With support from the SAP, and facilitation from Digital Promise, four technology-focused early college high schools designed alumni surveys to better understand impacts of their programming and seek advice from their previous graduates. The surveys were created by six school community design teams that included 26 adults (program coordinators, teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, parents, community/postsec partners, alumni) and 23 students (groups of 10th-12th graders). Each team met three times in SY 21-22 to identify objectives, design questions and interpret results.
The main focus of the survey was to learn how alumni were currently performing in their career trajectories and personal development, and seek advice for adults and students in the school community. Creators of the survey sought out the expertise of alumni, as they’d be the best people to help them understand what would be important to ensure equitable school culture, where equity was defined as “every student receiving what they need to thrive and belong.” After ideation, drafting questions, piloting, and refining the survey, the surveys were launched in summer 2022. Targeting 609 alumni who graduated between 2015 and 2022, the schools contacted the 259 for whom they had working email addresses. The survey was completed by 128 alumni, which is approximately 1 out of 5 in the target cohorts (and 49% of those for which the school had emails).
Stay tuned for more information added here as the project continues. The following is an infographic that summarizes responses across the four schools, including value-added, postsecondary student statistics, and expected career fields.
Each of the videos below showcase the perspectives of students who completed their respective schools' alumni survey, facilitated by Digital Promise with support from SAP.
Ian Prchlik, an alum of Skyline High School in Oakland, CA recounts his experience in the Computer Science & Technology Pathway noting how its mentors and opportunities for group multimedia projects have helped prepare him for life after high school. Ian’s perspectives about the value and relevance of his high school experience were shared by many respondents in the Pathway’s 2022 alumni survey facilitated by Digital Promise with support from SAP.
At Business Technology Early College High School (BTECH), students can participate in the early college program and earn an Associates Degree from Queensborough Community College. Hear from alum Leah Joi Young about her journey and why BTECH feels like home. Leah’s perspectives about the value and relevance of her high school experience were shared by many respondents in BTECH’s 2022 alumni survey facilitated by Digital Promise with support from SAP.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, students in the Templeton STEM program engage in project-based interdisciplinary learning. Learn more about what this learning experience was like from alum John Ivison and how it shaped where he is today. John’s perspectives about the value and relevance of his high school experience were shared by many respondents in Templeton STEM’s 2022 alumni survey, facilitated by Digital Promise with support from SAP.
Note: The U.S. national statistics in this infographic come from two sources. Comparison data on degree programs and career plans are from the United States Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, High School Longitudinal Study, 2009-2016, Second (2016) follow-up [United States]. More specifically, the degree programs are from Table 10 of Radford, A.W., Fritch, L.B., Leu, K.B., & Duprey, M.A. (2018). High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) Second Follow-Up: A First Look at Fall 2009 Ninth-Graders in 2016. NCES 2018-139. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2018139, while the career plans are from Table A2 of Kelly E. & Holian L. Education, Employment, and Earnings: Expectations of 2009 Ninth-Graders in 2016, NCES 2021-056. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/Pubs2021/2021056/. Comparison data on U.S. postsecondary educational attainment is from the Stronger nation: Leaning beyond high school builds American talent report by the Lumina Foundation https://www.luminafoundation.org/stronger-nation/report/#/progress and is 2019 data of Americans ages 25 to 64 who have post high school educational attainment.
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