DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative: Needs ... - Urban Institute

DC Promise Neighborhoods Initiative: Needs Assessment and Segmentation AnalysisParents of High School StudentsFocus Group Discussion GuideFocus Group Goals• To learn about what parents of high school children who live in the DCPNI footprint think are the greatestneeds, challenges, and strengths in the following areas:School, extracurricular activities, safety, graduation and college, physical health, familysupportive learning, and 21 st century learning tools.• The information learned will be used for:o U.S. Department of Education’s required needs assessmento Results-Driven Working Group program proposalsYou were asked to attend this focus group because we want to hear what parents of teenagers think about theirteenagers’ schools and neighborhoods. We want to hear from you about things that are working for you and yourfamily and things that you need to make things better.[Review script of rules of focus groups.]Let’s start our discussion by introducing ourselves. Please tell us your first name, what neighborhood you live in,and where your children go to school.HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGE (25 minutes)We’re going to start off talking about the high schools in and around the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative.What are some of the high schools that teenagers go to from these neighborhoods?What do families think about these high schools? What do parents like/not like? What would make the schoolsbetter?Probe: Academics, safety, extracurricular activities?How do these schools compare to others in DC?Probes: special education?What about Chavez High School? Why would families choose Chavez? Why would they choose another school?Probes: Special education, teacher quality, principal quality, extracurricular activities?Do families switch their children’s schools midyear? Why?Where do they switch their children to?Are students/parents happy after they switch? Why/why not?Do schools provide support to help students get ready for college or other schooling after high school? Pleasedescribe.Probes: Counselors identify target schools, do financial planning to pay for college, make sureacademically ready?[If yes] What are some of the specific things schools do that are most helpful? What more do you thinkthey could or should do?Do schools provide support/counseling for students who are not planning to go on to college or postsecondaryeducation in order to find a job or make plans after graduating high school? Please describe.SAFETY IN SCHOOLS (20 minutes)125