Upper School Student Well-Being Survey

Eastside Preparatory School was founded on the idea that school should be a place where students are challenged and supported. We believe that every student should be known and celebrated for who they are, and that the school’s role is not to fit students into a predetermined box, but rather to provide an environment in which students can explore and learn together. This year, with the creation of the Office of Student Well-Being, we are redoubling our efforts to support students’ health and well-being. As part of that process we are conducting a survey that will give helpful information about students’ experiences and attitudes. The survey questions cover areas such as personal values, empathy and kindness, depression and anxiety, substance use, and relationships with family and friends. The goal of the survey is to better understand the student experience and, accordingly, to learn how best to continue promoting positive development and well-being among our students.

The survey is an extension of Dr. Suniya Luthar’s efforts to study and promote positive youth development. Dr. Luthar is currently the Executive Director of Authentic Connections (https://authenticconnectionsgroups.org) and a professor at Arizona State University and has previously been a senior professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College and also a research scientist at Yale University. Please find more about her research publications, honors and awards at SuniyaLuthar.org.

The questionnaires that Dr. Luthar has used in her research were developed from several standard measures that ask youth questions about their feelings and behaviors. Honest responses from students are essential in this endeavor. There are therefore important criteria in place to engender honest responses and protect our students’ anonymity and privacy. All of the information submitted will remain completely anonymous. Your child’s name will not appear anywhere on his or her responses, and questionnaires are all stored according to random ID numbers, specifically allotted for this survey. When analyzed, survey data will be presented to school administrators only in terms of trends (by grade, gender, etc.).

Upper School students will take the survey online during their advisory period on Monday, November 4. To ensure maximum usefulness of the data, we need the maximum participation of students in grades 9-12. However, your child does not have to participate. If you do not want your child to participate, please contact Director of Student Well-Being, Paul Hagen as soon as possible. Also, please know that if your child begins a survey but decides during the survey that s/he wishes to withdraw from the project, s/he may do so at any time. Thank you very much for your support in this endeavor, and for all you do to keep the Eastside Prep community strong and healthy.