2013-14 california school garden survey · web viewcalifornia school garden survey. life lab, in...

2013-14 California School Garden Survey

California School Garden SurveyLife Lab, in collaboration with the California School Garden Network, is conducting a survey of California School Gardens. This same survey was conducted in 2010 with 580 respondents. The information gathered from this survey will help those that are creating and supporting school garden projects across the state and nation to better understand how school gardens operate.Please help spread the word of this survey via your school garden team and larger networks. Our goal is for every school in California to respond to the survey. For schools that do not have gardens we want to know what the barriers are. For schools with gardens we want to know what makes them work and what resources are needed to sustain them.IF YOUR SCHOOL DOES NOT HAVE A GARDEN PROGRAM THE SURVEY WILL TAKE LESS THAN 5 MINUTES.FOR THOSE RESPONDING THAT HAVE A GARDEN THE SURVEY SHOULD TAKE ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO COMPLETE.Please ensure that this survey is answered by the person who will have the most in-depth knowledge about your school garden and its functions. If there are multiple coordinators of your garden please communicate with them regarding who will be answering the survey to reduce the chances of duplicate survey responses for your school garden. Please note that this survey is meant to be answered for one school garden only. (i.e. If you are involved with more than one garden, please fill out an individual survey for each garden.) You may take the survey multiple times for each garden that you are involved with.If you wish to preview all the survey questions before beginning click "Next" and then download the survey by clicking on the "Review Responses" button on the bottom of the page.Survey results will be available on www.lifelab.org and www.csgn.org by the spring of 2014. For more information on this survey and past CA school garden surveys visit: http://www.lifelab.org/2010/12/schoolgardensurvey/.Thanks for sharing!Sarah Hendrix - UCSC Senior InternJohn Fisher - Life Lab / California School Garden Network [email protected]

1. Your name:

2. Your role in supporting the school garden:Community Volunteer

Teacher

School Administrator

Other School Staff (eg. Garden Educator)

Parent Volunteer

Non-profit Support Organization, please specify... ______________________

Other Support Organization, please specify... ______________________

Email address:

4. School name:

5. School address:

6. School city:

7. School Zip

8. County:

Alameda

Alpine

Amador

Butte

Calaveras

Colusa

Contra Costa

Del Norte

El Dorado

... 38 additional choices hidden ...

Sonoma

Stanislaus

Sutter

Tehama

Trinity

Tulare

Tuolumne

Ventura

Yolo

Yuba

9. School Enrollment (Best estimate):

Does your school have a garden or garden program?Yes

No

THIS PAGE IS ONLY DISPLAYED FOR THOSE THAT STATE THE DON’T HAVE A GARDEN.

Please choose all applicable reasons that best describe why your school does not have a school garden.

Lack of staffing

Little to no knowledge about gardening

Lack of garden supplies

Lack of funding

Difficulty linking to core academic standards

Lack of volunteers

No interest in having a garden

Inadequate space

The risk of vandalism

Time constraints

Few or no instructional materials

Lack of technical assistance with gardening

Other, please specify... ______________________

Does your school have any ambitions or plans for building a garden in the future?

Yes

No

Thanks for taking the survey! Click "next" to submit your answers

11. Check the grades that your school serves:Pre-K

T-K/Kindergarten

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Adult Education

12. What is your school type?Public

Private

13. What best describes the neighborhood your school is in?Urban

Rural

Suburban

14. When was your garden started?Within the last year

2 years ago

3 years ago

4 years ago

5-7 years ago

8-10 years ago

11-13 years ago

14-16 years ago

17-20 years ago

21-25 years ago

26-30 years ago

31-35 years ago

36-40 years ago

41-45 years ago

45-50 years ago

50 plus years ago

15. What types of plants exist/will be grown in your school garden this academic year? (select all that apply)

Vegetables

Herbs

Fruits (Trees or vines)

Ornamentals (Such as flowers)

Nuts

California Native Plants

Wildlife Habitat


16. Do you grow any specific theme gardens? (If yes, please specify)

17. What is done with the edible plants grown in the garden? (select all that apply)

Use produce in tasting programs (such as Harvest of the Month or cafeteria tasting)

Used for academic study

Sold to school food service

Donated to school food service

Harvested for consumption and eaten during garden time

Sold (to somewhere other than school food service) Please specify where: ______________________

Donated (to somewhere other than school food service) Please specify where: ______________________


18. What kind of food safety protocols do you use in handling produce, if any?

19. What features does your garden have? (select all that apply)Sink(s)

Food prep/Kitchen area

Weather station

Compost area

Worm bins

Tool shed/storage area

Outdoor teaching area (benches, tables, seated gathering area, ampitheater, etc.)

Theme gardens

Rainwater harvesting

Solar panels

Pond or water feature

Interpretive signage

Automated irrigation system

Greenhouse

Domestic animals (chickens, ducks, rabbits, etc.)

Raised beds in one or more areas

In the ground in one or more areas

Planters/pots

Hydro/Aquaponics

Other feature not listed above, please specify... ______________________

20. When is the garden used? (select all that apply)During class instruction time

During recess

During lunchtime

Before school

After school

Weekends

Summer program/camp

Non-school community uses


21. What grade level(s) participate in garden programming at your school? (select all that apply)

Pre-K

T-K/Kindergarten

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

Eighth

Ninth

Tenth

Eleventh

Twelfth

22. What percentage of your school's students do you estimate visit the garden (at least once) for formal instruction per academic year?

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

23. Who most often teaches students in the garden?Master gardeners

Parent volunteers

College interns/volunteers

School teachers

Paid garden coordinator (school staff, on school payroll)

Paid non-school support organization staff (not on school payroll, eg. non-profit, afterschool, or cooperative extension staff)

Older students (Buddy teaching)

Other volunteers


24. Is the school garden used for core academic content instruction? (Math, English-Language Arts, Science, Social Studies)

Yes

No

25. Is the garden used to teach mathematics?Yes

No

If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.26. How would you characterize garden-based mathematics instruction at your school? (Select all that apply)

Garden related mathematics concepts are taught in a lesson prior to or after garden class time.

Math skills are reinforced through garden instruction.

Explicit math lessons are taught in the garden.

27. Is the garden used to teach English-Language Arts?Yes

No

If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.28. How would you characterize garden-based English-Language Arts instruction at your school? (Select all that apply)

Garden-related English/Language Arts concepts are specifically taught in a lesson prior to or after garden class time.

English/Language Arts skills are reinforced during garden instruction time.

English/Language Arts lessons are taught during garden class time (ie. journaling, composition, reading, etc.).

29. Is the garden used to teach History/ Social Sciences?Yes

No

If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.30. How would you characterize garden-based History/ Social Studies instruction at your school? (Select all that apply)

Garden-related History/ Social Studies concepts are specifically taught in a lesson prior to or after gardening garden class time.

History/ Social Studies concepts are reinforced through garden instruction.

History/ Social Studies lessons are taught during garden class time.

31. Is the garden used to teach Science?Yes

No

If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.32. How would you characterize garden-based science instruction at your school? (Select all that apply)

Garden-related science concepts are taught in a lesson prior to or after garden class time.

Science concepts are reinforced through garden instruction.

Explicit science lessons are taught in the garden.

Students create and conduct their own science projects in the garden.

33. Which of the following non-core subjects are taught using the garden? (select all that apply)

Agricultural Studies

Art

Computer Technology

Environmental Studies

Foreign Language

Health & Nutrition

Home Economics / Cooking

Physical Education

Special Education

Business/Micro Economics

Service Learning/Community Service

None of the above


34. What educational resources and materials are used to teach core academic subjects when the garden is a learning laboratory? (select all that apply)

Textbooks (specify title): ______________________

Garden-based learning publications (specify title) ______________________

Lesson plans created by you or other educators

Websites (specify organizations and addresses) ______________________

Materials received at workshops or seminars (specify seminars and materials) ______________________


35. Which of the following positive observations have you made in your school garden participants? (Check all that apply)

Increased environmental attitude/attitudes

Increased community spirit

Increased social skills/behaviors

Increased leadership skills

Improved attitude towards school

Sense of volunteerism

Improvements in health and nutrition

Improved motor skills

Academic gains


36. Describe any negative observations that you have seen in your school garden participants.

37. Would you define your school garden as part of Farm to School programming? (Farm to School programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education, and supporting California’s farmers.)

Yes

No

I don't know

I hadn't heard of Farm to School until now.

38. Does your cafeteria source local produce from farmers?Yes

No

No, but they want to.

I don't know.

39. Do you align garden education with marketing/promoting fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria?

Yes

No


40. Which three factors/resources would best support academic instruction in your garden? (check up to three)

Access to garden-based curriculum/education materials

Teacher training in gardening skills

Teacher training in garden-based learning instruction

Teacher training in outdoor classroom management

Lesson planning time

Encouragement from administrators to use the garden as an instructional tool


41. In the past three years what types of garden-based professional development has your staff received? (select all that apply)

None

On-site school sponsored

Off-site workshop

Conferences or seminars

Webinars

Online courses

42. What specific professional development topics would you attend or like to see offered in your area?

Garden enhanced nutrition education

Connecting the garden to Common Core English/Language Arts and Math

Connecting the garden to Next Generation Science Standards

English language learning in the garden

Building a school garden program: Fundraising, community building, budgeting, etc.

Outdoor classroom management

Garden-based learning in early childhood education

Youth empowerment and food justice for teens

Gardening how-to's: Composting, irrigation, etc.

Networking events


43. What types of program evaluation or assessment has been conducted for your school garden program in the past five years? Skip if you haven't conducted assessment for your garden in the past five years.

44. During the last academic year what was your annual TOTAL SCHOOL GARDEN BUDGET (materials and support staff salary/stipend)?

I don't know

$0

$0-$499

$500-$1,000

$1,000-$2,500

$2,500-$5,000

$5,000-$10,000

$10,000-$15,000

$15,000-$20,000

$20,000-$30,000

>$30,000

45. During the last academic year how was your funding divided? (Answer in percentages). Skip if you don't know or have no funds.Materials (tools, plants, curriculum, books, hardscaping, etc.)

Maintenance Staff

Instruction Staff

Other (list resource(s) and percentage)

46. During this and last academic year who has your school garden received funds from? (select all that apply). Skip if you have no funds.

School or district funds

Individual donations

Community/business donations

Grants and/or foundations

PTA/PTO funds

Optional: Please list funding organizations: ______________________


47. During this academic year, what support organizations collaborate with your school garden? (select all that apply)

Non-profit organizations

After school programs

Network for A Healthy California

University partnerships (Such as master gardeners, cooperative extension)

Farms

FoodCorps


None

48. Who provides the most ongoing garden site maintenance? (caring for the plants, watering, repairs)

Master Gardeners

Parent volunteers

College interns

Other volunteers



Teachers

Students

Administrators

Custodian


49. Are there any paid staff that manage the garden or teach in the garden outside of classroom teachers? Select yes if there are any (school or non school) support staff that receive any types of funds for garden programming.

Yes

No

If you answered "no" to the question above skip to question 52.50. What is the hourly pay rate range for paid (non classroom teacher) garden support staff? (if you have more than one paid staff list the higher paid staff. If garden staff is paid with an annual stipend, divide the stipend amount by the estimated hours worked to come up with an hourly rate)

1-5$/hour

6-10$/hour

11-15$/hour

16-20$/hour

21-25$/hour

26-30$/hour

31-35$/hour

35+$/hour

If you answered "no" to question 49 skip to the next question.51. During the academic year, on average, how many hours per week in total do all paid staff (NON-CLASSROOM TEACHERS) work/teach in the garden?

0-1 hour

1-2 hours

2-4 hours

4-6 hours

6-8 hours

8-10 hours

10-15 hours

15-20 hours

20-30 hours

30-40 hours

40-50 hours

50-60 hours

60-70 hours

70-80 hours

80-90 hours

90-100 hours

100+ hours

52. During the academic year, on average, how many hours per week in total do ALL CLASSROOM TEACHERS work/teach in the garden?

0-1 hour

1-2 hours

2-4 hours

4-6 hours

6-8 hours

8-10 hours

10-15 hours

15-20 hours

20-30 hours

30-40 hours

40-50 hours

50-60 hours

60-70 hours

70-80 hours

80-90 hours

90-100 hours

100+ hours

53. Select the three elements that would most benefit your school garden program overall. (check up to three)

Administration support

Parent volunteers

Garden coordinator staff position

Time scheduled within the school day for garden instruction

Community volunteers

Funding

Technical assistance for gardening

Professional development for school educators


54. Who takes the most responsibility for management of the garden? (fundraising, planning, coordination)

Master gardeners

Parent volunteers

College interns

Other volunteers



Teachers

Students

Custodian

Administrators


55. What is the average number of total hours per week spent by volunteers working or teaching in the garden?

0-3 hours

3-5 hours

5-10 hours

10-15 hours

15-20 hours

20-30 hours

30-40 hours

40-50 hours

50-60 hours

60-70 hours

70+ hours

We have no volunteers

56. If there is summer maintenance of the school garden, who is participating in this? (select all that apply)



Teachers

Custodian

Administrators

Master gardeners

Students

College interns

Parent volunteers

Other volunteers

Summer programing (Such as camps)


57. If someone was to grant your garden $10,000 for the next year what are the top two things you would spend that money on? (Select up to 2. Please do not mark items that you would not spend the money on.)

Physical site (gathering areas, plants, hardscape, irrigation, signage, kitchen, raised beds, garden tools, compost materials, etc.)

Paid staff

Teacher training

Curriculum materials


58. Is your garden included on the Edible Schoolyard Network Map?In addition to gathering data on your school garden we are also trying to document the growing movement using the Edible Schoolyard Network’s mapping tools. Please add your school garden to the map and be counted in California!If you have not yet mapped your program on the Edible Schoolyard Network you can add it now! Follow these instructions to add your garden.

Yes

No

You have finished the survey! Please click submit!

2013-14 california school garden survey · web viewcalifornia school garden survey. life lab, in...

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