Exploratory Factor Analysis of Parent Survey Data

ExploratoryFactorAnalysisofParentSurveyData

TechnicalReport

CaseyRyanDataAnalyst

KnoxCountySchoolsDepartmentofResearch,Evaluation,andAssessment

May2020

ExploratoryFactorAnalysisofParentSurveyData 2

IntroductionThisprojectwasanattempttouseExploratoryFactorAnalysis(EFA)toidentifytheunderlyingstructureoftheannualKnoxCountySchools(KCS)ParentSurvey.ThisanalysisusedtheresponsedatafromtheSpring2019ParentSurveyadministration.Thegoalofthisanalysisistoidentifyiftherearelatentfactorsaffectingtheresponsesfromparentsthatcanexplainmostofthevariancewithintheresponsedata,andifso,determinethenumber,nature,andrelativestrengthofeachfactor.

Intermsofsurveydata,EFAwasusedtoseewhethertherearecertaingroupsofsurveyitemswherethevarianceinresponsepatternstendstomoveintandem.Forexample,ifforacertainsurvey,therewereseveralitemstowhichrespondentswoulddifferbasedonsomeunderlyingconstruct,suchas“attitudetowardsauthority”or“senseofcommunity”,thenitmightbesaidthattheunderlyingconstructaffectingthepatternsofresponsesinrelativelyconsistentwaysisafactor.Byusingthisanalysis,theinterpretationofabroadbatteryofsurveyitemscanbecondensedintoasmallernumberoffactorsinsteadofmanyindividualquestions.

ThehopeofEFAistodiscoveramodelthatnotonlyaccountsforalargeamountofvarianceamongthemeasuredvariables(i.e.,individualsurveyitems)usingthefewestpossiblelatentvariables(i.e.factors),butalsothatthegroupsofitemsloadingontoeachfactormakelogicalsenseuponinterpretation.TherewillalwaysbesomelevelofsubjectivityinvolvedintheEFAprocess,asone’sinterpretationoftheoutputdependsmoreontheresearcher’sjudgmentandinterpretationthanmoretraditionalstatisticalanalysis.

Inthisprocess,itwasfoundthatsomevariationinoutputarisespurelyfromdifferencesinthemethodologiesusedtomodelthedata,includingdifferentfactorextractionmethods,rotationstrategies,andthenumberofexpectedfactors.Givenhowmuchthefactorloadingscouldchangewiththesamedatasetgiventheseparameters,insteadoftryingtofindwhichindividualmodelwasbest,combinationsofeachparameterwererunforatotalof18models.Ideally,itwouldbefoundthatitemsconsistentlyloadedontothesamefactorregardlessofthemodeldifferences.

AfteratheoreticalstructurewasestablishedusingEFA,evidencewasfoundofapre‐existingintendedstructureforthesurveybasedonthepageheadingsanditemproximityonthesurvey.Thispaperwillconcludewithareviewofhowwelltheitemsloadingontoeachextractedfactorlineupwiththeexpectedgroupingsoftheitemsfromtheoriginalsurveydesign.Thiswascarriedoutafterthefactorextractionandinterpretationprocesswascompletetoavoidinfluencingtheinterpretationwithpre‐existingassumptions.Whileconfirmatoryfactoranalysis(CFA)wasnotapartofthisproject,CFAmaybeusefulinthefuturetotestwhetherthatstructureholdswhentestedusingnewdatasets.


MethodologyThisanalysisusessurveyresponsedatacollectedfromparentsandguardiansinAprilandMay of 2019 through an online instrument (SurveyMonkey). Invitations to complete thesurveyweresentviaemailtoallcontactsfromtheKCSstudentinformationsystem(Aspen)listedatprioritylevel1.Participationwasvoluntary.Parentswereaskedtoselectthegradebandandschoolnamefortheirstudent(s)beforeprovidingtheirresponses.Ifparentshadstudentsatmorethanoneschool,theyhadtheopportunitytorepeatthesurveyforanotherschooluponcompletion.Invitationsweresentto54,689emailaddresses.Ofthese,3,824respondedtothesurvey.Takingintoaccountcaseswhereaparentrespondedformorethanoneschool,therewereatotalof4,188responses.

Inpreparingthedataset,itwasdecidedtoexcluderesponsesinwhichmorethanfivepercentofitemswereleftblank.Afterremovingthesecases,3,064responsesremained.Ifanyoftheseresponsescontainingmissingdata,multipleimputationbychainedequations(MICE)wasusedtofillinthosevalues.MICEusesimputationtosubstituteestimatedvalueswheredataismissing.Whereassingleimputationdoesnotestablisharangeofpossibleresponsestoaccountforuncertainty,MICEimputesmultipletimestotakeuncertaintyintoaccountbeforesubstitutingthefinalvaluesusingtheRpackage“mice.”

Next,outlierswereexcludedfromthedataset.Aresponsewasconsideredanoutlierifitcontainedvalueswithamahalanobisdistancegreaterthanthecutoffvalue.Themahalanobisdistanceisanestimateofthedifferencebetweenanindividualpointandthedistributiontakingintoaccountthestandarddeviationofthedistribution.Thecutoffvaluewassetasthemahalanobisdistanceforcasesgreaterthan2.58standarddeviationsfromthemeanofthedistribution.Inthiscase,itwasamahalanobisdistanceof85.35.

Oncethedatasethadbeencleaned,aseriesoftestswereruntoensurethattherewasanadequatesampleforcarryingoutthefactoranalysis.TheKaiser‐Meyer‐Olkintest(KLM)looksatthesharedvarianceinthedatatotesthowadequatethesampleisforfactoranalysis.NosurveyitemhadaKMOvaluelowerthan0.97,whichmeansallitemsmetthe“Marvelous”(0.9‐1.0)criterionforcommonvariance.TheKMOvalueforthemodelasawholewas0.99.

Finally,acorrelationmatrixwascalculatedtoseethecorrelationsbetweeneachpairofindividualvariables.Iftwoormorevariablesareperfectlycorrelated,itcanimpedetheabilitytoruntheexploratoryfactoranalysis.Acorrelationcloseto1(0.977)wasfoundbetweenitemsQ24andQ25.Uponinspectionoftheitems,thecontentwasverysimilar:Q24:Howwellisthisschooldoingatrecognizingequityissues?

Q25:Howwellisthisschooldoingataddressingequityissues?


Giventhesimilaritybetweenthetwoitems,itemQ24wasremovedtohelptheoverallfactoranalysisrunproperly.

Parallelanalysiswasusedtoestimatethenumberoffactorsinthedata.ThefollowingpackagesinRversion3.4.3wereusedtocompletethefactoranalysis:psych,GPArotation,lavaan,andsemPlot.Dependingonthefactormethodused,parallelanalysissuggestedthatthereare6to8uniquefactorsinthedata.Whenprincipalaxisfactoring(“pa”)andtheminimalresidualmethod(“minres”)weredesignatedasthefactormethod,parallelanalysissuggestedthat8factorswerepresentinthedata.Whenmaximumlikelihood(“ml”)andgeneralizedleastsquares(“gls”)wereused,parallelanalysissuggestedthatonly6factorswerepresent.Itwasdecidedtotestmodelscontaining6,7,and8factorsduringtheexploratoryfactoranalysis.

Proceedingwiththefactoranalysisitself,multipleiterationswererunwithvaryingparametersset.Forfactorrotation,modelsusingbothorthogonal(varimax)andoblique(obliminandpromax)rotationwererun.Forfactormethod,thefourmethodspreviouslymentioned(principalaxis,minimalresidual,maximumlikelihood,andgeneralizedleastsquares)wereapplied.Forthenumberofexpectedfactors,modelswererunwith6,7,and8factorsforeachcombinationofthepreviouslymentionedparameters.Inall,therewere36modelsintheinitialrun.

Uponinspectionoftheloadings,itsoonbecameclearthatorthogonal(varimax)rotationwasnotoptimalforthedataset.Orthogonalrotationdoesnotattempttoaccountforsharedvariancebetweendifferentfactors.Becauseofthis,significantcross‐loadingontomultiplefactorswasseenwhenevervarimaxrotationwasapplied.Almostallitemsonthesurveyhadaloadingofatleast0.3onthefirsttwofactorsinadditiontoanyloadingsonadditionalfactors.Asaresult,theinterpretabilityofthesemodelsislimited.Thereiscurrentlynotheoreticalbasisforarguingagainstsharedvariancebetweenthedifferentfactorsinourmodel.Lookingatthesurveycontentandinstrument,itmakessensethatresponsesacrossthewholesurveywouldsharepatternsinadditiontothesharedpatternsofvariancewithineachidentifiedfactor.Consequently,theanalysisproceededwithonlyobliquerotation(obliminandpromax).

Results:FactorStructureandDescriptionsInitially,afactorloadingof0.3orhigherwasusedasthecutofftoindicatewhetheranitemloadedontoaparticularfactor.Withthisasthecutoff,therewerefrequentlyitemsthatloadedontotwofactorswithinthesamemodel,especiallywhenpromaxrotationwasapplied[AppendixB].Oncethecutoffwasraisedtoafactorloadingof0.4orhigher,thisissuewasmostlyresolved[AppendixC].

Indecidinghowtobestreportthesefindings,thedecisionwasmadetoreporttheresultswithbothcutoffsset.Theitemslistedundereachfactorinthefollowingtableswere


includediftheyloadedontothatfactorwithaloadingofatleast0.3inatleast50percentofthemodels(i.e.,atleast9of18).

Animportantnoteaboutthenamingoftheitems:thefirst33itemsarelabeledQ1throughQ33andarepresentedintheformofaquestion,whilethefinal15itemsarelabeledA1throughA15andarepresentedintheformofastatement[AppendixA].Allitemsbeginningwith“Q”havethefollowingpromptatthetopofthepage:“Howwellisthisschooldoingat...?”.Therespondentisaskedtoratevariousactionsbytheschoolonascalethatgoesfrom“Notverywell”to“Excelling”.

Thefinal15items(A1throughA15)askrespondentstoindicatetheirlevelofagreementwithastatement.Thepromptleadingintoeachstatementis“Ingeneral,Ifeelthat...”andrespondentshavetorespondonascalefrom“Stronglydisagree”to“Stronglyagree.”

Uponinspection,thefollowingfactorswerehypothesizedtoexistwithintheanalyzeddata:

A. Community/ParentEngagementB. InclusivityC. SchoolCulture/EnvironmentD. AcademicProgressE. StudentBehaviorF. CommunicationG. OrganizationalStructure

Thefactorswerenamedbasedoncommonthemesamongtheitemsthatloadedontothemthatseemeduniquewhenlookingacrossthewholearrayofitems.Whilethesesevenidentifiedfactorswerenotnecessarilypresentineverymodel,particularlythoseonlyassumingthepresenceofsixfactors,theitemsassociatedwitheachfactorshowedenoughofaconsistentlyuniquepatterntobeworthmentioning.Thecommonthemesidentifiedamongtheitemstendingtoloadontoeachfactorareasfollows:

A. Community/Parent Engagement

A. Community/ Family Engagement Loading of at least 0.3

Loading of at least 0.4

Item Content # % # %

Q29 Linking families to community resources? 18 100 18 100

Q30 Organizing support from community partners? 18 100 18 100

Q31 Being an active partner to the community? 18 100 18 100

Q32 Expanding learning experiences for students into the community?

18 100 18 100

Q33 Partnering with community groups to strengthen families and support student success?

18 100 18 100

Q27 Connecting families to local school officials? 17 94.4 16 88.9


Q26 Developing parent leadership? 17 94.4 14 77.8

Q28 Developing an effective parent involvement organization that represents all families?

17 94.4 14 77.8

Q21 Sharing information about resources available to families? 17 94.4 13 72.2

A1 This school is increasing the focus on parent engagement. 15 83.3 9 50

Q17 Sharing the school's progress? 13 72.2 8 44.4

Q19 Understanding how the school and district operate? 13 72.2 8 44.4

Q8 Surveying families to identify issues and concerns? 12 66.7 8 44.4

Q12 Facilitating connections among families? 12 66.7 8 44.4

Q23 Ensuring that families have a voice in all decisions that affect children?

11 61.1 11 61.1

Q25 Addressing equity issues? 11 61.1 8 44.4

Q20 Understanding parent rights and responsibilities under federal and state law?

10 55.6 7 38.9

A2 The Central Office is a place that supports all stakeholders. 10 55.6 0 0

FactorAtendedtobethestrongestamongallmodels,oftenwiththehighestnumberofitemsloadingandthestrongestindividualloadingsamongitems.Ineverymodelamongthe18tested,thisfactorexplainedthelargestamountofoverallvariancewithinthesurvey.Withinthisfactor,theitemsthattypicallyloadedmoststronglywerethosecontainingtheword“community”(Q29throughQ33).Coincidentally,thesewerealsotheitemsonthesixthpageofsurveyitems(outofeight),whichwasthelastpageforpromptsbeginningwith“Howwellisthisschooldoingat…?”beforetheitemstructureandresponsescalechangedforitemsA1‐A15.Itispossiblethatboththecontentoftheseitemsandthemannerinwhichtheywerepresentedwerecausesfortheseitemstoloadconsistentlytogether.

Whenlookingforcommonthemesamongtheseitems,onethingthatstoodoutwastheconsistentuseofverbsimplyingtangibleactionstakenbytheschool(e.g.linking,organizing,partnering,sharing,addressing).Thereseemstobeacommonthemeaskinghowwelltheschooldoesintermsoftakingactionablesteps.Anotherthingthatstandsoutisthattheseitemsmostlyemphasizetheexperienceoffamiliesandcommunitypartnersandnotnecessarilytheirday‐to‐dayexperiencewithintheschool.Someitems(e.g.Q20,Q21,Q27,Q29,Q31)askrespondentstoaddresshowwelltheschooldoesatmakinginformationandresourcesavailabletofamiliesandthecommunity.Otheritems(e.g.Q23,Q26,Q30,Q33)askaboutfamilyandcommunityinvolvementintermsofthebenefitstheycanprovidetotheschoolandhowwelltheschoolleveragestheseassets.

Thebreadthoftopicsamongtheitemsthatloadedontothisfactoralsoraisesthequestionofwhetherthisfactormightreflecttheoverallpositiveornegativeattitudeoftherespondentwhencompletingthesurvey.Inthiscase,thecontentofparticularitemsmightbelessimportantthanageneralpositiveornegativetrendinresponses.Forexample,itemsQ19(“Understandinghowtheschoolanddistrictoperate?”)andA2(“TheCentral


Officeisaplacethatsupportsallstakeholders.”)donotseemexplicitlyalignedwiththethemesofconnectionsbetweentheschool,family,andcommunitythatarepresentintheotherfactors.Respondentsmaybeprojectingtheirexperienceswiththeschoolontocentralofficeorviceversa.Additionally,thereareitemsfromseveraldifferentpagesofthesurveythatloadedontoFactorA,fromQ8onthesecondpagetoA2onthesecondtolastpage.Lookingatthefulltableoffactorloadingsacrossmodels[AppendixD],thereareitemsasearlyasQ1andaslateasA7thatloadedontothisfactoratleastsomeofthetime.

B. Inclusivity

B. Inclusivity Loading of at least 0.3



Q2 Creating a family‐friendly atmosphere? 18 100 18 100

Q4 Respecting and valuing diversity for all families? 18 100 18 100

Q5 Removing obstacles to participation? 18 100 18 100

Q6 Ensuring accessible programming for all families? 18 100 18 100

Q1 Developing personal relationships? 18 100 16 88.9

Q3 Providing opportunities for volunteering? 17 94.4 17 94.4

Q13 Being sensitive to the challenges or barriers faced by some families?

14 77.8 10 55.6

TheitemsloadingconsistentlyontoFactorBtendedtoaddressthemesofopportunitiesforallstudents,appreciationofdiversity,andacknowledgementofthevariousobstaclestoparticipationinschoolactivitiesthatsomefamiliesface.TherearesimilaritiestotheitemsthatloadedstronglyontoFactorA,buttheseitemsloadedtogetherontoaseparatefactorfromthoseitemsinmostofthemodelsrun.Someoftheseitems(Q5,Q6,Q13)askexplicitlyaboutbarrierstoengagementwiththeschoolthatsomefamiliesfaceandabouthowwelltheschooldoestoaddressthesebarriers.

Thehighconsistencywithwhichtheseitemsloadedstronglytogetheracrossallmodelsisevidentwhenlookingatthefulltableoffactorloadings[AppendixD].Inparticular,Q1throughQ6loadedstronglyontoFactorBinalmosteverymodelrun.Q13standsoutbecauseitcomesfromadifferentpageofthesurveythanthesesixitems,whichallappeartogetheronthefirstpage.ThecontentofQ13addressessensitivitytodiverseneedsandaccessibilityattheschool,whichalignswellwiththecontentoftheothersixitems.Thisprovidessomeevidenceofanunderlyingfactorstructurewhereresponsestotheseitemsallreflectthesamelatentattitudeorbeliefduetotheircontent.

Thefactthatthisitemdoesn’tloadascleanlyontoFactorBasthesixitemsfromthefirstpagecouldalsobeevidencethatthesurveystructureitselfaffectedthewayitemsloadedtogether,asseeninFactorAwithallitemsfromthesixthpageofthesurvey(Q29throughQ33)loadingat0.4orhigherinall18models.Itcouldbeenlighteningtodeployfuture


iterationsofthesurveyintwoormoreversionstoseehowwelltheseassociationsholdupwhentheitemsarenotpresentedtogetherorinthesameorder.

C. School Culture/Environment

C. Culture/ Environment Loading of at

least 0.3

Loading of at

least 0.4


A4 This school is a safe and secure place. 18 100 18 100

A5

Administrators and teachers support and encourage students at this school to do their best.

18 100 18 100

A6

Administrators and teachers have high expectations for students at this school.

18 100 18 100

A7

Parents/guardians at this school regularly attend school sponsored events, conferences, games, and performances.

18 100 18 100

A8 Teachers at this school are well organized and prepared to teach. 18 100 18 100

A9

Administrators and teachers at this school do their jobs with enthusiasm.

18 100 18 100

A12 Student behavior is usually positive at this school. 18 100 18 100

A14 This school's building(s) and grounds are well maintained at this school. 18 100 18 100

A15

This school does a good job at helping to prepare students to be college and career ready.

18 100 18 100

A3 Positive relationships with parents are important at this school. 18 100 16 88.9

A13 School rules are enforced fairly among all students at this school. 18 100 12 66.7

TherearetwothingsthatimmediatelystandoutwhenlookingattheitemsthatconsistentlyloadedtogetherontoFactorC.Oneisthattheseitemsalmostalwaysloadedtogether,withlittletonocross‐loadingontootherfactors.Amongtheseitems,theonlyonesthatalsoloadedontoanotherfactorat0.3orhigherwereA3(FactorE,16.7%ofmodels),A7(FactorA,22.2%ofmodels),A12(FactorD,55.6%ofmodels),andA13(FactorD,61.1%ofmodels).

Thesecondthingthatstandsoutisthatthewayinwhichtheseitemswerepresentedtorespondentswerefundamentallydifferentfromthoseitemsassociatedwiththeprecedingfactors.TheitemsloadingontoFactorCcomefromthefinaltwopagesofthesurvey,whichhaveadifferentitemstructureandresponsescale.Thefirstsixpagesofitemsstartwiththeprompt“Howwellisthisschooldoingat...?”,whilethefinaltwostartwiththeprompt“Ingeneral,Ifeelthat...”.Furthermore,whileQ1throughQ33areona4‐pointscale[Notverywell–Fairlywell–Verywell–Excelling],A1throughA15areona5‐pointscale[Stronglydisagree–Disagree–Neutral–Agree–Stronglyagree].


However,notallthevarianceamongthefinal15itemscanbeexplainedbythewayinwhichtheitemwaspresented.Fouritemsfromthissection(A1,A2,A10,A11)didnothavealoadingof0.3orhigheronthisfactorinanyofthemodelsrun.ItemsA1andA2loadmorestronglyontoFactorA,withsomecross‐loadingontoFactorE.Aswillbediscussedbelow,itemsA10andA11consistentlyloadedtogethertoformFactorD,StudentBehavior.ItemsA12andA13wouldalsofrequentlycross‐loadontothisfactor,althoughtheystillloadedmoreconsistentlyontoFactorC.

Intermsofcontent,theseitemsseemtofocusmoreontheday‐to‐dayoperationoftheschool,theattitudesofadministratorsandteachers,andwhethertheschoolhasapositiveculture.ItemsA5,A6,A8,andA9askrespondentshowprepared,enthusiastic,andstudent‐focusedtheyperceiveteachersandadministratorstobe.WhilemostoftheitemsfromFactorCseemtoaskabouttheenvironmentoftheschoolinasocialoremotionalsense,itemsA4andA14askexplicitlyaboutthephysicalsecurityandmaintenanceoftheschoolgrounds.

D. Student Behavior

D. Student Behavior Loading of at least 0.3



A10 This school addresses bullying in a timely manner. 18 100 18 100

A11 This school communicates with families about bullying in a timely manner. 18 100 18 100

A13 School rules are enforced fairly among all students at this school. 11 61.1 2 11.1

A12 Student behavior is usually positive at this school. 10 55.6 0 0

FactorDwasinterestinginthatwhilerelativelyfewitemstendedtoloadontoit,theonesthatdidhadaclearcommonthemerelatedtoschoolrulesandstudentbehavior.Twooftheitems,A10andA11,loadedverystronglyontothisfactorinallthemodels.Inaddition,theydidnothavealoadingof0.3orhigheronanyotherfactorinanyofthemodelsrun.Thecontentofthesetwoitemsexplicitlyaskrespondentsaboutbullyingattheschool.Theothertwoitemsthatmadethecutoffofa0.3loadinginatleast50%ofthemodels(A12andA13)alsoaddressthetopicofschoolrulesandstudentbehavior.However,bothitemsloadedmorestronglyandfrequentlyonFactorC,SchoolCulture/Environment.

AswiththeitemsassociatedwithFactorC,allfouroftheseitemscomefromthefinaltwopagesofthesurveyandhaveadifferentstructurefromthefirstsixpages.Ofthe33itemsonthesepages,onlyQ22(“Resolvingproblemsandconflicts?”)loadedontothisfactorat0.3orhigherinanyofthemodels(11.1%ofmodels).


E. Communication

E. Communication Loading of at least 0.3



Q9 Having access to the principal(s)? 12 66.7 0 0

Q11 Providing information on current issues? 11 61.1 0 0

Q10 Having access to teachers? 9 50 9 50

Q14 Making it easy for parents to communicate with teachers about student progress? 9 50 9 50

TheitemsloadingontoFactorEaddressedthemesofcommunicationandaccesstoteachersandprincipals.Itemsaddressingcommunicationwouldoftencross‐loadontootherfactorsandhavelowoverallinternalconsistency(i.e.manycross‐loadeditemswithlowloadings)..WhilefactorsA,B,C,andDallhadatleastsomeitemswithaloadingof0.4inall18models,noneoftheitemsassociatedwiththisfactordidso.ItemsQ9andQ11loadedontothisfactormorefrequently,butneverwithaloadingof0.4orgreater.ItemsQ10andQ14onlyloadedontothisfactorhalfofthetime.

Itdoesseemthereissomelatentattitudearoundcommunication,howeverweak,thatcausesrespondentstoanswertheseitemsdifferentlythanothers.ThefouritemsassociatedwithFactorEalladdresstheflowofinformationtoandfromteachersandprincipals.Whiletheydidn’tmeetthecutoffofa0.3loadinginatleasthalfofmodels,itemsQ7,Q8,Q12,Q15,Q16,andQ17didloadontothisfactorat0.3orhigheratleastsomeofthetime[AppendixB,AppendixD].Threeofthesespecificallyaddresscommunicationfromtheschool:

Q7:Usingmultiplecommunicationpaths? Q8:Surveyingfamiliestoidentifyissuesandconcerns? Q17:Sharingtheschool’sprogress?

WhileFactorEisrelativelyweakerintermsofconsistencythantheprecedingfactors,thereissomeevidenceoflatentattitudesaroundcommunicationthatcanbemeasured.Aswillbediscussedinthenextsection,theitemscurrentlyintendedtomeasurethisfactormaybetoovaguelydefinedoraffectedbycross‐loadingswithotherfactors(particularlyFactorsAandF)togiveasclearofapictureasmaybedesired.


F. Academic Progress

F. Academic Progress Loading of at least 0.3



Q16 Using standardized test results to increase achievement? 16 88.9 7 38.9

Q15 Linking student work to academic standards? 12 66.7 12 66.7

Q10 Having access to teachers? 9 50 9 50

Q14 Making it easy for parents to communicate with teachers about student progress? 9 50 9 50

Q17 Sharing the school's progress? 9 50 0 0

AswiththeprecedingsectiononFactorE,thestructureofFactorFislessconsistentthanthefirstfourdiscussed.Mostoftheitemsthatloadedontothisfactorwouldalsoloadontoanotherfactoratleastsomeofthetime.SomeitemswouldoccasionallyloadmorestronglyontoFactorEandsometimesmorestronglyontothisfactor.Specifically,itemsQ10andQ14hadloadingsof0.4orhigherinhalfofthemodelsforbothfactors.

OneargumentworthconsideringisthattheitemsidentifiedasbelongingtoFactorsEandFareallreflectingthesamelatentfactorandthedistinctionisnotnecessary.However,theseitemswouldnotalwaysloadtogetherontothesamefactor,andtheitemsthatdidcross‐loadwouldusuallyloadpredominatelyontoonefactorovertheother(withtheexceptionofQ10andQ14).

Lookingatthecontentoftheseitems,theoverlapwiththeprecedingfactorregardingcommunicationisapparent.However,thereisadistinctioninthatmostoftheseitemsmoreexplicitlyaddressacademicprogressandcommunicationaroundstudentperformance.Ifitisimportanttocapturetheseattitudesseparatelyfromattitudesaboutnon‐academiccommunication,thestructureandcontentoftheseitemsmayneedtoberevised.

G. Organizational Structure

G. Organizational Structure Loading of at least

0.3

Loading of at least

0.4


Q20 Understanding parent rights and responsibilities under federal and state law? 14 77.8 13 72.2

Q19 Understanding how the school and district operate? 14 77.8 4 22.2


FactorGhadthefewestitemsthatloadedconsistentlytogether,withonlyitemsQ19andQ20makingthecutoffforinclusionintheseresults.Additionally,bothitemsalsoloadedontoFactorA,Community/ParentEngagement,althoughwithlessfrequency.Thisfactormaybeunnecessaryfortheanalysisandmayseemirrelevantgiventhescopeofthesurvey.Still,thefactthattheseitemswouldoftenbehavedifferentlyfrommostotheritemsandformauniquefactorseemsworthmentioning.

Furthermore,thecontentofthesetwoitemsmaynotreflectthesameaspectsofschoolperformanceastheotherfactors.Whilemostitemsfocusonperceivedattitudesandbehaviorattheschool,especiallywheninteractingwithfamilies,Q19andQ20seemtoaskabouthowwellstaffattheschoolunderstandthestructureinwhichtheschoolandfamiliesoperateintermsofprocedures,laws,andnorms.Whiledistinctinfocus,theseitemsseemtoaskaboutschoolstaffcompetencylikeitemA8fromFactorC(“Teachersatthisschoolarewellorganizedandpreparedtoteach.”).

Results:PoorlyFittingItemsTherewerethreeitemsthatdidnotmeetthecutoffofloading0.3orgreaterontoafactorinatleasthalf(9of18)ofthemodelsrun:

A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity

C. Culture/ Environment

D. Student Behavior

E. Communi‐cation


G. Organizational

Structure

Percent of Models with a Loading of At Least:

Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q7 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38.9 0 5.6 0 0 0

Q18 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q22 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 0 0 0 0 0 16.7 0

Thecontentoftheseitemsisbelow:

Item Content

Q7 Using multiple communication paths?

Q18 Responding to the social, emotional, and personal needs of students?

Q22 Resolving problems and conflicts?

Q7loadedmostconsistentlyontoFactorE,whichmakessensegiventheitemisexplicitlyaboutcommunication.Still,itdidnotloadconsistentlyenoughtomakethecutoff.Perhapstheitemisnotspecificenoughforrespondentstounderstandwhat“multiplecommunicationpaths”meansinthesameway.Italsodoesnotexplicitlysaywithwhomtheschooliscommunicating,i.e.whetheritisinternalorexternal.


ForQ18,itispossiblethatthetriple‐barrelednatureofthequestion(askingaboutsocial,emotional,andpersonalneeds)causedsomeconfusionandinconsistentinterpretationsamongrespondents,withsomeparentspotentiallyfocusinginondifferentaspectsofthequestion.Furthermore,parentsmaynotallhavethesamebeliefsaboutwhattheseneedsmaybe.

Q22mayalsobedouble‐barreled,althoughthetwotopics(problemsandconflicts)arenotverydifferentfromoneanother.Thisitemisalsorelativelyvagueandopentointerpretationaboutthetypesandseverityofproblemsandconflicts.Somemayinterpretitasaskingaboutconflictsbetween,students,whereasothersmaybethinkingofaspecificproblemorconflictthattheyhadwithschoolstaff.BothQ18andQ22loadedmoststronglyontoFactorA,whichalignswiththetheorythatitcapturestheoverallattitudeoftherespondentwithlessregardforthespecificcontentoftheitems.

Results:FactorFittoExpectedStructureAftertheexploratoryfactoranalysishadbeencarriedout,itwassoughttovalidatethefactorstructurebylookingfurtherattheparentsurvey.

ThemajorityofitemsontheparentsurveyweretakenfromthePTANationalStandardsforFamily‐SchoolPartnerships.ThesestandardsarereferencedinstatelawandlocalKnoxCountySchoolsboardpolicy.UndertheEveryStudentSucceedsAct(ESSA),schooldistrictsmustincorporateaparentandfamilyengagementpolicyintothedistrict’splan.KCSschoolboardpolicyreferstothePTANationalStandardsastheTNDepartmentofEducationParentInvolvementStandardsresultingfroma2009TNSenatebill.ThesixstandardsincludedinKCSboardpolicyareasfollows[AppendixE]:

•StandardOne:WelcomingAllFamiliesintotheSchoolCommunity.•StandardTwo:Communicating.•StandardThree:SupportingStudentSuccess.•StandardFour:SpeakingUpforEveryChild.•StandardFive:SharingPower.•StandardSix:CollaboratingwithCommunity.

TheitemsthemselveswereinterpretedfromarubricprovidedbythePTANationalStandards.Whenparentsandguardianstookthesurvey,theitemsbelongingtoeachstandardweregroupedtogether,withthenameofeachstandardlistedaboveasatitle.Inotherwords,respondentscouldonlyseetheitemsfromonestandardatatime.Theoretically,itwouldmakesensefortheitemsbelongingtoeachstandardtoloadmorestronglywithoneanotherthanwithitemsfromanotherpage.However,thesefindingsshowthatthisisnotalwaysthecase.Whiletheitemsfromonestandardwouldsometimesallloadcleanlyontoonefactor,therearecaseswheresomerelationshipseemstoexistbetweenitemsbelongingtodifferentstandards.Insomecases,theitemswithinaparticularstandardloadacrosstwoormoreidentifiedfactors.


Inthefollowingsection,theconsistencyoffactorloadingsamongtheitemsbelongingtoeachstandardwillbediscussed:

•StandardOne:WelcomingAllFamiliesintotheSchoolCommunity.Familiesareactiveparticipantsinthelifeoftheschool,andfeelwelcomed,valued,andconnectedtoeachother,toschoolstaff,andtowhatstudentsarelearninganddoinginclass.

How well is this school doing at…

Page Title Item Content

Welcoming families into the school community

Q1 Developing personal relationships?

Q2 Creating a family‐friendly atmosphere?

Q3 Providing opportunities for volunteering?

Q4 Respecting and valuing diversity for all families?

Q5 Removing obstacles to participation?

Q6 Ensuring accessible programming for all families?

WiththeexceptionofQ13,alloftheitemsmakingthecutoffforFactorBcomefromtheitemsassociatedwithStandardOne.Alltheitemsbelongingtothisfirststandardloadedontothesamefactorconsistentlyacrossall18models.Thismakessenseintermsofthecontentoftheitemsandthedescriptionofthestandard.Lookingatallofthestandards,thecleanestone‐to‐onematchbetweenaPTAStandardandanidentifiedfactorseemstobethatbetweenStandardOneandFactorB.

Beyondtherelativeuniformityofthissection,itemsQ1andQ3displaythemostinterestingbehavior.Theybeginapatternthatcontinuesthroughoutthesurvey,withitemscross‐loadingontoFactorAevenwhentheyloadmoreconsistentlyontoanotherfactor.TheseitemsalignwellintermsofcontentwiththeotheritemsloadingontoFactorB,buttheirloadingwiththeitemsfromFactorAmakestheoreticalsense.Asdiscussedinprevious

A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q1 38.9 0 100 88.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q2 5.6 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q3 38.9 5.6 94.4 94.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q4 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q5 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q6 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


sections,theitemsloadingontoFactorAoftenemphasizeconcreteactionablestepsthattheschoolhastakentoengagefamiliesandthecommunity,andQ1andQ3makesenseinthiscontext.

•StandardTwo:Communicating.Familiesandschoolstaffengageinregular,meaningfulcommunicationaboutstudentlearning.



Communicating Effectively


Q8 Surveying families to identify issues and concerns?

Q9 Having access to the principal(s)?

Q10 Having access to teachers?

Q11 Providing information on current issues?

Q12 Facilitating connections among families?


A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q7 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38.9 0 5.6 0 0 0

Q8 66.7 44.4 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 22.2 0 0 0 0 0

Q9 44.4 0 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 66.7 0 0 0 0 0

Q10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 50 50 50 0 0

Q11 44.4 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 61.1 0 22.2 0 0 0

Q12 66.7 44.4 11.1 5.6 0 0 0 0 22.2 0 0 0 0 0

Q13 44.4 27.8 77.8 55.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ThedescriptionofStandardTwoisrelativelybriefandcentersonstudentlearningwhendiscussingcommunication.However,thewordingoftheitemsdoesnotmakethisexplicit.Ifthegoaloftheseitemsistocollectattitudesaboutcommunicationspecificallyregardingstudentlearning,morecontextmightbeneededforrespondentstobeawareofthis.Forexample,itisopentointerpretationwhatismeantby“informationoncurrentissues”inQ11.Whilesomeparentsmayhavethoughtofstudentlearningandacademicswhenrespondingtothisitem,otherscouldhavejustaseasilybeenthinkingofextracurricularactivitiesorinclementweather.ThisambiguityisreflectedinthefactthatQ11loadedontothreedifferentfactorsacrossthevariousmodels.WhileitemsQ8andQ12arerelatedtocommunication,theseitemstendedtoloadmorestronglyandconsistentlyonFactorA.Itcouldbethat“surveyingfamilies”and“facilitating


connections”comeacrossasmoredirectengagementwithfamiliesanddonotnecessarilydrawfromthesamelatentvariableastheitemsmoreexplicitlyaboutmodesofcommunication(e.g.Q9,Q11).ItemsQ9(“Havingaccesstotheprincipal(s)?”)andQ10(“Havingaccesstoteachers?”)aresimilarinphrasing,buttheyexhibitsomewhatdistinctbehaviorintermsoffactorloadings.WhileQ10issplitsomewhatevenlybetweenFactorE(Communication)andFactorF(AcademicProgress),Q9onlyloadsontoFactorEconsistently.Sinceteachersengagemoredirectlywithindividualstudentlearning,itmakessensethatcommunicationbetweenparentsandteacherswouldaddressacademicperformancemoredirectly.Ontheotherhand,parentsmayassociatecommunicationwithprincipalsmorefrequentlywithotherconcerns(social,behavioral,etc.).WhenrespondingtoQ9,respondentsdidnotseemtodrawfromthesamelatentvariableastheitemsassociatedwithFactorF.ThislendssomeevidencetothetheorythatFactorsEandF,whilerelated,areinfactreflectingdistinctlatentvariables.

Q13alsostandsoutforloadingstronglywiththeitemsfromStandardOneontoFactorB.Thecontentofthisitemalignswellwiththeidentifiedfactorandwiththeemphasisonthediversityofexperienceamongfamilies.ThefactthatthisitemloadedconsistentlyontothesamefactorasthefirstsixitemsdespitebeingonthefollowingpageprovidessomeevidencethattheitemsassociatedwithFactorBaremeasuringadistinctlatentvariable.

•StandardThree:SupportingStudentSuccess.Familiesandschoolstaffcontinuouslyworktogethertosupportstudents’learningandhealthydevelopmentbothathomeandatschool,andhaveregularopportunitiestostrengthentheirknowledgeandskillstodosoeffectively.



Supporting Student Success

Q14 Making it easy for parents to communicate with teachers about student progress?

Q15 Linking student work to academic standards?

Q16 Using standardized test results to increase achievement?

Q17 Sharing the school's progress?



A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 50 50 50 0 0

Q15 11.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 11.1 66.7 66.7 0 0

Q16 44.4 22.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 0 88.9 38.9 0 0

Q17 72.2 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 0 50 0 0 0

Q18 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TheitemsbelongingtoStandardThreeseemtobedistributedfairlyevenlyamongthreefactors.Lookingattheloadings,thereisapatternofseparationbetweenFactorAandFactorF,withsomecross‐loadingontoFactorE.Thedescriptionofthestandardseemstoemphasizeboththeacademicandsocial‐emotionaldevelopmentofstudents.Thedifferencebetweenthesetwoseemstobereflectedinthesplitbetweenthetwofactors.Q18makesitexplicitthatrespondentsshouldthinkaboutthe“social,emotional,andpersonalneedsofstudents”,whichisenoughtopreventitfromcrossloadingontothefactoraboutacademicprogress.

FourofthefiveitemsthatloadedontoFactorF(Q10,Q14,Q15,Q16,Q17)camefromthissectionofthesurvey.Thisfactorwasidentifiedintheanalysisasreflectingattitudesaboutstudentacademicperformance,whichalignswellwithStandardThree’sgoalof“work(ing)togethertosupportstudents’learning”.Q15,Q16,andQ17aretheitemsthatprovidedthemostconsistentevidenceforafactorreflectingattitudesaroundacademicprogress.Q15andQ16aretheitemsthatmostexplicitlyaddressstudentacademicwork,andthesetwoitemsloadedmostconsistentlyandstronglyontoFactorF.

Q14behavesmuchlikeQ10fromStandardTwo.ItisevenlysplitbetweenFactorsEandF.LikeQ10(“Havingaccesstoteachers?”),Q14explicitlymentionscommunicationbetweenparentsandteachers.Giventhatteachersoftenhelpstudentswithbothacademicandnon‐academicconcerns,itmakessensethatQ14andQ10bothexhibitthisbehavior.

•StandardFour:SpeakingUpforEveryChild.Familiesareinformedandenabledtobeadvocatesfortheirownandotherchildren,toensurethatstudentsaretreatedfairlyandhaveaccesstolearningopportunitiesthatwillsupporttheirsuccess.



Speaking Up for Every Child

Q19 Understanding how the school and district operate?


Q21 Sharing information about resources available to families?



A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q19 72.2 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77.8 22.2

Q20 55.6 38.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77.8 72.2

Q21 94.4 72.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16.7 11.1

Q22 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 0 0 0 0 0 16.7 0

AllfouroftheitemsfromStandardFourloadontoFactorAwithvaryingdegreesofcross‐loading.Thedescriptionofthisfactorreflectstheroleoffamiliesaspartnersandadvocatesfortheirchildren.

AswasdiscussedearlierwhendescribingFactorG,OrganizationalStructure,thecontentofQ19andQ20isuniqueinthattheyaskhowwellschoolstaffunderstandthestructuresinwhichtheywork.Insteadofemphasizingtheexperienceofparentsandfamilieswhenengagingwithschoolstaff,theyaskaboutstaffintermsofpersonalcompetency.Q20inparticularaskshowpreparedstaffseemtobetoequipparentsasadvocatesfortheirchildren.Thisalignswiththe“informedandenabled”partofthedescriptionofStandardFive.Thisdifferenceseemstobeenoughtocausecross‐loadingontoFactorGasadistinctfactorfromFactorA.

Still,bothoftheseitemsloadedfrequentlyenoughontoFactorAtomeetthecutoffforinclusioninitsdescription.Whenlookingatthefulltableoffactorloadingsacrossthefirst33items[AppendixD],thereseemstobeapatternofitemsloadingontoFactorAwithincreasingfrequency,evenwhentheseitemsshowenoughofadifferenceinresponsepatternstowarrantdiscussionofotherlatentfactors,especiallyFactorsE,F,andG.Thisbringsusbacktothehypothesisthatsomeresponsepatternsmaybeguidedmorebyanoverarchingsentimentthanthespecificcontentofitems.

Q22isinterestingbecauseitloadedontothreedifferentfactorsdependingonthemodelmethodologies.Intermsofcontent,thediscussionof“problemsandconflicts”inQ22makessensewhenonenotesthatitloadedontoFactorD(StudentBehavior)in2ofthe18models.ThefactthatallfouritemsfromthissectionalsoloadedontoFactorGmaybeevidencethattheorderinwhichitemsarepresentedalsoaffectsthegroupingofresponsepatterns.


•StandardFive:SharingPower.Familiesandschoolstaffareequalpartnerswithequalrepresentationindecisionsthataffectstudentsandfamiliesandtogetherinform,influence,andcreatepolicies,practices,andprograms.



Sharing Power


Q25 Addressing equity issues?

Q26 Developing parent leadership?

Q27 Connecting families to local school officials?


A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q23 61.1 61.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q25 61.1 44.4 38.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.6 0

Q26 94.4 77.8 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q27 94.4 88.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q28 94.4 77.8 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Theseitemsclearlylinedupwiththelargestfactorinthedataset,FactorA(Community/FamilyEngagement).OccasionallyitemswouldloadontoFactorB(Inclusivity),butinthepreponderanceofmodelstheyloadedtoFactorA.Asrespondentsapproachedtheendofthesurvey,therewasanincreasinglikelihoodofitemsloadingontoFactorA.

ThedescriptionofStandardFivetalksabout“equalrepresentationindecisions”andfamiliesworkingwithstaffto“inform,influence,andcreatepolicies,practices,andprograms”.ThisalignsfairlywellwiththedescriptionofFactorA,particularlythepartaboutfamiliesandthecommunitiesbeingassetsthatschoolscanleveragetosupportstudentsuccess.

TheitemthatstandsoutthemostisQ25,whichdidnotmeetthecutoffof0.3inatleast50%ofmodels,butdidloadstronglyenoughontoFactorBinsevenofthemodels(38.9%).Theitemaskshowwellschoolsaredoingat“addressingequityissues”,whichalignswellwiththegeneralthemesofinclusivity,accessibility,andappreciationofdiversebackgroundspresentinFactorB.


•StandardSix:CollaboratingwithCommunity.Familiesandschoolstaffworktogetherwithcommunitymemberstoconnectstudents,families,andstafftoexpandedlearningopportunities,communityservices,andcivicparticipation.



Collaborating with

Community

Q29 Linking families to community resources?

Q30 Organizing support from community partners?

Q31 Being an active partner to the community?



A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q29 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q30 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q31 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q32 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q33 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MuchlikewithStandardsOneandFive,allitemsbelongingtothisstandardloadedstronglyontoonefactorintheanalysis.AswiththeitemsfromStandardFive,theseitemsoverwhelminglyloadedontoFactorA(Community/FamilyEngagement).However,theloadingsfortheseitemswereevenmoreconsistent.Allfiveitemsfromthisstandard(Q29‐Q33)loadedontoFactorAwithaloadingof0.4orhigherinall18modelsconsidered.Theseitemsdidnothavealoadingof0.3orhigheronanyfactorsotherthanFactorA(Community/FamilyEngagement).Asmentionedbefore,itispossiblethatthebreadthoftopicsamongtheitemsthatloadedontoFactorAreflectstheoverallattitudeofrespondentstowardtheschoolingeneral.Perhapssomerespondentsselectedpositiveresponsesacrosstheboardiftheyweresatisfiedwiththeirschoolexperience,regardlessofitemcontent,andviceversa.Thefactthatlatersurveyitemsloadconsistentlyontothisfactorcouldbeevidenceofrespondentfatigue,withlessandlessdiscriminationinresponsesfromoneitemtothenext.

LookingattheitemsforStandardsFiveandSix,itispossibletoseehowtheirresponsescouldcorrelatetothesamelatentattitude.Bothsectionsaddressbuildingpartnershipsandstrongconnectionsbetweenschoolstaffandoutsideactors.However,lookingatthe


descriptions,itisclearthatStandardFiveisabouttherelationshipbetweenschoolstaffandfamilies,whileStandardSixisabouttherelationshipbetweenbothofthesepartiesandothercommunitypartnerswhomaynotnecessarilyhaveastudentattheschool.IfthisdistinctionisimportanttoKCSstakeholders,itmaybevaluabletoadjustthecontentoftheseitemsforgreaterdiscriminationbetweenthetwogroups.Iftherespondentfatiguetheoryistrue,movingtheseitemsearlierinthesurveymayalsohavesomeeffectontheconsistencyofthefactorstructure.AmongthesixPTAStandardsforFamily‐SchoolPartnerships,StandardsOne,Five,andSixseemtohavethemostinternallyconsistentstructure,withrelativelyfewercrossloadingsthantheitemsbelongingtootherstandards.Amongthesethree,StandardOneisuniqueinthatitsitemsloadedstronglyonafactorthattendednottooverlapwithitemsfromotherstandards(FactorB–Inclusivity).Incontrast,theitemsfromStandardsFiveandSixmostlyloadedontoFactorA(Community/FamilyEngagement),whichhadatleastoneitemfromallsixstandardsloadontoitinsomeofthemodels.Infact,onlyQ4,Q5,Q6,Q10,andQ14neverloadedontoFactorAwithaloadingofatleast0.3.

CultureItemsHow well is this school doing at…


Culture Questions

A1 This school is increasing the focus on parent engagement.

A2 The Central Office is a place that supports all stakeholders.

A3 Positive relationships with parents are important at this school.

A4 This school is a safe and secure place.

A5 Administrator and teachers support and encourage students at this school to do their best.

A6 Administrators and teachers have high expectations for students at this school.

A7 Parents/guardians at this school regularly attend school sponsored events, conferences, games, and performances.

Culture Questions Continued

A8 Teachers at this school are well organized and prepared to teach.

A9 Administrators and teachers at this school do their jobs with enthusiasm.

A10 This school addresses bullying in a timely manner.

A11 This school communicates with families about bullying in a timely manner.

A12 Student behavior is usually positive at this school.

A13 School rules are enforced fairly among all students at this school.

A14 This school's building(s) and grounds are well maintained at this school.

A15 This school does a good job at helping to prepare students to be college and career ready.


Oneresultthatstandsoutimmediatelyisthatthefinal15itemsaboutschoolculturerarelyloadedontothesamefactorsasitemscreatedfromthenationalPTAstandards.ThiscouldbeevidencethattheitemsderivedfromthePTAstandardsareinfactmeasuringsomethingdistinctfromtheitemscreatedbyourdepartment.

However,itisimportanttokeepinmindthattheseitemswereaskedinamannerdifferentfromtheitemsthatprecededit.Thepromptfortheseitemsaskedrespondentstostatetheirlevelofagreementwithastatement,whereastheprecedingitemswereintheformofaquestion.Additionally,theprecedingitemsthatmakeupthebulkofthesurveyhadfourpossibleresponsesontheLikertscale(NotVeryWell–FairlyWell–VeryWell–Excelling).Inadditiontohavingfiveoptions,theitemsintheculturesectionalsohadtheoptionforaneutralresponse(StronglyDisagree–Disagree–Neutral–Agree–StronglyAgree).

Forthemostpart,itseemsmostoftheseitemsareconsistentlymeasuringthesamelatentconstructandmaythereforeberedundant.However,itemsA11andA12arenotableforneverloadingstronglyontoanyotherfactorthanFactorD.ThesetwoitemsbothexplicitlyaddressbullyingattheschoolandtheresponsesseeminglyindicatethatrespondentsfoundthemtobeaddressingadifferentlatentconstructthanmostoftheitemsloadingontoFactorC.

A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

A1 83.3 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 22.2 0 0 0 0 0

A2 55.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.6 0 0 0 0 0

A3 0 0 0 0 100 88.9 0 0 16.7 0 0 0 0 0

A4 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A5 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A6 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A7 22.2 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A8 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A9 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A10 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0

A11 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0

A12 0 0 0 0 100 100 55.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A13 0 0 0 0 100 66.7 61.1 11.1 0 0 0 0 0 0

A14 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A15 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Additionally,thefirsttwoitemsfromthissectiontendedtoloadmorestronglyontothesamefactorastheitemsfromtheprecedingpage(FactorA)insteadofloadingontothesamefactorsastheothercultureitems(FactorsCandD).ThiscouldbeevidenceofrespondentfatigueasdescribedintheprecedingsectiononStandard6.ItemA1doesseemtolineupwiththeotheritemsinFactorAintermsofcontent,askingexplicitlyaboutparentengagement.However,ItemA2isdistinctfrommostitemsonthissurveybecauseitasksabouttheCentralOfficeinsteadofsomethinghappeningattheschool.

MovingForwardThiswasausefulexercisetounderstandtheresponsestotheKCSParentSurveyonalevelbeyondindividualitems.SinceitwasdiscoveredaftertheanalysisthattheitemsoriginallychosenforthesurveyweredevelopedfromthePTANationalStandardsforFamily‐SchoolPartnerships,andsincethesesixstandardsareincludedintheKnoxCountyBoardofEducationpolicyforFamilyandCommunityEngagement,thisinformationcouldbeusefulindevelopingfutureiterationsofthesurveytogetabetterreadonthosestandardswherewemightfeellessconfidentinthestrengthofourfindings.

Aftertheanalysiswascarriedout,theresultswerepresentedtotheKCSOmbudsman.TheOmbudsmanisaparentrepresentativewithintheadministrativestructureoftheschoolsystem.TheresultsoftheparentsurveyaresharedwiththeKCSFamilyAdvisoryCouncil(FAC).ThefollowingdescriptioncomesfromanInformationSheetpublishedbytheFAC:

FACwillbecomposedofparentrepresentativesfromeachofthenineKCSdistrictsandotherstakeholdersfromBOE,KnoxCountyPTA,community,anddistrict.Participationwillseektoincluderepresentationthatreflectsthediversityofparent/familystakeholdersfromvariousschoollevelsinthedistrict.

TheREAdepartmentmetwiththeOmbudsmanandtalkedthroughtheproposedfactorstructureandthoseitemsthatdidnotseemtoloadwellwhencomparedtotheexpectedstructure.IthadpreviouslybeenproposedtodeployapaperversionofthesurveyintheSpring2020administrationoftheParentSurveyconcurrentlywiththeexistingSurveyMonkeyversion.Duetospaceconstraintsonthepapersurveyforms,itwasproposedthatsomeredundantorpoorlyaligneditemsbedropped.

Whilesomeoftheproposeditemsweredropped,otherswerestillconsideredvaluabletotheOmbudsmanandwereretainedormodifiedinstead.Asaresultofthisdiscussion,thefollowingchangesweremadefortheSpring2020ParentSurvey:


ItemsDropped

Item Content






To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? In general, I feel that . . .





ItemsModified

Item Year Content


Q14 2019 Making it easy for parents to communicate with teachers about student progress?

2020 Ensuring parent‐teacher communication about student progress?

Q18 2019 Responding to the social, emotional, and personal needs of students?

2020 Responding to the social‐emotional needs of students?

Q23 2019 Ensuring that families have a voice in all decisions that affect children?

2020 Providing opportunities for families to have a voice in decisions that affect students?

Q27 2019 Connecting families to local school officials?

2020 Connecting families to local public officials?

Q29 2019 Linking families to community resources?

2020 Sharing information about resources available to families in their community?


A10 2019 This school addresses bullying in a timely manner.

2020 This school does not tolerate bullying.

Tocontinuethisproject,itisproposedthatconfirmatoryfactoranalysis(CFA)becarriedoutusingthestructureoutlinedinthisEFAusingdatafromfutureadministrationsofthissurvey.Suchananalysiswouldhelptodeterminewhichpartsofthisfactorstructurearestableandwhichmaybeduemoretoyear‐over‐yearvariance.


AppendixA–SurveyPageTitlesandItemNames



Welcoming Families into the School Community

Q1 Developing personal relationships?

Q2 Creating a family‐friendly atmosphere?

Q3 Providing opportunities for volunteering?

Q4 Respecting and valuing diversity for all families?


Q6 Ensuring accessible programming for all families?

Communicating Effectively


Q8 Surveying families to identify issues and concerns?



Q11 Providing information on current issues?

Q12 Facilitating connections among families?


Supporting Student Success

Q14 Making it easy for parents to communicate with teachers about student progress?

Q15 Linking student work to academic standards?

Q16 Using standardized test results to increase achievement?

Q17 Sharing the school's progress?


Speaking Up for Every Child

Q19 Understanding how the school and district operate?


Q21 Sharing information about resources available to families?


Sharing Power



Q26 Developing parent leadership?

Q27 Connecting families to local school officials?


Collaborating with

Community

Q29 Linking families to community resources?

Q30 Organizing support from community partners?

Q31 Being an active partner to the community?




AppendixA–SurveyPageTitlesandItemNames(continued)



Culture Questions

A1 This school is increasing the focus on parent engagement.

A2 The Central Office is a place that supports all stakeholders.

A3 Positive relationships with parents are important at this school.

A4 This school is a safe and secure place.


A6 Administrators and teachers have high expectations for students at this school.

A7 Parents/guardians at this school regularly attend school sponsored events, conferences, games, and performances.

Culture Questions Continued



A10 This school addresses bullying in a timely manner.


A12 Student behavior is usually positive at this school.

A13 School rules are enforced fairly among all students at this school.

A14 This school's building(s) and grounds are well maintained at this school.

A15 This school does a good job at helping to prepare students to be college and career ready.


AppendixB–FactorLoadingswithacutoffof0.3

oblimin promax

pa ml minres pa ml minres

6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8

Q1 B B B B B B B B B AB AB AB B AB B AB AB AB

Q2 B B B B B B B B B B B B B AB B B B B

Q3 B B B B B B B B B AB AB AB B AB B AB AB AB

Q4 B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B



Q7 E F E E E E BF A E E

Q8 A A A E A AE AE AB A A A AE A

Q9 E E E E E AE AE AE B A AE AE AE AE

Q10 E F E F F E E F E E F E F F F E F E

Q11 E F E F F E E F E AE AE AE BF A AE AE AE AE

Q12 A A B A E A AE AE AB A A A AE A

Q13 B B B B B B B B B AB A A B AB AB AB A A


Q15 EF F F F F F EF F F AE F EF F F F AE F EF

Q16 F F F F F F F F F AE AF AF F AF AF AE AF AF

Q17 A AF F F F A AF F AE A A AF AF AF AE A A

Q18 A A A A A A A A

Q19 A G AG G G G A G AG A AG AG AG AG AG A AG AG

Q20 A G G G G G A G G A AG AG G AG AG A AG AG

Q21 A A A AG G A A A A A A A AG A A A A A

Q22 D G G D G A A A A A A A A

Q23 A A A A A A A A A A A

Q25 AB B B G AB B B A A A AB A A A A A

Q26 A A A A A A A A A A A AB A A A A A

Q27 A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Q28 A A A A A A A A A A A AB A A A A A

Q29 A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A






AppendixB–FactorLoadingswithacutoffof0.3(continued)

oblimin promax


6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8

A1 A A A A A A E A AE AE A A A A AE A

A2 A A A A AE A A A A A

A3 C C C C C C C C C C CE C C C CE C CE C

A4 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C



A7 AC AC C C C C AC AC C C C C C C C C C C

A8 C C C C C C C C C C C C CF C C C C C


A10 D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D


A12 CD CD CD CD CD C CD CD CD CD C C C C C CD C C

A13 CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD C C C C C CD C C




AppendixC–FactorLoadingswithacutoffof0.4

oblimin promax


6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8

Q1 B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B


Q3 B B B B B B B B B B B B B A B B B B




Q7

Q8 A A A A A A A A

Q9


Q11 A

Q12 A A A B A A A A A

Q13 B B B B B B B B B A A B A A A


Q15 F F F F F F F E F F F F E F

Q16 F F F F A A F F F A A

Q17 A A A A A A A A

Q18

Q19 G G A A A G AG A A A A

Q20 G G G G G G A AG AG G G AG A AG AG

Q21 A A G G A A A A A A A A A A A

Q22

Q23 A A A A A A A A A A A

Q25 A A A A A A A A

Q26 A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Q27 A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Q28 A A A A A A A A A A A A A A







AppendixC–FactorLoadingswithacutoffof0.4(continued)

oblimin promax


6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8

A1 A A A A A A A A A

A2

A3 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C










A13 D C C D C C C C C C C C C C




AppendixD–ItemsbyPercentofModelsMeetingCutoff

A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

Q1 38.9 0 100 88.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q2 5.6 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q3 38.9 5.6 94.4 94.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q4 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q5 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q6 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q7 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38.9 0 5.6 0 0 0

Q8 66.7 44.4 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 22.2 0 0 0 0 0

Q9 44.4 0 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 66.7 0 0 0 0 0

Q10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 50 50 50 0 0

Q11 44.4 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 61.1 0 22.2 0 0 0

Q12 66.7 44.4 11.1 5.6 0 0 0 0 22.2 0 0 0 0 0

Q13 44.4 27.8 77.8 55.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 50 50 50 0 0

Q15 11.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 11.1 66.7 66.7 0 0

Q16 44.4 22.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 0 88.9 38.9 0 0

Q17 72.2 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 0 50 0 0 0

Q18 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q19 72.2 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77.8 22.2

Q20 55.6 38.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77.8 72.2

Q21 94.4 72.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16.7 11.1

Q22 44.4 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 0 0 0 0 0 16.7 0

Q23 61.1 61.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q25 61.1 44.4 38.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.6 0

Q26 94.4 77.8 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q27 94.4 88.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q28 94.4 77.8 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q29 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q30 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q31 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q32 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q33 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


AppendixD–ItemsbyPercentofModelsMeetingCutoff(continued)

A. Community/

Family Engagement

B. Inclusivity


D. Student Behavior

E. Communication


G. Organizational

Structure


Item 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4

A1 83.3 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 22.2 0 0 0 0 0

A2 55.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.6 0 0 0 0 0

A3 0 0 0 0 100 88.9 0 0 16.7 0 0 0 0 0

A4 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A5 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A6 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A7 22.2 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A8 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A9 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A10 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0

A11 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0

A12 0 0 0 0 100 100 55.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A13 0 0 0 0 100 66.7 61.1 11.1 0 0 0 0 0 0

A14 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A15 0 0 0 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


AppendixE–PTANationalStandardsasdescribedinKCSBoardPolicy

•StandardOne:WelcomingAllFamiliesintotheSchoolCommunity.Familiesareactiveparticipantsinthelifeoftheschool,andfeelwelcomed,valued,andconnectedtoeachother,toschoolstaff,andtowhatstudentsarelearninganddoinginclass.•StandardTwo:Communicating.Familiesandschoolstaffengageinregular,meaningfulcommunicationaboutstudentlearning.•StandardThree:SupportingStudentSuccess.Familiesandschoolstaffcontinuouslyworktogethertosupportstudents’learningandhealthydevelopmentbothathomeandatschool,andhaveregularopportunitiestostrengthentheirknowledgeandskillstodosoeffectively.•StandardFour:SpeakingUpforEveryChild.Familiesareinformedandenabledtobeadvocatesfortheirownandotherchildren,toensurethatstudentsaretreatedfairlyandhaveaccesstolearningopportunitiesthatwillsupporttheirsuccess.•StandardFive:SharingPower.Familiesandschoolstaffareequalpartnerswithequalrepresentationindecisionsthataffectstudentsandfamiliesandtogetherinform,influence,andcreatepolicies,practices,andprograms.•StandardSix:CollaboratingwithCommunity.Familiesandschoolstaffworktogetherwithcommunitymemberstoconnectstudents,families,andstafftoexpandedlearningopportunities,communityservices,andcivicparticipation.

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