This Field Guide shares the voices of more than 22,000 student respondents across the NAF Network. It is essential that all stakeholders reflect on what young people take away from their academy experience. By elevating the voice of academy participants, and understanding their experiences at school, we all can do more to include them in our collective decision-making, growing practices that have a deeper impact. This Guide is a summary of the 2021-2022 annual student survey results and its purpose is to continue growth and improvement in your local academy community.
The unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools and educators to quickly adapt many aspects of their learning environment to equitably serve as many students as possible.
There are too many unique local challenges that schools have faced to list in this Student Survey Field Guide individually, but we advise all of our educators, policymakers, and staff to please take these programmatic disruptions into account when viewing the data and recommendations throughout this Student Survey Field Guide.
There were a total of 22,371 students who completed the student survey in the spring of 2022.
250 of these students took the survey in Spanish (the first time the student survey has ever been offered in Spanish).
A total of 68% of NAF academies participated in the student survey, that is 418 of the 618 NAF academies throughout the network.
Each academy theme was represented in the overall results as students from all themes were represented. See below for a breakdown of the responses by theme.
AOE (11%)
AOF (31%)
AOHS (19%)
AOHT (14%)
AOIT (16%)
Other Pathways (9%)
Academies of all different quality levels were represented. Although, academies with a Model + Distinguished quality level were overrepresented in the results. See below for a breakdown of the responses by academy quality.
Model + Distinguished (57%)
Model (11%)
Certified (29%)
Member (2%)
No Level (less than 1% of responses)
Under Review (less than 1% of responses)
NAF strives to foster environments where the lived experiences and perspectives of students drive learning and are key to meaningful adult relationships. The culturally responsive practices section of the student survey asks about how the lived experiences of students are being reflected in their school environment.
While it is encouraging that NAF students broadly agree that they are treated fairly within their academy walls (78%), this number saw a slight decrease from what students said last year in 2020-2021 (84%). Given the stressors students can face outside of school, all adults working with students should strive to create a safe environment where students are free to be their true, authentic selves.
The data suggests that the majority of teachers are already engaging in an impactful practice, in which they make efforts to get to know their students and build a positive relationship with them (71%).
It is also great to see that 78% of students indicated that their peers are treated fairly, regardless of background or ideology. These results did not significantly change (77%) when responses from students of color were examined in isolation.
Only about half of students (56%) indicated that their teachers instruct in a way that relates to the cultures and experiences of themselves and their fellow students. Roughly 2 in every 3 students (60%) agree that their academy challenges them to consider their personal biases when interacting with others. While this number is encouraging, we think it could be improved even further.
Take a look at the resources below for more information and projects related to infusing more culturally responsive teaching practices into your classroom.
NAF believes that when supported by small learning communities, a sense of safety, and healthy adult relationships, students' mindset can grow and support important contributions to their future work and life. The identity, beliefs, and mindset section of the student survey asks students to reflect on their own abilities and what others in their school environment think about student abilities.
A student's perception of themselves impacts their mindset and view of their own capabilities to achieve future aspirations. Just like last year, we continue to see a similar disconnect with NAF seniors in that only 33% believe they are close or very close to their ideal future self. However, this level of uncertainty is expected while students are in high school and data suggest there is room for growth, as 50% of students reported they believed their intellectual abilities can be improved through hard work. With continued effort helping students visualize their future selves, we think seniors transition from high school to college will be that much smoother.
It remains true that most students believe that a goal is not out of reach even if it is difficult to obtain (60%). This sense of perseverance can really help students take on new challenges and learn from their mistakes.
A growth mindset is the belief that hard work and study can increase one's intellectual ability. A little over half of students (54%) reported feeling that their NAF teachers attribute a growth mindset to them. Along the same lines, only 36% of students thought their fellow peers attribute a growth mindset to their fellow students. Reinforcing the belief that students can increase their intellectual ability through hard work and study could help students feel motivated to work towards their ideal future self, especially if more of their peers buy into the idea.
Consider utilizing NAF’s Internship Preparation Modules to build students' confidence in their ability before an internship experience. These modules (linked below) are specifically designed to prepare students for internship and internship alternatives. The Internship Preparation Modules prepare students to set individual goals, plan for an intentional first day, and engage confidently in their workplace. These modules engage students through activity and play, allowing students to take ownership of their own internship readiness. Explore these lessons for strategies that help your students be their authentic selves and prepare for an internship experience. Check out the other resources for more information and activities to get students thinking about their abilities in and beyond school.
A sense of success and motivation in schoolwork is a driver of positive "career launch", especially for students with high aspirations but also overwhelming socio-economic barriers. The attitudes towards school and self section of the student survey asks about students' feelings and perspective with regard to their own academic abilities, advanced coursework, and family experience with higher education.
Arianna
Academy of Finance
Students' engagement in school and school activities is related to academic achievement and buffers against negative factors contributing to dropout. This means that students' attitude towards school and self is important to monitor and foster in the classroom. This makes it encouraging to see that roughly 2 out of every 3 (67%) students believe they are good students, and that over half of students (51%) believe they know how to schedule their time to accomplish necessary tasks.
It is great that over half of students (58%) participate in advanced courses (AP, IB, Dual Enrollment) while in high school. This means these students are being exposed to college-level coursework and know what to expect if they decide to pursue a post-secondary education.
It is also encouraging that while complications from the COVID-19 pandemic are still impacting schools, 57% of students indicated they participated in some form of work-based learning during the 2021/2022 school year. Keep up these efforts to connect classwork to real-word experiences through work-based learning activities.
Research suggests that, on average, 75% of the emotions students experience at school are negative (boredom, tiredness, stress). That makes it all the more important to help connect classroom material with students' lived experiences. This is worth teachers' attention because only 44% of students who took this survey indicated that they find their academic work interesting.
About 1 in every 5 students (21%) indicated that no individual in their immediate family has attended college. Consider what students are saying with this metric when discussing students' plans and offering guidance on the college process during class.
Take a look at the resources below for activities and resources that help educators identify personalized learning strategies that can be used right away in the classroom. There is also a linked resource to authentic project-based learning activities that help students transfer classroom knowledge to solve challenges that impact their career field or community.
A pillar of the NAF Educational Design is that work-based learning can drive a sense of relevance for skills and motivation toward positive future pathways. The attitudes towards work-based learning section of the survey asks students about what type of work-based learning they engage in, how these opportunities were made available, and how the skills they learned are useful for their future goals.
It was great seeing students begin to return to in-person, work-based learning opportunities this year (59%) compared to last year (28%). In fact, students who participated in an internship this year were primarily in-person for their internship (69%) compared to about half last year (51%). Students who did not participate in any work-based learning experiences, however, continue to indicate that their main reasons for not participating are: 1) not knowing about the opportunities (48%), and 2) not having time outside their normal routine to participate (29%).
One goal of work-based learning experiences is to build career skills while still in high school before moving into the post-graduation space. It was great to see that 75% of students indicated their work-based learning experiences helped them build skills that they thought would be useful in their future careers.
Even as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still impacting schools, the amount of work-based learning generally increased for students this year (57%) compared to last year (50%).
While students indicated that work-based learning was useful for skill development (75%), less than half of students who participated in work-based learning indicated that they formed new professional connections (45%). It can be challenging for students to intentionally build a professional network while still in high school, and increased class activities and coaching on this topic could potentially address this challenge in an environment that is safe and comfortable for students.
While there are many opportunities for students to explore internships, about 18% of students indicated that their internship was through their school or a business located at school. This could be a potential, ready-made opportunity to expand work-based learning opportunities while students are on the school grounds. We encourage educators to explore on-campus internships for their students through their school or district, as this could lead to easily accessible opportunities for work-based learning.
The resources below provide a guide for students to convert their part-time jobs to internships, complete with a checklist and internship preparation modules. There is also a link below to NAF's full page of work-based learning resources, complete with templates, guidelines, student activities, and reflections for activities ranging from guest speakers to mock interviews. Be sure to also check out the Participatory Action Research (PAR) resources for discussing these survey results in your own classroom.
While the future of "college" is changing, data continues to tell us that postsecondary achievement supports the most direct pathway to successful careers, especially for first generation Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students. Our post-graduation plans section of the student survey asks NAF seniors about their plans after high school.
As the pandemic and political climate have evolved, so has the perception of the value of a post-secondary education. Similarly to last year, 89% of NAF seniors indicated they would go to college the fall after graduation. But like last year, we also saw a divide in college plans between students of different ethnicities. Just like last year, students who identified as White were still more likely to attend 4-year colleges (77%) compared to students of color (62%), while the opposite was true for 2-year colleges (26% for students of color vs. 16% for White students). We are happy to say the data indicate that this year we are seeing signs of shrinking this gap (5% gap reduction for 4-year colleges; 2% gap reduction for 2-year colleges) and we encourage educators to continue to work towards closing this gap in their own schools and districts.
Even during these tumultuous times, NAF educators are continuing to find creative ways to keep students engaged and motivated to further their education after high school. The impressive statistic here is that 52% of high school seniors completing the survey indicated that a specific NAF teacher made the biggest difference to them personally in terms of keeping them on track to graduate.
The data continues to show a gap in college plans between students of different ethnicities. While the gap is smaller this year, it's important to continue to provide access to various opportunities that help all students make informed decisions about their college plans, especially given the statistic mentioned earlier that roughly 1 in 5 NAF students do not have anyone in their immediate family that has attended college.
Below are several interactive resources for not only students to explore their career interests, but also to help educators deliver classroom activities on planning for life after high school. Check out the career readiness resources, especially the STEM Careers Coalition page, which provides many 45-60min activities geared toward students.
Professional connections and positive adult relationships are a key component that enable students to establish themselves with other professionals in their ideal career cluster. NAF strives to empower students to make these professional connections during high school so that entry into a career field is facilitated by other established industry professionals. The social capital section of the student survey asks students about their growing professional network.
Social capital is the defined as the resources that arise from the web of relationships that people can access and mobilize to help them improve their lives and achieve their goals. NAF educators and staff continue to strive to help students build their professional networks while in high school so that they enter college and/or the workforce with ready-made, professional connections. Over half (55%) of NAF seniors who took the survey indicated that by the time they graduated high school they had the contact information of at least two adults they can turn to for college or career advice. Even more impressive, was that 70% of NAF seniors indicated they feel comfortable reaching out for career advice to an older peer or adult that does the kind of work they are interested in by the time they graduated high school.
Sixty percent (60%) of students indicated they feel supported by NAF teachers and others they have met through their NAF academy. This is a great start to helping students form a strong professional network for life after high school.
Forty nine percent (49%) of NAF seniors indicated they met at least one adult or older peer who does the type of work they are interested in as a career. This is an increase compared to last year (46%) and will help those students form a clearer mental image of their future self.
While we saw an 11% decrease this year compared to last year (70 % to 59%), NAF students are still reporting that they feel a sense of support from their NAF teachers and others they have met through their academy experience. The reason for the decrease between last year and this year is not clear, but educators should continue to build relationships with their students in the classroom, as this will help foster a sense of community within their network and make students feel that much more comfortable to speak up and advocate their interests and desires.
Want to learn more about social capital and how to get students thinking about it before graduation? Check out the resources below, many of which are from the Christensen Institute and the Search Institute, and are all about the importance of social capital. There is even a social capital assessment specifically designed to help assess and build social capital for young people while in high school. An accompanying NAF Research & Tech Talk with the measurement tool's author, Dr. Ashley Boat, is also linked below.
NAF strives for equitable pathways in which all students will be ready for life after high school, regardless of whether that path is to college or immediately into a career. The impact section of the student survey asks students whether they feel prepared to enter college and/or the workforce and what their general perceptions are for areas improvement in their own academy.
Ashlyn
Academy of Finance
Victoria
Academy of Finance
NAF believes that all students should have access to pathways leading to high-skilled, high-wage careers after high school. This is why it is encouraging, but also shows room for improvement, that 55% of NAF seniors feel fully prepared for college and the workplace (up 8% from last year). Additionally, students generally felt satisfied with their academy (60%) based on the academy's history of preparing students for life after high school.
It is good that the majority of students feel that their academy is preparing them for life after high school and that many positive experiences are conveyed directly with their own voices through the "Student Voice" section of this field guide.
One metric that stood out to us was that 89% of seniors indicated plans to continue their education after high school by enrolling in college. This statistic is much higher than the national average college-going rate of 63% from 2020 (when these statistics were last calculated nationally). Continue to encourage these efforts!
Students continue to express that there is room for improvement in their college and career readiness before leaving high school. The Participatory Action Research (PAR) reflection template in the resources below provides guidance on how to discuss these survey results with your students in the classroom to hear their perspectives on the data. You may find after engaging in a dialogue with your students around these data, that deeper insights into what could be improved with your students could become fodder for the next steps, both within the classroom and perhaps the school at large.
Also be sure to check out the resources specifically geared for educators below, including an academy action plan template, NAF curriculum you can implement right now, and the NAF educator framework.
Throughout this Student Survey Field Guide, we've heard from students and seen the data on their NAF experiences and the 2021-2022 school year in general. There is much to celebrate, as data suggests upward movement in many areas, such as more back to in-person work-based learning, a high level of students indicating positive relationships with their teachers, and the agreement that courses and work-based learning are producing college- and career-ready skills.
Students' voice and their data also indicate that there is still work that needs to be done in order to empower students to get to where they want to go. Some areas for attention that were highlighted by students' voice include thinking about how to promote engagement and self-efficacy in the classroom, greater emphasis on reducing the racial gaps between 2- and 4-year college going, and raising awareness for work-based learning opportunities in the classroom. These provide themes and questions to think about as we continue to work with students to achieve their goals.
Some things to consider:
1) While the majority of students believe they are good students, how can we promote feelings of positive self-efficacy in the classroom, both for specific subjects and school at large?
2) How can we promote closing the racial gap between which students are attending 4-year vs. 2-year colleges?
3) How can we raise awareness and provide more opportunities for work-based learning experiences within academy programs?
Summary
