The aim of this article is to describe the Community and Youth Collaborative Institute School Experience Surveys (CAYCI-SES). The CAYCI-SES measures are free and available to use with permission. The tools include valid and reliable surveys, assessments, and scales to help school stakeholders to identify and assess school climate and other conditions for learning. The CAYCI-SES gather data about the school environment across stakeholder groups and the broader school–family–community context known to influence student learning and youth development. For example, the measures include four survey versions: elementary school student, middle/high school student, parent/caregiver, and teacher/school staff. The CAYCI-SES also are valuable evaluation tools used to inform school planning and improvement efforts. This article describes each of the CAYCI-SES surveys and provides an overview of the process used for psychometric testing and instructions for implementation. Authors also discuss examples of schools and districts that have used the measures and implications for how school social workers may use the survey findings to address or identify needs, improve outcomes, and guide school improvement efforts.

Youth experiences intersect along their race, gender, language and socioeconomic status, schools must consider the intersectionality in order to improve outcomes. The current study sought to understand if, and to what extent, different clusters of youth in one large urban high school perceive their psychosocial behaviors as well as social and interpersonal skills. Cross-sectional survey data from 1,164 high school youth were collected using four valid scales: Internalizing Behaviors, Externalizing Behaviors, Peer Relationships, and Social Skills. The analytic strategy was twofold. Cluster analysis was used to form homogeneous clusters of the 1,147 complete responses based on a combination of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, English language learner status, and gender. Next, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA) was used to compare cluster profiles on the aforementioned measures. The cluster analysis revealed a 5-factor solution. Findings of the MANCOVA showed that the clusters differed significantly on the set of psychosocial behaviors, social skills, and peer relationships variables (p<0.05, η 2 = 0.08), with significant univariate differences (p < 0.05) emerging on all four variables. Results point to cluster analysis as an emerging way to identify needs and tailor supports to youth in schools. Youth with identified needs could receive more specialized Tier II and III interventions aligned with their intersecting cultural and personal experiences, in addition to universal interventions to meet school wide priorities.

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