YouthTruth is a national survey project, developed by The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CEP gathers and compares students’ perceptions of their high school experience and shares this data back with funders, district and network leaders, school leaders, and students in an actionable and digestible manner.

CEP has implemented YouthTruth in 86 schools across the country and has surveyed more than 21,000 students to date. The project is continually expanding as we partner with more funders, districts, and schools to gather feedback that will inform meaningful change.

purpose

YouthTruth aims to provide data and create insight that enables education funders, district and network leaders, and school leaders to improve their effectiveness and impact.

what’s unique about YouthTruth

• Detailed comparative data
  YouthTruth provides rich comparative data in a user-friendly format. Average student responses at a given high school are compared to average student responses at other participating district or network schools as well as to student responses across all YouthTruth schools.
• A focus on school leaders and students
  A core goal of YouthTruth is to “close the feedback loop” with school leaders and students. While school leaders and students may often be the subjects of in-depth surveys, they are far too infrequently the audience for surveys’ results. And even in instances where schools and students are presented with results, the data is often difficult to interpret and act upon. YouthTruth seeks to change this dynamic. Not only do we confidentially share results with each school’s leadership team, but we also provide a summary of results that is designed specifically to be shared with students.
• Actionable feedback that drives change
  YouthTruth data is designed to inform school improvement efforts and promote change within schools and their networks. YouthTruth has already enabled tangible changes at numerous participating schools including new orientation programs for incoming freshmen, modifications in school discipline policies, and improved professional development programs for teachers and staff.