Surveys
Students Taking Charge provides you with four different evaluation tools that you can use to investigate your school:
- Long Student Survey: The longer student survey can help you find out what people at your school really think about food choices and physical activity options. It asks questions about where students get lunch, where they buy snacks, and whether they are taking a PE class or getting physical activity outside of the school day. It also asks for their feedback on ways to make the school a healthier place like adding cooking classes, increasing PE electives, or having a vegetarian option at lunch.
- Short Student Survey: The shorter student survey is perfect for getting feedback from a lot of students quickly--at a table in the cafeteria, a basketball game, or online! The data you collect can show support for policy changes in the school like eliminating unhealthy fundraisers. It also lets students weigh in about whether a healthy environment is a priority in your high school!
- Parent Survey: Like the short student survey, this questionnaire can help you convince school leaders to make a change by showing support for your programs and policies. Parents can be amazing allies when you are trying to change things at school. As taxpayers, voters, and residents in the school district, their opinion matters a lot to the people that you're trying to influence like principals, superintendents, and school board members. This survey also allows you to see if there's a "knowledge gap" between students and their parents about what's really happening in the school.
- School/District Evaluation: This tool will help you understand your whole school--both its strengths and its areas where it needs to improve when it comes to health and physical activity issues. Although this is a basic survey, it links back to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's School Health Index. By using the School Health Index, you can compare your school to others in the city, state, or across the country. To complete the School Health Index, you will also get the chance to connect with your school's wellness team or with key players at your school like the PE teacher, school nurse, or PTA president
Check out the surveys then discuss with your Students Taking Charge group which survey works best for your school!
Stay Updated
STC on: 
Steal These Ideas
Brainstorming as a school
Sometimes a group of 6 or 8 students can have hard time deciding how to make their school a healthier place. While surveys, interviews, and focus groups can all help, one school in Kansas decided to bring their whole student body together for two Students Taking Charge forums.
Seeing is believing
Are you getting a lot of resistance from your principal or school nutrition director? Does it seem like you're just not speaking their language? Or do they not understand what your changes will really look like? Find out how Northampton High School took their school leaders to visit another high school that has already put their ideas into action!