The document provides information about Speak Up, a national research initiative that collects views from K-12 students, educators, and parents on the use of technology in education. It summarizes what Speak Up is, why schools and districts should participate, the benefits of participating, how to participate, participation goals, and contact information for assistance. Speak Up aims to inform national discussions on ed tech, provide local data to schools/districts, and demonstrate that stakeholder voices are important in education discussions. Participation is free and provides localized results as well as national benchmark data.

1. Participation and
introduction guide for
schools and districts
Enable, engage and empower the
voices of your stakeholders
Speak Up

2. Participation Guide for Speak Up
1.What is Speak Up?
2.Why should we participate in Speak Up
this year?
3.What benefits will we receive?
4.How do we participate?
5.What should be our goal for participation?
6.Who do we call if we need help?

3. Participation Guide for Speak Up
1. What is Speak Up?
• The Speak Up Research Project Initiative, by facilitated Project
Tomorrow, is both a national research project and a free service to
schools and districts everywhere.
• Speak Up has three goals:
➢To collect and report on the authentic, unfiltered views and
ideas of K-12 students, educators and parents to inform national
discussions on the use of technology in education.
➢To provide school, district and state leaders with similar local or
regional data from stakeholders to inform their policies, programs
and funding.
➢To demonstrate to the education stakeholders, most notably
students, that their voices are important in discussions about
education.

4. Participation Guide for Speak Up
1. What is Speak Up?
• Speak Up is facilitated exclusively through schools and districts.
Schools and districts register to participate to ensure data
confidentiality. All schools and districts are eligible to participate.
• Speak Up is unlike other surveys or research projects because
every participating school and district gets back all the locally
collected data from all stakeholders.
• There is no fee for participation. There is no limit on the number
of responses that can be submitted.
• All data collected is confidential.

5. Participation Guide for Speak Up
1. What is Speak Up?
• Project Tomorrow shares the national-level data with Congress,
the US Department of Education, other federal agencies, think
tanks and research organizations and education associations.
• Project Tomorrow is not in the “gotcha business.” They do not
compare schools or districts, nor do they share local data with
anyone but the participating schools and districts.
• Speak Up includes question sets for K-12 students, teachers,
school administrators, librarian media specialists, district
administrators, parents and community members.
• Speak Up takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.

6. Participation Guide for Speak Up
1. What is Speak Up? 2018 stats…
Since 2003, more than 5.7 million
stakeholders have participated in Speak Up!

7. Participation Guide for Speak Up
2. Why should we participate?
▪ Three big reasons
▪ This year’s question themes
▪ What other education leaders say
about the value of Speak Up
▪ Open period for online collection

8. Participation Guide for Speak Up
2. Why should we participate?
Three Big Reasons:
Access the ideas of your stakeholders – especially students
and parents whose views are often difficult to collect. Speak
Up is the unbiased, 3rd party guardian of these views.
Respondents are more candid with us - we are not the district,
state, or a vendor.
No need to write your own questions – we are the experts in
how to ask audience-specific questions plus we provide you
with the national data for benchmarking anyway. Speak Up is
the most cost-effective way to engage your community.
Ensure that the voices of your stakeholders are being heard –
in Washington DC and your state capitol. Be part of a solution!

9. Participation Guide for Speak Up
Speak Up Themes
▪ Learning & Teaching with Technology
▪ Career Interests in STEM and Teaching
▪ Professional Development / Teacher Preparation
▪ Digital Citizenship
▪ Administrators’ Challenges / Parents’ Concerns
▪ Ed Tech Funding
▪ Digital games
▪ Online Safety
▪ Mobile Devices & BYOD
▪ Online and Blended Learning
▪ Digital Content
▪ Professional Development

10. Participation Guide for Speak Up
2. Why should we participate?
What other education leaders say about the value of Speak Up
• We have a better understanding of what’s important to our stakeholders
• We now have a mechanism to empower students to voice their opinions
about school
• Our technology initiatives are more closely aligned to students’
expectations and needs
• The data provides meaningful input into our district planning process
• Our teacher PD is more closely aligned to the expectations and needs
of our teachers
• We have created or revised our technology plan based upon the data

11. Participation Guide for Speak Up
“Our Speak Up results are indispensable in technology planning in our
school district and give us data to support innovation.”
Alabama Administrator
“For students, it gives them a chance to participate in a public policy
conversation and allows their voices to be heard. For teachers, it provides a
great conversation starter to better understand their students. For school
administrators and district leaders it provides important information for
future planning. ” Texas Administrator
“Our staff has used the results to shape their school improvement plans,
their Title I school plan and to develop a strategic school technology plan.
They have used the results to develop and deliver instruction, professional
development and community programs to support, promote and increase
access to technology.”
North Carolina Administrator

12. Participation Guide for Speak Up
3. What benefits will we receive?
• Free online reports with all your localized data plus the
national data for benchmarking purposes. Receive all
responses including the open-ended narrative responses.
• Weekly email with up-to-date participation numbers by
school and district and promotional tips
• Lesson plans, promotional materials, logos and banners,
FAQs and sample questions
• Dedicated staff to help schools and districts participate
• Online preliminary reports, beginning in November

13. Participation Guide for Speak Up
4. How do we participate?
• Schools & districts register to participate (for free)
• Promote to parents and staff – we provide materials
• Provide a way for students to participate online
• Review weekly participation counts
• Schools & districts get access to local data results +
national data for benchmarks as early as the first week of
November, depending on when they participate.
• Plan time to review your data!

14. Participation Guide for Speak Up
4. How do we participate?
Online participation is open:
September through June
Registration now open:
Speakup.tomorrow.org

15. Participation Guide for Speak Up
5. What should be our goal?
Step 1: Decide the audiences to poll with the Speak Up research
tool
Step 2: Decide what schools/classes you want to participate – or
ALL
Step 3: Identify your participation goal per school or per district.
One common way to do that is to use a percentage of your current
student population (or staff) to identify that goal.
Ex: District student population = 10,000
Speak Up Goal of 25% = 2,500 students
Step 4: Determine how you are going to use our Speak Up data in
the spring and communicate those usage objectives.
Step 5: Promote and encourage participation. Use incentives to
engage your schools and stakeholder audiences!

16. Participation Guide for Speak Up
6. Who do we call if we need help?
Your Project Tomorrow team is available to help you anytime.
Please call or email us if you have any questions or need ideas to
support your participation.
Jenny Hostert – Speak Up Operations Manager
949-609-4663
jhostert@tomorrow.org
Pilar Comparan – Special Projects Manager
949-609-4660
pcomparan@tomorrow.org
Julie Evans – CEO
949-609-4661
jevans@tomorrow.org

17. Thank you for your interest in
Speak Up, a national initiative of
Project Tomorrow.
Learn more at
www.tomorrow.org/speakup