3 Reasons to Use GLSEN's Local School Climate Survey

Today, we are launching our updated Local School Climate Survey tool, which is now available in a friendly and easy-to-use online format. 

Since 1999, when GLSEN first launched the National School Climate Survey (NSCS), a biennial survey to document the unique challenges facing LGBT students in school, we have heard from community advocates, educators, members of Gay-Straight Alliances and local GLSEN chapters that they want to conduct something similar in their local communities and schools.

To help meet this need, GLSEN’s Research Department developed the Local School Climate Survey (LSCS). The LSCS, while similar to the NSCS, is designed not just to survey LGBT students’ on their school experiences, but to survey all students.  

The LSCS is available foranyone who is interested in gaining insight into the experiences of students, grades 7-12, in their own community. Here’s why you should take advantage of our updated LSCS tool:

1. The survey is easily customizable to measure different types of bullying, harassment and bias. The LSCS provides a set of questions to select from to help you create your own survey to examine students’ experiences with bullying, harassment, assault and many types of bias, such as sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia.

2. It automatically generates useful reports. After administering the survey to students in your local community, the LSCS automatically tabulates results, providing you with charts and tables that summarize the data collected. This information can help in the creation of data-driven advocacy efforts. 

3. Survey results can help make schools safer and more affirming. The results generated by this tool can help to identify issues facing students in your school, community or district. Whether you use the data to implement more inclusive school curriculum, to advocate for more comprehensive policies, or simply to better understand what students are experiencing, GLSEN’s Local School Climate Survey can be a starting point in your path towards making schools safe and affirming environments for all students.

Getting started with GLSEN’s Local School Climate Survey is simple. Just create an account at localsurvey.glsen.org and begin improving school climates for all students. What are you waiting for?

Noreen Giga is the Research Associate at GLSEN.