bay Area to launch the innovative Harvard Graduate School of Education Parent Survey. The survey, distributed today to the parents of the district's more than 2,700 K-8 students, attempts to identify potential communication gaps between parents and educators, and evaluates crucial areas of improvement to assess what factors matter most in determining student success.  This partnership represents a pioneering effort for the MPCSD, employing technology and innovation to help students reach their greatest potential.

"We strive to work as a community to inspire high academic achievement among all students, serve their needs, challenge their minds, and enrich their lives," said Menlo Park City School District Superintendent Maurice Ghysels, Ed.D. "Parents are obviously a critical part of this community, which supports and values staying current on the latest thinking, trying new ways to reach students, and taking the initiative to develop and share best practices. The survey aligns with this effort, and will inform our five year strategic plan, helping lay a strong foundation for success for all students."

The survey, a template for which is available to all schools through SurveyMonkey, will enable the MPCSD to rapidly analyze all aspects of the parent-school relationship for its four K-8 schools - Laurel, Encinal, Oak Knoll, and Hillview Middle School – and determine which of seven key areas need the most improvement to benefit students' success:

1. Parental support – How much help are students getting at home?
2. Child behaviors – What habits have students developed that shape their success?
3. Parent engagement – How engaged are parents in their child's schooling, and what potential barriers exist?
4. Parent self-efficacy – How confident are parents in supporting their child's schooling?
5. School climate – How do parents view their school regarding academic and social standards?
6. School program fit – How well do a school's academic program, social climate, and organizational structure match a student's needs?
7. Parent roles and responsibilities – How do parents view their roles as well as teachers' roles in different aspects of their child's schooling?

To create the survey, MPCSD worked with SurveyMonkey to customize the Harvard Graduate School of Education template, developed by SurveyMonkey and Harvard researchers who extensively reviewed relevant literature for each assessment area, conducted interviews and focus groups, and had each item in the survey scale reviewed by a panel of experts.

"Education is a vital part of our success as a nation, and we wanted to provide a scalable technology solution to help schools and parents make better decisions about their children's schooling," said Dave Goldberg, SurveyMonkey CEO. "By measuring multiple factors, educators and parents alike can work together to make their children's educational environment the best possible."

For other interested schools, the survey can be customized and deployed in a turn-key fashion, directly from the SurveyMonkey Question Bank, with the ability to tailor questions to directly address those topics most important and applicable to their students. More information can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/harvard-education-surveys.

About SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is the world's largest survey company, helping customers collect over 2 million online survey responses every day. SurveyMonkey has revolutionized the way people give and take feedback, making it accessible, easy and affordable for everyone. The company was founded in 1999 with a focus on helping people make better decisions, and has built technology based on over 10 years of experience in survey methodology and web development. Customers include 99% of the Fortune 500, academic institutions, small businesses, HR departments and neighborhood soccer leagues everywhere.
The company has over 150 employees throughout the United States and Portugal, with headquarters in Palo Alto, CA.

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SOURCE SurveyMonkey