What Is the ESSP for Parents Like?

The ESSP for Parents is an online questionnaire for parents/guardians of students who take the ESSP. A scannable paper-and-pencil form is also available for parents who do not have access to a computer. Schools are encouraged to provide parents with opportunities to take the online version of the ESSP for Parents. It takes parents less time (under 30 minutes) to complete the online version, the online version has an audio option, and no delays for shipping or scanning occur with the online version.

The ESSP is designed to be a tool to enhance parent-teacher communications and let parents know their knowledge is valued at the school. It is especially important to reach the parents who might not otherwise have the opportunity to provide their insights into their children's experiences to school staff. ESSP supporting materials provide suggestions for increasing parent participation in the ESSP.

What Kinds of Questions Are Asked of Parents?

The ESSP for Parents contains 130 questions on topics parents know best-- child and family demographics, perceptions of the environments affecting the child, their own parenting strategies and parent education involvement activities, and the child’s behavior at home. Parents are also asked about their expectations for the child's future substance use.

What Happens to the Completed Parent Forms?

Data from the ESSP for Parents is transferred anonymously and automatically to a computer database where it is combined with child and teacher data to generate the Individual Profile, Summary Group Profile, Risk Report and Detailed Group Report. The Profiles summarize information from all three sources. Individual Profiles have only a number on them. Only school staff involved with the ESSP administration know which number belongs to which child. The group level reports also have no individual identifying information and provide only aggregated data.