How engauge Can Help

Many factors determine the success of your survey effort—from which questions you ask and the language you use in your questions to how well you promote your survey in the community and what you do with the results.

Engauge has the survey expertise and the knowledge of Texas school districts to walk you through each step. We want your survey effort to produce valid results you can use and that truly reflect the perspective and priorities of your community.

TASB perspective

We bring to your project TASB’s knowledge of Texas schools, understanding of the issues you face, and awareness of what is happening in districts around the state. And by teaming with other TASB services such as OnSite and Leadership Team Services, we can help you figure out what to do with your results. We also can coordinate your community survey with a staff survey being conducted by TASB’s HR Services.

Expertise

Despite the data, numbers, and charts most people associate with surveys, surveying is as much an art as a science. The phrasing of a question can be the difference between useful responses and misleading results. And the collection of questions presented in a survey can affect how your effort is perceived by recipients. We can help define your objectives, determine if you’re asking the right questions, if you’re asking them in the most effective way, and if you’re asking the best questions based on your audience.

Objectivity

You want your community to know that the information you present is unbiased. As an independent partner, engauge presents results that your stakeholders can trust to be objective. In fact, that objectivity comes into play from the beginning of the process with the development of the survey’s content. A survey performed by a credible, outside partner removes doubts from the minds of your stakeholders about the impartiality of the findings, making it easier to get buy-in for the resulting recommendations. 

Types of surveys

Engauge works with districts on a variety of survey types. We can develop a survey for your entire community or for sub-groups such as your parents or students. We also can help you with surveys to gauge your community’s thoughts on a special topic, such as facilities or a bond issue.

E-mail vs. print

We can develop surveys to offer on line or by mail, and we can help you determine which vehicle will be most effective in your community. For mail surveys, we handle the design and printing and coordinate the distribution.

Languages

Texas districts have students and community members who speak a variety of languages, and you will want your survey to be accessible to all groups in your community. TASB can translate your survey into whichever languages your district’s demographics require.

Promotion

To make your survey results useful, you will want as many responses as possible. One step that is often neglected is awareness-building so that people know to expect your survey and realize its importance. If survey recipients are not aware of your efforts, responses will be low and your results will not be as valuable.

Another factor that affects response levels is timing. You will want to start early if your survey results will be used in time-sensitive decision making. Also, certain times during the school year promise greater response, while other times hurt the district’s odds of high participation.

When we help you with your survey planning, we will provide advice on promoting your survey and timing its distribution to maximize responses.

Cost-effective

As always, TASB is sensitive to the budget constraints of Texas school districts. We want you to be able to use surveys as a tool to get the information you need to be successful, so we work to make it as cost-effective as possible for you.

For more information on the survey process and how engauge can help, contact Nancy Cotton at 800.580.8272, extension 6235, or .