About
The School Pulse Panel (SPP) is a monthly data collection of vital information in public education. SPP began as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and served as a primary source of information regarding public school's response to the pandemic. Beginning in the 2023–24 school year, SPP is expanding to collect data on a range of topics that have relevance for federal policymakers, stakeholders within the U.S. Department of Education, public school leaders across the country, and the general public.
The survey asks about topics such as after-school and summer programs, learning recovery, tutoring, staffing, and mental health services. Data collected from SPP are used to produce estimates that are representative of all U.S. public schools. Estimates from SPP can further be examined at the school level (elementary, middle/combined, and high schools), school size, region, locale (urbanicity), racial/ethnic student enrollment, and school neighborhood poverty level.
A sample of 4,000 public elementary, middle, high, and combined-grade schools were selected to participate in the panel, where school leaders will be asked to provide requested data monthly during the 2023–24 school year. Most topics will rotate in and out from month to month, while others will be asked multiple times throughout the school year to detect change.
SPP results are considered "experimental data." Experimental data products are innovative statistical products created using new data sources or methodologies. The dashboard does not provide results on all survey questions. See the full set of surveys administered each month for more information.
| TOPIC | DATA COLLECTIONS | LATEST RELEASE DATE |
|---|---|---|
| ABSENTEEISM | May 2022 | July 6, 2022 |
| AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS | September 2022 and September 2023 | November 8, 2023 |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS | August 2022 and August 2023 | October 11, 2023 |
| FOOD AND NUTRITION | March 2022 and October 2022 | December 6, 2022 |
| LEARNING MODES | January–June 2022 and September–December 2022 | February 7, 2023 |
| LEARNING RECOVERY | June 2022 and December 2022 | February 7, 2023 |
| MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING | April 2022 | May 31, 2022 |
| MITIGATION STRATEGIES | February, March, and June 2022 | August 1, 2022 |
| PARENT, STUDENT, AND STAFF CONCERNS | March 2022 | April 21, 2022 |
| QUARANTINE | January–June 2022 and September–December 2022 | February 7, 2023 |
| SCHOOL CRIME AND SAFETY | November 2022 | January 12, 2023 |
| STAFFING | January, June, August, and October 2022, and August 2023 | October 11, 2023 |
| STUDENT BEHAVIOR | May 2022 | July 6, 2022 |
| SUMMER PROGRAMS | June and September 2022, September 2023 | November 8, 2023 |
| SUPPLY CHAIN | October 2022 | December 6, 2022 |
| TECHNOLOGY | August 2022 and August 2023 | October 11, 2023 |
| TUTORING | December 2022 | February 7, 2023 |
FAQs
Why is the School Pulse Panel (SPP) important?
SPP is one of the nation's few sources of near-time, quick turnaround data on a wealth of information focused on student and staff experiences in the school environment, as reported by leaders in U.S. public schools. The data collected in this survey will help to inform federal policy decisions around education.
How is SPP different from other NCES surveys?
SPP is a unique survey. While surveys like the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) produce benchmark statistics critical to monitoring progress over time, they are not designed to capture and produce data quickly. Findings from each SPP monthly survey are typically released within six weeks of data collection, producing a new source of "near time" statistics that shed light on what is happening in public schools across the country and allow policymakers to make decisions based on up-to-date information.
What schools are part of SPP?
The sampling frame for SPP is derived from the Common Core of Data (CCD), the universe of public schools supplied annually by state education agencies to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Only public schools in the 50 states and District of Columbia are included in the SPP sample. This includes regular public schools, virtual schools, charter schools, alternative schools, special education schools, vocational schools, and schools that have partial or total magnet programs. Newly closed schools, home schools, private schools, and schools with high grades of kindergarten or lower are excluded.
In addition to the sample, all schools from designated U.S. Outlying Areas, including Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, that meet SPP eligibility requirements are invited to participate.
Are schools' responses kept confidential?
Federal mandate requires the protection of schools' responses. Individual school responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.
Where can I find the results?
The results from all the School Pulse Panel data collections are now available on this website by clicking "Interactive Results" in the site navigation or by visiting the page at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/spp/results.asp.
Other questions?
If you are a school that was contacted about participating in SPP and have questions about your participation, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via email at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The U.S. Census Bureau collects data on behalf of NCES.
For all other questions about SPP, please email schoolpulsepanel@ed.gov.