In February, the annual ICCSD School Culture and Climate Survey is administered. This document provides answers to frequently asked questions related to the survey administration, content, and results.

Links to the survey will be sent to all students on February 6 via their student e-mail accounts. The “From” line will read “Iowa City Schools,” and the subject line will read “ICCSD Student Climate Survey” Two reminders with survey links will be sent to unfinished respondents during the survey period (through February 28).

The administration and content of this survey was largely guided by the Board of Education’s equity statement (see excerpt below), and fortified by recommendations to assess school climate by education authorities that include the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National School Climate Council, the National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The Iowa City Community School District believes that all students can achieve at high levels and that equitable classrooms are essential to their success. Eliminating disparities in educational opportunities is fundamental to the nature of public education. The District is committed to overcoming barriers to learning that have been identified through educational research. The District is particularly focused on student experiences and outcomes related to socioeconomic learner status (identified as low-SES students in the district's student data management system), special education learner status, English language learner status, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or disability.

The collection of student experiences provides insight about the characteristics of the school climate from the student perspective. School climate includes the relationships between students, teachers, and staff; perceptions of safety and the disciplinary environment; norms, values, and expectations; and the instructional practices and material. Students thrive when they have positive school experiences and attend schools with inclusive and supportive school climates.

The results of this survey have been and will continue to be used to inform district-level policies and priorities, building level Comprehensive School Improvement Plans (CSIPs), Board of Education meetings, various ICCSD committees, and individual educator practices aimed at reducing inequities in student experiences and outcomes. The results are used to inform goal setting and the identification of areas of strength and opportunity for growth. And, results are used to assess progress towards meeting equity goals.

All information collected will be confidential. Information from the survey will be linked to individual student records in order to assess whether student’s classroom and building experiences correlate with student outcomes. Individual identifiers (such as student ID) will be removed from the data for analysis and in any reporting (internal and external). The overall survey results will then be analyzed by our team in collaboration with the University of Iowa to evaluate and develop programs to better address student needs. 

How students experience school varies, and school climate surveys across the nation and in this District show consistent gaps (or disparities) between groups of students. We use the survey as a needs assessment to understand how each student experiences their school environment, and to detect any systemic trends that impact any groups of students more significantly. The only way to know whether students in protected classes are feeling safe is to ask for demographic information that corresponds to protected class identification.

Each year, we discuss the feedback received and incorporate changes to the survey and administration accordingly. The inclusion of questions about race, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigrant status, and religious identity were based on feedback from ICCSD stakeholders and best practice recommendations in school climate research.

Research shows that children are able to identify their preferences in gender identity and romantic attraction as early as age three and eight, respectively. While self-identification of gender identity and attraction are stable over time, disclosure of LGBTQ status is often delayed for years, even into adulthood. Students who receive support and acceptance in their self-identifications have less prevalence of mental health issues including depression and anxiety, compared to their LGBTQ counterparts who are unsupported and redirected to conform to gender identity and orientation norms.

Some of the survey content (such as questions about bullying, harassment, and discrimination) may cause discomfort among students. We acknowledge that students have different levels of familiarity with these topics, and we hope that educators and parents can use the opportunity to discuss these issues if/when students ask questions about them. We hope that unfamiliarity and uneasiness with topics covered in the survey can be thoroughly processed and explored as learning moments. 

For assistance and resources to guide these types of discussions with students, see contact information for Eric Howard and Laura Gray below

Eric Howard
Director of Equity and Employee Relations
howard.eric@iowacityschools.org
(319) 688-1000

Laura Gray 
Director of Diversity and Cultural Responsiveness
gray.laura@iowacityschools.org
(319) 688-1000 

More robust student participation provides a more accurate representation of each school’s climate. While the survey takes 30-40 minutes, the classroom time lost will provide a wealth of data that will impact District strategy in coming years. 

Skepticism about student survey results is common. Some examples of potential threats to survey validity include: varying interpretations of survey content, inaccurate perceptions, selecting the most socially acceptable answers, and random or careless answer selection. 

In order to mitigate these threats, most survey items used in this study were taken from or modeled after nationally implemented and validated school climate survey instruments. Before taking the survey, students are instructed to skip questions they did not understand or did not wish to answer. Additionally, because each concept captured in the survey is represented by several items, key findings are not informed by responses to one question. Reporting general trends reduces the impact of careless or random survey responses and varying interpretations of survey items. The threat of selecting socially acceptable answers, also known as social desirability bias, is reduced when survey responses are not linked to identifying information. Before taking the survey, students are informed that their responses are confidential and not linked to them in any way. 

Regarding the “accuracy,” of student perceptions, the purpose of the survey is to collect subjective experiences. Personal experiences cannot be validated or discounted by third parties or accounts of people in positions of authority. The way a student personally experiences interactions and events in school impacts daily life and long-term outcomes, regardless of conflicting interpretations of a student’s experience. While potential threats to the validity of these results were addressed, confirming whether participants were honest in their reports about their experiences in school is impossible.

The full survey administered to District students underwent a readability analysis to ensure that the survey content did not exceed a 5th grade reading level. Simple definitions were provided in a hover-over function for words which did not meet 5th grade reading level standards. In addition, all survey questions and response categories had an audio file embedded, so students had the option to listen to items read aloud.