Student Tally Surveys & Parent Surveys
For evaluation purposes all schools applying for funding for Safe Routes to School activities and projects are required to conduct parent and student surveys. These surveys collect base information about how children travel to and from school and measure the parent's attitudes about student travel. The surveys help generate interest and participation in the Safe Routes program while yielding useful information for schools. Ideally, surveys should be administered during September or May when weather conditions are most favorable for bicycling and walking to school. A school may also elect to collect survey information at any other time, but it is not required under current INDOT rules.
Both infrastructure and non-infrastructure applicants need to survey students and parents to apply for funds. This includes non-infrastructure applicants seeking to conduct planning, education, promotion, enforcement, encouragement, professional route evaluation activities or to purchase equipment or incentives. Applicants need to conduct the student tally surveys and parent surveys prior to submitting an application in order to provide the required travel data.
If a school prepared student tally and parent surveys in spring 2011 or later the surveys do not need to be repeated now to apply for SRTS support in 2012, however, documentation still needs to be provided in the new application. Indiana does not require end-of-years surveys, but following implementation of infrastructure projects or non-infrastructure activities, we ask schools to repeat both surveys to measure differences in the number of children walking, bicycling and using other modes of transportation, and to examine changing parental attitudes toward these activities. Parent and student surveys should be not be repeated immediately but rather several months after completion of the activity or project to allow time for users to recognize and try the new facilities or to permit training, encouragement, planning and enforcement actions or equipment purchases to have an effect. Again, September and May are the best months for these surveys.
Student tally forms, completed by teachers in all classrooms of each participating school, are available below for download, as are the surveys to be completed by the students’ parents in both English and Spanish. An overview of the survey procedures and more detailed instructions are also provided to help parents and school officials better understand the process.
- Instructions for Student Tally & Parent Surveys (June 2010)
- SRTS Data Collection Overview (June2010)
- SRTS Parent Survey Form (June 2009)
- SRTS Parent Survey Form in Spanish (June 2009)
- SRTS Student Tally Sheet (June 2009)
The National Center for Safe Routes to School maintains a database of survey information for all schools participating in the program. From the national database, submitted information can later be recovered and summarized at the local, state and national level. To report your survey data you may enter it directly or mail completed survey forms to the National Center for free processing. The Instructions for submitting Survey Data to the National Center provides direction for both new users and returning users of the national data system and includes instructions for the cover sheets that need to accompany the survey forms mailed to the National Center for tabulation.
Indiana schools have the option to collect parent survey information digitally. The National Center offers an online method for parents to respond directly into the online data system. Schools determine if the online option is appropriate. The online parent survey option is available in English or Spanish and is a free service. The online option works best for schools that normally communicate with parents primarily through email, electronic newsletters or other digital media. Help for using the online parent survey option can be found in the General Instructions for Using the SRTS Online System. All materials provided here reflect the latest improvements and updates from the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
