Schools, Teachers and Achievement Questions

Directions:   Use the space provided to answer questions. Please answer questions as fully as possible, using 3 or more sentences if you can.  It is best to answer a few questions fully, rather than giving short responses to all the questions. If you don’t want to respond to a question, skip it and go on. You can come back and answer later if you want. Try to answer some or all questions from each category to paint a vivid picture of your experiences. Once you hit the SUBMIT button, the information you provide is collected and you will be returned to the “home” page.

You can print out the questions to think about and then answer them, if you wish. A mailing address, fax number and email address are listed at the end of this set of questions for you to use to send in your responses.

Schools That Work

[A]    Describe a “typical” and a “perfect” school day.

[B]    What activities or methods do teachers use that make learning worthwhile?

[C]    What should be done in a gifted program that is different from the rest of a school’s classes?

[D]   What could teachers do to make school a better place to learn for smart students like yourself?

[E]    We’ve talked a lot about gifted children, but what makes a teacher “a gifted teacher”?

To Achieve…Or Not

[F]    Does school “come easy” to you? If “yes”, how do you think this will affect your future? If “no”, how do you feel about people who answered “yes”?

[G]   Are you a creative person? Explain.

[H]   Do you think being creative can “get in the way” in school? Explain.

When Schools Fail

[I]     What happens to you in school that makes learning more difficult or less interesting?

[J]     Do you ever get bored in school? If “no”, why not, and if “yes”, what do you do to relieve the boredom?

[K]   If you could “fix” school for smart students like yourself, what would you do?

[L]    What do you think is the biggest challenge for smart students like yourself in school?

[M]   Think about the future. Describe how you think school will be for you, a smart student, until graduation day.

[N]   Can a person overachieve? Explain.

[O]   If underachievement means not working to your ability, what do you think a person "submersed" in a classroom might be doing?

[P]    Is there anything I didn’t ask about that I should have? Explain.

Background Information

Your Age: Your Gender:

The state/country you go (went) to school in:

Student Contact/Interview Consent Statement:

If you are interested in being contacted about your responses and/or taking part in a telephone interview, please place your e-mail address in the space provided. An attachment containing consent forms will be forwarded to you. If you are under the age of 18, parent/guardian consent must also be received.

E-mail address:  

My contact information:                     

Robert Arthur Schultz, Ph.D.
The University of Toledo
Gifted Education and Curriculum Studies
2801 W. Bancroft St.
Mailstop 924
Toledo, OH  43606
(419) 530-2466 FAX

Robert.Schultz@utoledo.edu