Donahue Institute High School Alumni Survey provides key performance feedback to school leaders
The UMass Donahue Institute's Research and Evaluation Unit offers schools across the country an exciting opportunity to obtain critical school performance feedback from the best source available - their high school graduates. Through the Donahue Institute High School Alumni Survey (DI-HSAS), students who have graduated up to 10 years ago participate in a 15-minute telephone survey aimed at capturing their thoughts and insights on how well their high school prepared them for life after graduation.
These data are analyzed and reported back, enabling educators and community members to easily determine what their high school is doing successfully, along with those areas in which it could benefit from improvements to the curriculum, programs, and other school services.
The DI-HSAS comprehensive report details the insights of high school graduates organized around various evaluation, accountability, and school improvement measures including:
- how well the high school is preparing students for entry and success in further education and careers;
- career and educational trajectories of alumni;
- most important and useful skills learned in high school;
- how well schools provide their students the guidance/awareness to make satisfying and appropriate post-secondary decisions; and,
- recommendations for enhancing the quality of education at the high school.
Superintendents and others have praised DI-HSAS for the immediate benefits realized in the areas of:
- school improvement initiatives and policies;
- accountability and accreditation processes;
- short and long-term planning purposes;
- public relations; and,
- grant proposals.
October 08, 2003
