Making the Most of Parent Involvement Data
This toolkit is designed to assist states in their efforts to collect and report high-quality parent involvement data. It is organized into four main sections: Ready, Run, Reflect, and Reach. Each section focuses on two primary questions to guide you through the process of planning, conducting, and learning from your state’s parent involvement data collection and analysis activities. You also will find resources and tools to help you make the most of your state's parent involvement data, and supplementary information, including working with third-party contractors, involving stakeholders, and modifying or creating a new parent involvement survey.
01 Introduction
In this section, you will learn why it is important for states to collect and use high-quality parent involvement data to inform their ongoing efforts to improve services and results for children with disabilities and their families.
View Section02 Ready: How can my state improve the quality of its parent involvement data?
In the first "main" part of the toolkit, "Ready," you begin by exploring elements of data quality and considering how the choice of data collection methods can affect the quality of your state’s parent involvement data.
View Section03 Ready: How can my state ensure that the data we collect are representative?
As you continue to prepare for data collection and analysis, in this section, you will learn about a very important part of data quality—representativeness—and find suggestions for ensuring that the data your state collects are representative.
View Section04 Run: How can my state maximize participation in its parent involvement data collection activities?
In the second part of the toolkit, "Run," you will move toward carrying out your data collection plan and learn strategies to help maximize participation in your state’s parent involvement data collection activities, with a particular focus on obtaining good response rates.
View Section05 Run: What steps should my state take to improve data quality during data collection?
Continuing the exploration of how to conduct high-quality data collection, in this section, you will find suggestions for ways to improve the quality of the parent involvement data your state collects. You also will learn how you can work to improve response rates and check for representativeness while data collection is on-going.
View Section06 Reflect: How can we prepare our data for analysis?
The third part of the toolkit, "Reflect," begins by offering tips and strategies to help you prepare your parent involvement data for analysis, including ways you might address any issues with representativeness after your data collection is complete.
View Section07 Reflect: How can we conduct high-quality data analyses?
In this section, you will learn different methods to accurately calculate your state’s Indicator B8 result depending on the type of survey your state uses, and explore other methods you might use to analyze your parent involvement data.
View Section08 Reach: How can we make the most of our parent involvement data?
In the final "main" part of the toolkit, "Reach," you will be encouraged to think about how to get more out of your state's parent involvement data, go beyond just reporting on Indicator B8, and use the results to spur improvements and inform action at the state and local levels.
View Section09 Reach: What is the best way to communicate findings to key audiences?
This section urges you to think about how you can effectively communicate the results of your state’s parent involvement data collection activities, including developing a communication plan and tailoring your communications to audience needs.
View SectionNext Steps
The toolkit provides two additional sections. Deeper Dive, which provides additional details on three topics that are discussed on throughout the toolkit. A Resources section presents, information designed to supplement what is presented in the toolkit.