School Garden Surveys and Tools

[John Fisher]

Greetings, In 2010 I conducted the California School Garden Survey. You can download all the survey questions we used as a PDF at http://www.lifelab.org/2011/01/schoolgardensurvey/  Also I can share a the complete SurveyMonkey version of this survey with you if you have a paid version of SurveyMonkey. 

We plan to conduct the survey again this spring and I have the following question:

1. Have you conducted any similar surveys that you can share via a link or upload as an attachment to this post?
2. Do you have any suggestions of online survey tools that allow survey respondents to save a halfway completed survey online and return to it at a later time?

Thanks in advance,

John Fisher

Life Lab www.lifelab.org

[Park Guthrie]

Hi,

Here is a link to a survey I created on Google Forms. I believe Google Forms allows people to go back in and change surveys even after they submit.

https://docs.google.com/a/ousd.k12.ca.us/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE5rQlBSOE9saFVGekRJMGFGTy12RkE6MA#gid=0

Cheers,
Park

[John Fisher]

Greetings,

The 2014 California School is now open.

Please share among your networks and CA school gardens.

Access the survey here:

http://www.lifelab.org/2013/12/schoolgardensurvey2014/

John Fisher

Life Lab / CSGN

[John Fisher]

Here are some more school garden survey examples:

Minneapolis Public School School Garden Survey 2014-15 

Oregon Department of Ed School Garden Map

New London County CT School Garden Survey shared here

Florida Farm to School is undertaking a statewide survey

JOHN

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John Fisher - Director of Programs and Partnerships

Life Lab  •  1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064  •  831.471.7831  -  831.459.3483 (fax)

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[Rick Sherman]

More on the Oregon Survey: 

Initially (three years ago) I called each school in Oregon to get the data for the map (took 20 min/day for three mos.).

Since I work for the Oregon Dept. of Education, and roll up to the Child Nutrition dept., I proposed our school garden data get updated annually via the National School Lunch Program re-application process.  Every year, the Nutrition Services departments around the State have to complete a pretty long and arduous application via an online system.  This system takes quite a while, and things like free & reduced data, meal counts, confirming schools participating as well as updated contact information for each building in the district is update. I figured since they were going in and updating this information anyway, maybe they could help updating the school garden information I had in the system.

The only problem is that the Nutrition Services folks for the most part have nothing to do with the gardens, and really don't contact the teachers or folks who would be in charge of the garden at all.  So, I end up getting quite a lot of wrong data - that I have to in turn clean up.  But, the system is a start in which I hope to improve upon.

The questions asked in the application process include the data we track, such as: Is the produce from the garden going to the cafeteria; Is there a paid garden coordinator..  etc.

Attached is a screenshot of the questions on the application.

[Rick Sherman]

Also, I think I need to offer some advice when surveying schools..

This is coming as a "calm voice of reason" standpoint from a former Food Service Director for the better part of 32 years..  School district personnel, be it FSD's or teachers, are surveyed and emailed to DEATH, and absolutely hate completing surveys!.  These folks are SO busy, and don't have much extra time for hammering away on surveys.  This is why I tend to get bad data back.  Also, I thought when I landed my job as a State coordinator, everyone would welcome me with open arms.  I found out that probably 90% of all food service directors are not wired like me.  They could really care less about school gardens, they just want to meet the standards and break even.  I've had fun educating them and introducing them to this world and have found this is changing a bit!

My advice is - If you are going to do a survey - make sure it's very short and sweet!  Further advice: Ask 1-3 of your most important questions you want to track, and contact information for the garden coordinator.  Of all the folks who answer these, they would be the most motivated and will likely participate more, you can then follow up with them in a more detailed second survey if you need to. Also, it's my experience that folks who garden might not necessarily be the same folks who spend a lot of time answering emails, they're out in the garden! It even gets worse when trying to contact farmers!

On Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 5:55:47 AM UTC-8, John Fisher wrote:

[Ullery, Sam (OSSE)]

Thanks Rick, I have a similar experience and would like to add that if there is an existing survey in your state/ district, latch on to that. DC collects school garden/ farm to school data through the School Health Profile which is an existing survey that is required. Schools already know they have to fill this out each year so adding a few questions is not too burdensome.   Our response rate on this survey is close to 100%.

 

Sam Ullery

School Garden Specialist
P: (202) 741-6485 C: (202) 341 0791

sam.u...@dc.gov

 

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[Emilie Gioia]

Hi all,

Based off of this conversation, I created a resource on the Edible Schoolyard Network listing these various surveys mentioned so that it has visibility to the Network's extended audience. See it here.  It's attributed to the National School Garden Network. John and Sam, feel free to edit or add more examples as you hear of them. We're happy to do the same here.

Many thanks to all who shared their thoughts.

Emilie

[Mary Thompson]

Hello School Garden Network,

Along the lines of school garden surveys and tools, I was wondering if anyone has used QR codes in the garden to track usage of the school gardens? Or any other technological onsite tool to give information to teachers as well as collect information from them?

Thank You,

Mary Thompson

Apple Seeds, Fayetteville, AR

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Apple Seeds

[SHERMAN Rick]

Hello SGN,  we introduced QR codes as a way for parent engagement.  We have them available as item identifiers both in the garden and the cafeteria.

 

We have them available for 36 Oregon Harvest for Schools items..  See how they look here: http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/nutrition/snp/summer_squash_qr.pdf  (summer squash example).  Using the QR code redirects the user to our Harvest for Schools page for that item, enabling the visitor to get more information on the item.

 

 

Main page: click on any of the fruit or veggie items and then click on them click on the item identifier

http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3294

 

Rick

 

Rick Sherman

Farm To School / School Garden Coordinator

Child Nutrition Programs

Office of Learning / Student Services

Oregon Department of Education

255 Capital St. NE, Salem OR 97310

( (503) 947-5863  6 Fax: (503) 378-5156

mailto:Rick.S...@state.or.us

 

 

Visit ODE’s Farm to School website:  www.ode.state.or.us/go/f2sgardens

 

From: school-gar...@googlegroups.com [mailto:school-gar...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mary Thompson
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 7:44 AM
To: school-gar...@googlegroups.com
Cc: gardend...@lifelab.org
Subject: Re: School Garden Surveys and Tools

 

Hello School Garden Network,

[Whitney Cohen]

Hi all,

For providing information to teachers, I haven't seen this in person, but I heard it from a teacher and loved the idea! She had her students record short videos, and then posted QR codes around the garden that linked to those videos. So, for example, you would see a QR code at the 3 Sisters Bed, and it would open a video of her students explaining the 3 sisters. A nice, student-centered way to do interpretive signs. 

Hope that's helpful!

Whitney

Life Lab cultivates children's love of learning, healthy food, and nature through garden-based education.

Whitney Cohen - Education Director

Life Lab  •  1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064

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[Mary Thompson]

Thank you, Rick and Whitney,

This has inspired lots of ideas internally over here!

Mary Thompson