Insight Family Survey
What are the benefits of administering a family survey?
Families and caregivers are schools’ most important partners in supporting student success. TNTP’s Insight Family Survey helps schools authentically partner with families and communities to provide students with the opportunities they deserve.
The Challenge
Families want to help their children reach their full potential and become happy, fulfilled adults—and they understand their children’s strengths and needs better than anyone else. Consistently listening to and acting on families’ experiences and perspectives can strengthen an entire school community and help leaders identify ways they can improve student experiences. But it can be hard for schools to know where to begin or how to continue authentically partnering with families.
Our Approach
School leaders need specific, actionable feedback on the aspects of school culture that families consider important. Our Insight Family Survey does just that by asking questions about things schools can control—like whether parents receive updates on their child’s academic progress, or whether homework feels appropriately challenging.
What types of topics are included on the survey?
Families answer questions about key aspects of school culture:
- Rigor in the Classroom
- Academic Expectations
- Welcoming School Environment
- Trusting Relationships
- Family Communication
- Value of Feedback
Depending on our partners’ needs, we can also add questions about other important topics, such as:
- School Leadership
- School Operations
- Accountability and Choice
- Hopes and Dreams
Are surveys anonymous?
All surveys are anonymous and cannot be tied to individual families or students.
Do families complete the survey more than once if they have multiple children?
Families should only complete one survey per student. If they have children at more than one school, they should complete the survey for each school at which they have a child. If they have multiple children at one school, they should answer the questions with their eldest child in mind.
What school-based staff are involved in the family survey administration?
In a successful family survey administration, all school staff play a role in making families aware of the survey and encouraging families to complete the survey, from the principal, to teachers, to school office staff.
It is recommended that each school appoint a School Coordinator to oversee project management of the family survey administration and communicate with school-based staff to ensure everyone understands how they can support the survey process.
School Coordinators will oversee the project management of family surveys.
- Ensure smooth survey administration logistics.
- Serve as the point for teachers and families during the survey window.
- Invest teachers and other school-based staff in the value of family surveys and the survey administration process.
- Implement a school-based family engagement plan and monitor completion rates to increase levels of participation from families.
- Manage communications with families, teachers and other school staff, and students throughout the survey window.
Principals will support the School Coordinators in administering surveys.
- Invest teachers, families and students in family surveys by communicating the value of family surveys.
- Communicate that family survey data collection is a school priority and inspire teachers and other school-based staff to encourage families to participate in the survey.
- Support the School Coordinator with increasing survey response rates.
Teachers will encourage families to complete the family survey by following administration protocols.
- Invest families and students in encouraging families to complete family surveys.
How are family surveys distributed?
TNTP provides a family survey administration guide that includes an anonymous survey link, a QR code, and communication templates that schools, districts and networks can use to invite families to participate in the survey.
Here are some sample communication strategies:
| Template | School/District/Network Actions |
| Announcement Email to Teachers and School-based Staff |
Email to all school staff Include in any staff newsletters Use language as talking points to share at staff meeting |
| Family Survey Notification Letter |
Print and distribute to teachers to send home with students Email to families via family messaging platform |
| Family Survey Flyers | Print and post around school where families tend to congregate (e.g. entrance, school office) |
| Printed Family Survey Invitation Letter | Print and distribute to teachers to send home with students |
| Emailed Family Survey Invitation | Email to families via family messaging platform |
| Text Message Family Survey Invitation | Text to families via family messaging platform |
| Emailed Family Survey Reminders | Email to families via family messaging platform |
| Text Message Family Survey Reminders | Text to families via family messaging platform |
| Printed Family Survey Reminder Letter | Print and distribute to teachers to send home with students |
| Family Survey Thank You | Print and distribute to teachers to send home with students and/or email to families via family messaging platform |
What can families expect when taking the survey?
Online family surveys require each participant to access an internet-connected device to take the survey. The survey is accessible via any internet connection and will run on any modern web browser. Families may use desktops, laptops, netbooks, Chromebooks, tablets and/or mobile devices to access the survey.
Districts/Networks have the option of administering a paper version of the survey. Note: This does incur an additional cost and adds additional logistic steps into the survey process (e.g. how to distribute, collect and return surveys).
How can leaders use family survey results to impact change? (Includes report walk-through video and reflection guide)
Family survey results will be used for formative purposes to help your school understand areas of strength and opportunities for growth in family engagement. School leaders will receive reports with data aggregated at the school level – results are confidential and cannot be tied to individual teachers, families, or students.
Report Walk-Through
An eight minute overview of the school report features.
Reflection Guide
The report data provides valuable insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your school’s instructional culture from the families you serve. Use the Family Survey Reflection Guide to reflect on your school’s results and develop a strategy to help improve your school’s instructional culture. It includes the following Action Steps:
| Action Step 1: Get Oriented to your Data |
Explore the family survey data for a snapshot of how families are experiencing your school’s instructional culture. |
| Action Step 2: Prioritize a Focus Area |
Review the survey data in more detail to determine what to prioritize for improvement. |
| Action Step 3: Commit to Next Steps |
Adjust your practices and support structures for families. |
| Action Step 4: Sharing Results |
Engage teachers and families with survey results and next steps. |