New poll to gauge student success

Gallup, which calls itself a "thought leader in education", is selling its poll to schools. Photo / Thinkstock

Gallup selling its survey to schools

New Zealand students' "hope, engagement and wellbeing" is being measured by a company known for running staff engagement surveys for corporate clients.

Gallup, which calls itself a "thought leader in education", is selling its poll to schools.

Questions are asked about "three core elements" that the company believes drive student success - hope, engagement and wellbeing.

Students rate on a scale of one to five how strongly they agree or disagree with questions that include, "I have a best friend at school (engagement)", and "I energetically pursue my goals (hope)".

There are also optional questions on faith and entrepreneurship, including, "I want to build a worldwide business" and "I will invent or discover something that will change the world".

Schools are given feedback on the poll including how their performance has changed and - if the sample size is big enough - how they compare to similar schools.

Representatives of Gallup's Australasian division have met the Ministry of Education and asked it to consider helping pay for schools that may not be able to afford to take part.

The poll has been running for a number of years in the United States and was recently introduced in Australia.

A ministry report to Education Minister Hekia Parata notes that Gallup wants to sign up 100 schools in New Zealand. Students in Year 5 to 12 complete the poll through a secure website.

Katrina Casey, the ministry's head of sector enablement and support, said financial support had been ruled out.

However, there was interest in the poll and similar measures because it added to the ministry's understanding of what schools are doing to promote wellbeing.

The ministry provided a range of support to schools to help promote student wellbeing, and had worked with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research to develop an online tool that helps measure student engagement.

Gallup's website lists prices for the poll in New Zealand and Australia at $5 a student for schools with up to 79 pupils, and then a set fee based on school size.

For example, schools with between 301-400 students pay $1150, and schools with a roll more than 1500 are charged $4500. Figures are exclusive of GST.

Gallup consultant Peggy Jasperson said only five New Zealand schools had participated so far but the company hoped to increase that number significantly.

She said the names of the New Zealand schools taking part were confidential. Both public and private schools in Australia had signed on.

Ms Jasperson said she was a teacher for 10 years before joining Gallup and could understand why some might initially be wary of the polling.

"Schools have so much that they are doing, and so much going on that the last thing a teacher wants to be told is, 'here's one more thing that you have to add to the list'.

"It's not meant to be drastically changing everything that you are doing, it's small little tweaks over time to what it is that you are currently doing."