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OCR for page 12
School Volunteers:
A Statistical Profile
INTRODUCTION
Although wide attention is being paid to the importance of unpaid vol-
unteers and their contributions to the educational process, surprisingly
little of a current or reliable nature is known about the size of this group
of people, its composition, its distribution, or the breadth of its activities.
Most studies conducted in the past have dealt with a very broad scope of
volunteerism; thus, the ability to extract information solely on volunteers
in schools, and especially on activities contributing to the educational
process, has been severely limited. In addition, the variety and looseness
of the definitions used have made it difficult to develop comparisons be-
tween various studies. And other studies have only a few items devoted
to volunteer activity in the schools, providing limited useful information.
Thus, in developing the profile of volunteers in this chapter, we used, as
much as possible, data from a variety of sources. The main source, how-
ever, was the data provided by the U.S. Department of Education's Na-
tional Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
The committee has been most fortunate that its work coincided with
the efforts of the NCES to produce current and reliable information on
teachers, school administrators, and school policies and practices. To meet
the need for information on the critical aspects of teacher supply and
demand, the composition of the administrator and teacher work force,
and the general status of teaching and schooling, NCES mounted an inte-
grated survey covering the 1987-1988 school year; it involved seven dif-
ferent inquiries to schools, school districts, principals, and teachers, in
both public and private sectors. The sample for the 1987 effort consists of
12
OCR for page 13
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
13
9,300 public and 3,500 private schools throughout the 50 states. Two of
the seven surveys those addressed to public and private schools-each
contain two questions on the use of unpaid volunteers. Responses were
obtained from 90 percent of the public schools and 70 percent of the
private schools. The questions were similar to those included by NCES in
a study of public schools conducted during the 198~1985 school year
(and one of private schools conducted in 198~1986) and, thus, for the
first time, some comparisons of changes over time are possible. It should
be emphasized, however, that the data in this report from the 1987-1988
survey are preliminary; corrections may be forthcoming, as well as adjust-
ments for nonresponse; when these data are published by the center in the
near future, slight differences may be expected. Preliminary data from
the 1987-1988 NCES surveys are presented in Appendix A.
It is important to note that the questions used in both the 1987-1988
and earlier surveys are prospective in nature, asking an administrator to
estimate how many volunteers the school expects and will use during the
full school year that has just begun. For the 1987-1988 survey, the ques-
tions were as follows:
Do any UNPAID VOLUNTEERS provide services for this
school? Do not include students from this school as unpaid
volunteers.
How many unpaid volunteers do you expect will perform
services at this school on a CONTINUING OR SCHEDULED
BASIS during the 1987-1988 school year?
Furthermore, the forms were not accompanied by instructions defining
the terms, thus leaving interpretations of the questions to the respondent.
Accordingly, the numbers entered by the school staff may reflect a wide
variety of different influences, such as the experience of the previous school
year, expectations based on the new school year, hopes and aspirations
rather than reality, the desire to see a stated goal accomplished, or a mis-
interpretation of the questions. In the absence of any evaluation to mea-
sure the extent to which the guesstimate deviates from the actual use of
volunteers during the year, the numbers must be viewed with appropri-
ate caution. Nonetheless, results from these two surveys provide the best
and most consistent basis at this time for comparing the use of unpaid
volunteers in schools.
Several comments about some statistical aspects of surveys should be
noted. The estimates presented in this chapter are mostly derived from
samples and as such are subject to sampling variability. The measure of
variation due to sampling (the estimated standard error of a statistic) pro
OCR for page 14
14
VOLZINTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
vices an indication of the precision of the estimates derived from the
sample. Estimates derived from the studies conducted by NCES gener-
ally have relatively small standard errors, and the reports issued by NCES
present examples of standard errors for a number of representative statis-
tics. Thus, when NCES publishes final results of the 1987-1988 study,
measures of sampling error will be included. Similarly, reports contain-
ing data from the 1985 survey will present measures of error. When such
information was readily available for the other studies cited in this chap-
ter, it is noted in the text.
The reliability of estimates is directly related to the number of cases in
a cell, and caution should be exercised in the interpretation of figures
based on a relatively small number of cases, as well as in the interpreta-
tion of small differences between estimates. If the questionnaires had
been completed by different respondents, the responses would have been
different; some numbers might have been higher, while others might have
been lower.
The data also reflect the effects of nonsampling problems, such as the
failure of some respondents to reply to the questionnaire, misunderstand-
ing on the part of respondents as to the proper meaning of the questions,
failure to answer all of the questions, errors in coding or processing the
results, or failure to adhere to the specifications in carrying out the sur-
vey. These sources of error also affect the reliability of the results. Gener-
ally, no allowance is made in this chapter for these sources of error.
THE NATIONAL PICTURE
Some 1.3 million people were expected to participate as school volun-
teers in the school year beginning in the fall of 1987, according to prelimi-
nary information prepared by NCES from the Schools and Staffing Sur-
veys conducted in the fall of 1987: about l million people were expected to
contribute their time to the public schools, and an additional 295,000 un-
paid volunteers were expected in private schools. The 1987 figure for
volunteers in public schools is not substantially different from the 1.1
million reported by NCES for 1985; the figure for volunteers in private
schools at the current time, however, is almost three times the 1985 figure
of 100,000. Volunteers were found in about 47,300, or 60 percent, of the
nation's elementary and secondary public schools; the comparable figure
for private schools was 17,700, or 65 percent of all private schools.
The remainder of this discussion describes the public school sector,
which was the focus of the charge to the committee (see Table 3-1~. How-
ever, when available, data are presented for private schools (see Table 3-
2~.
The expected use of volunteers varied widely between schools in the
OCR for page 15
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
15
1987-1988 school year. For example, in schools with small enrollments
(fewer than 150 students), about 40 percent reported no volunteers, and
the 60 percent that reported the use of unpaid volunteers averaged about
seven volunteers per school. At the other extreme, about 75 percent of
schools with more than 500 students reported the use of volunteers, and
they averaged close to 30 volunteers per school. There is greater use of
volunteers at the elementary level: volunteers are found at 75 percent of
elementary schools, and there are an average of about 24 volunteers per
school; at the middle and secondary school levels just over 50 percent
report the use of volunteers, with an average of about 15 volunteers per
school.
Public schools with high minority enrollment (50 percent or more) were
less likely to use volunteers and reported fewer on average than did schools
with lower minority enrollment. Close to 50 percent of the minority schools
reported no volunteers, and those with volunteers indicated an average of
about 15 volunteers per school; by comparison, about 30 percent of schools
with less than 50 percent minority enrollment reported no volunteers, and
those with volunteers average about 22 volunteers per school. This same
relationship holds when the use of volunteers is examined by the compo-
sition of the teaching staff. Of schools with less than 20 percent minority
teaching staff, 75 percent reported using volunteers and averaged about
22 volunteers per school; of the schools with 50 percent or greater minor-
ity teaching staff, less than 50 percent used volunteers, and the average
was about 17 volunteers per school.
There are a number of possible explanations for these findings. Schools
with high proportions of minority enrollment generally are located in
areas whose residents have relatively low incomes. As a result, parents
may be less likely to have either the time or the energy to engage in vol-
unteer activity; there may be fewer intact families and fewer parents over-
all to participate; and there may be less understanding in such areas of the
need for and importance of providing volunteer services. Whatever the
cause of the imbalance, it is quite clear that children in such schools have
less opportunity to receive any of the benefits that can be obtained from
volunteer help. It also can be suggested that the possible benefits of
school volunteers to children in such areas, in fact, would be much greater
than in other areas or circumstances, given their probably greater needs.
Geographically, 70 percent of public schools in the West used volun-
teers and they also had the highest average number of volunteers, almost
27 per school. Just over 50 percent of schools in the South reported the
use of volunteers, with an average of 23 volunteers per school. In the
northeast and north central regions, 65 percent and 75 percent used vol-
unteers, respectively; both regions reported an average of 16 volunteers
per school.
OCR for page 16
16
VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TABLE 3-1 Public Schools with Volunteers, 1987-1988, by Selected
Characteristics
Average Number
TotalTotal of Volunteers
CategorySchoolsVolunteers per School
Total47,3021,015,442 21.5
Enrollment
Less than 1503,16721,659 6.8
150-2997,33784,368 11.5
300-49914,516281,418 19.4
500-74911,072329,952 30.0
More dean 7507,342194,383 26.5
NA/NR55426 7.7
Minority Enrollment
Less than 5 percent14,255254,425 17.8
5-19 percent11,042299,843 27.2
2~49 percent8,471199,674 23.6
5~74 percent4,18772,187 17.2
More than 75 percent4,86572,454 14.9
NA/NR67113,623 20.3
Minority Teachers
Less than 5 percent20,970404,287 19.3
5-19 percent10,944284,684 26.0
20~49 percent6,499129,458 20.0
5~74 percent2,06435,703 17.3
More than 75 percent98914,053 14.2
NA/NR2,02444,021 21.8
Type of School
Elementary31,198739,144 23.7
Middle/junior5,03171,668 14.2
Secondary3,82061,230 16.0
Combined1,86518,864 10.1
Other1,55721,180 13.6
NA/NR18121 6.6
Type of Community
Rural/farming12,123140,881 11.6
Towna10,902210,479 19.3
Suburban8,474270,323 31.9
Urban11,529285,462 24.8
Other3244,112 12.7
NA/NR138950 6.9
OCR for page 17
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
TABLE 3-1 (Continued)
17
Average Number
Total Total of Volunteers
Category Schools Volunteers per School
Region
North Central 12,254 194,618 15.9
Northeast 6,369 104,661 16.4
South 14,798 341,641 23.1
West 10,069 271,287 27.0
Less than 50,000 population.
NA/NR: Data not available or not reported.
NOTE: The totals reflect an adjustment for survey nonresponse. The details,
however, have not been adjusted to reflect nonresponse, either to the full survey or
to a specific characteristic. Accordingly, the details do not add to the totals and
differ somewhat among tables.
SOURCE: Unpublished data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Rural areas and small towns had the smallest number of volunteers,
fewer than 20 on average; suburban areas turned out the largest number,
about 32 volunteers per school. The average for urban schools was 25
volunteers per school.
The results from this most recent study confirm the widespread use of
volunteers in public schools. Irrespective of school size or location, and
irrespective of the makeup or mixture of student bodies or teaching staff,
volunteers evidently are viewed and accepted as a useful component of
the education process. Nonetheless, variations in the use of volunteers do
exist, as noted above. Overall, about 25 percent of all elementary schools
and more than 50 percent of all middle and secondary schools report no
use of volunteers. The implications of these differences should be exam-
ined. Studies should be undertaken to provide understanding and guid-
ance as to why some schools use volunteers and others do not, as well as
to how volunteer programs can be improved.
Unfortunately, the latest NCES study did not obtain information on the
activities of volunteers. To offset this limitation to some extent, we have
used results from the 1985 study, which did include such information (see
Table 3-3~. Those results show that the major focus of volunteer activity
in the public schools, occupying almost 40 percent of all volunteers, was
in the area of instructional support, such as tutoring, grading papers,
monitoring in science laboratories, conducting rote exercises, and the like.
The next most reported activity, involving about 30 percent of volunteers,
OCR for page 18
18
VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TABLE 3-2 Private Schools with Volunteers, 1987-1988, by Selected
Characteristics
Average Number
TotalTotal of Volunteers
CategorySchoolsVolunteers per School
Total17,738345,994 19.5
Enrollment
Less than 1506,25343,714 7.0
150-2994,65087,289 18.8
300~991,89854,525 28.7
500-74978227,117 34.7
More than 75035617,564 49.4
NA/NR
Minority Enrollment
Less than 5 percent6,433115,143 17.9
5-19 percent4,17561,877 14.8
2~49 percent1,62727,829 17.1
50-74 percent59414,698 24.8
More than 75 percent9235,917 6.4
NA/NR1884,744 25.3
Minority Teachers
Less than 5 percent9,900170,762 17.2
5-19 percent2,14939,950 18.6
20-49 percent7596,770 8.9
50-74 percent2911,390 4.8
More than 75 percent2231,622 7.3
NA/NR6169,713 15.8
Type of School
Elementary8,653146,103 - 16.9
Middle/junior1781,998 11.2
Secondary -85523,727 27.8
Combined2,43435,423 14.6
Other1,81722,947 12.6
NA/NR110 10.0
Type of Community
Rural/farming2,32922,373 9.6
Towna3,59751,132 14.2
Suburban2,77762,202 22.4
Urban5,19894,189 18.1
Other6214 35.0
NA/NR3399 3.3
OCR for page 19
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
TABLE 3-2 (Continued)
19
Average Number
TotalTotal of Volunteers
CategorySchoolsVolunteers per School
Region
Dorm Central5,23479,239 15.1
Northeast3,24154,821 16.9
South2,94339,533 13.4
West2,52156,615 22.5
Religious Orientation
Secular1,52921,284 13.9
Religious12,366208,690 16.9
NA44234 5.3
Catholic6,788155,652 22.9
Other religious5,57052,852 9.5
NA1,58121,704 13.7
aLess than 50,000 population.
NA/NR: Data not available or not reported.
NOTE: The totals reflect an adjustment for survey nonresponse. The details,
however, have not been adjusted to reflect nonresponse, either to the full survey or
to a specific characteristic. Accordingly, the details do not add to the totals and
differ somewhat among tables.
SOURCE: Unpublished data from the U.S. Department of Education.
- ~ - --r r - - -'
was extracurricular support in athletics, clubs, trips, newspapers, and li-
braries. Just under 15 percent of voluneers provided management or
advisory support, such as a citizen advisory group organized through the
school; around 10 percent gave clerical support to the school, while a
similar proportion worked at monitoring the cafeteria or playground. Less
than 5 percent of volunteers assisted in the area of guidance support, such
as career and college counseling or in health and drug awareness.
At the elementary school level, just under 50 percent of the volunteers
were involved with instructional support activities, followed by extracur-
ricular and advisory support activities. In contrast, at the secondary school
level, extracurricular support was the main task of volunteers, involving
just under 50 percent of all volunteers, followed by advisory support func
~l~e numbers add to more than 100 percent because some volunteers contribute to
more than one activity.
OCR for page 20
20
VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TABLE 3-3 Volunteers in Public Schools, 1984-1985, by Activity
All Schools Elementary Schools Secondary Schools
Activity Number Percent
Number Percent
Number Percent
Instructional
support 473~476 43.5 448,217 44.8 29,259 15.4
Guidance
support 50,383 4.6 36,765 3.6 13,617 8.3
Extracurricular
support 301,749 27.7 234,844 23.5 66,856 40.8
Management/
advisory 147,540 13.6 109,234 10.9 38,306 23.4
Clerical support 102,975 9.5 88,082 8.8 14,886 9.1
Other support 94,831 8.7 83,106 8.3 11,726 7.2
NOTE: Percentages add to more than total because of multiple activities.
SOURCE: Unpublished data from the U.S. Department of Education.
lions (occupying about 25 percent of the volunteers), and instructional
support, in which about 12 percent of volunteers participated.
Instructional support was the main area in which volunteers assisted in
the West, involving almost 60 percent of the volunteers, compared with
about 40 percent elsewhere in the nation. The West used fewer volunteers
in both extracurricular and clerical support, areas in which the rest of the
country use large proportions of their volunteers.
A major drawback of the current NCES effort to obtain information on
the school volunteer universe is that it fails to provide any demographic
data about the people who serve as volunteers. To provide some under-
standing of this important area, we have used a study conducted by the
Gallup organization in fall 1985 for the Independent Sector, a public non-
profit coalition of corporate, foundation, and voluntary organizations es-
tablished to assist the voluntary sector (see Independent Sector, 1986~.
The information was obtained through personal interviews with a na-
tional sample of 1,638 respondents 14 years of age and older. The report
notes that major findings have a sampling tolerance of plus or minus 3
percent.
According to Gallup, about 13 percent of the population 14 years of age
and over reported some volunteer work in education during the previous
year, about the same as in 1981. However, a fall to 8 percent was reported
when the question was restricted to volunteer activity in the previous
month. A majority of the volunteers had contributed 4 or less hours dur-
ing a week. It should be noted that "volunteer work" in this survey
OCR for page 21
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
21
included any and all activities involving education, whether public or
private, fund raising, teaching Sunday school, or adult education.
Although separate data are not available from the Gallup surveys on
the characteristics of those contributing their time and efforts to educa-
tion, it is informative to examine the characteristics of all volunteers, with
a very broad assumption of general similarity (see Table 3-4~. In fall 1985,
about 48 percent of the population 14 years old or over reported volunteer
activity of all kinds over a 12-month period (about the same proportion as
reported in a study conducted for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in 1985~.
The Gallup study showed that 50 percent of women had engaged in some
volunteer activity, compared with 45 percent of men. The participation
rate was relatively constant up to age 50, about 50 percent, at which point
it fell to around 40 percent. Whites were much more likely to have volun-
teered than blacks (49 percent compared with 38 percent), and the higher
the educational attainment, the more likely the person was to have en-
gaged in volunteer activity the percentage rose from 29 percent of those
with a grade school education to a high of 65 percent for those with 4 or
more years of college. The same relationship held for income those with
family incomes of $30,000 or more were half again as likely to participate
in volunteer activity as were those with family incomes below that level.
These data also suggest a major change that took place during the post-
World War II period in the functions undertaken by volunteers with re-
spect to schools, that is, away from fund raising and school mother activi-
ties to assisting teachers and schools in the fundamental task of educating
children.
There was an effort to profile volunteers in public schools in 1981-1982,
when the National School Volunteer Program (NSVP) surveyed a national
sample of school districts. Unfortunately, a history of this survey, includ-
ing survey procedures, specific instructions, response rates, estimating
methodology, tabulation specifications, and results is not available.
However, an unpublished two-page summary of results provides the fol-
lowing reported findings:
· More than 4.4 million persons provided part- or full-time volunteer
services to public schools over a 12-month period in 1981-1982.
· Each volunteer contributed an average of about 3 hours per week.
· Volunteers were found in 79 percent of public school districts.
· Volunteer services were used more extensively at the elementary level;
volunteers were found in 88 percent of the elementary schools and in
60 percent of the secondary schools.
· Volunteers were parents, 33 percent; older citizens, 24 percent; stu-
dents, 21 percent; business employees, 18 percent; and other, 4 per-
cent.
OCR for page 22
22
VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TABLE 3-4 All Volunteers in Past 12 Months, by
Selected Characteristics, March 1981 and October 1985
(in percent)
Characteristics
March October
1981 1985
Total 52 48
Sex
Male 47 45
Female 56 51
Age
14-17 53 52
18-24 54 43
25-34 NA 53
25-64 55 51
35~9 NA 54
50-64 NA 44
65 end order 37 38
65-74 NA 43
75 and older NA 26
Race
White 54 49
Black and other races 41 38
Marital status
Married 53 52
Single 58 39
Divorced/separated/widowed 42 39
Employment
Full-time 55 49
Part-time 65 62
Not employed 45 44
Education
Grade school 26 29
Some high school 31 38
Four-year high school 54 46
College, less than4 years 65 61
College, 4 or more years 75 65
OCR for page 23
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
TABLE 3-4 (Continued)
Characteristics
March October
1981 1985
Income
Under $10,000 36 40
$10,000-$19,000 49 42
$20,000-$29,000 NA 44
$20,000-$39,000 64 52
$30,000-$39,000 NA 64
$40,000-$49,000 NA 67
More than $40,000 62 60
Region
East 51 43
Midwest 54 52
South 48 44
West 57 54
NA: Not available.
SOURCE: Independent Sector (1986: Table 1~.
23
A few words of caution are in order concerning these data. As noted
earlier, details on the conduct of this study are lacking. Furthermore,
unlike the NCES surveys that were directed to a sample of schools, this
survey used a school-district-level sample to obtain data on the use of vol-
unteers in schools in the district. This sampling procedure is considered
less reliable than a school-based sample because school districts are often
less likely to be able to respond with reasonably accurate data. Finally,
we were informed that only about one-half of the sampled school districts
responded, and nonrespondents were not followed up; it was thus as-
sumed that the number and distribution of volunteers in school districts
that did not reply were similar to those that did. If, as is usually the case,
school districts that did reply were far more likely to have volunteers than
those that did not respond, serious overestimates of the total number of
volunteers may have resulted.
We also note that the approach used more recently by NCES to mea-
sure the universe of volunteers in schools results in a number far less than
the 4.4 million reported in the NSVP study. It strains credibility to as-
sume that the level of participation has fallen precipitously in the inter-
vening period, particularly since anecdotal information and data from the
OCR for page 24
24
VOLLINTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
committee's site visits, especially those in big cities, indicated growth rather
than decline in the participation of volunteers in schools.
For these reasons, we cast a doubtful eye on the 4.4 million figure,
notwithstanding its wide use in the literature and folklore about the size
of the volunteer effort in public schools. At the same time, we would note
that those involved in the conduct of the NSVP survey did seek out com-
petent professional advice, certainly as concerns the methodology of sample
selection and sample size.
~ later effort to obtain statistics on school volunteers, as already noted,
was undertaken by the NCES in connection with its 1985 Public School
Survey. The NCES questionnaire, addressed to the school administrator,
included a single item: "Do any unpaid volunteers provide services for
this school?" A "yes" response resulted in a request to enter the numbers
of such volunteers. A similar study, which also included a question on
the use of volunteers, was carried out a year later among private schools.
The public school survey in 1985 was conducted by mail for a national
representative sample of 2,801 public schools and had a response rate of
84.6 percent. The sample size for the private school survey in 1986 was
1,387 private schools, with a response rate of just under 85 percent. No
instructions or definitions of terms were provided; thus, the interpretation
as to what constitutes an "unpaid volunteer" and the definition of "ser-
vices" were left to the discretion of the respondent. The survey also had
the drawback that a single total was not obtained; rather, administrators
were asked to provide detail by the type of support provided. Because
volunteers frequently engaged in more than one activity, there certainly is
the possibility of some duplication. Despite these reservations, the results
based on this survey that public schools were using or planned to use
some 1,088,230 volunteers in the 198~1985 school year are likely much
closer to reality than the 4.4 million estimate of the NSVP summary.
Again, either in using or in musing about the significance of the data
presented throughout this chapter, it is important both to note and to re-
member the caveats that attach to them. First, a time series based on a
consistent and iterative data collection system does not yet exist, although
the two most recent studies by NCES give promise in this direction. Prior
estimates bore little or no relationship to one another most notably, one
that provided a measure of 4.4 million and the more recent one that esti-
mated the total number of volunteers in public schools at 1.1 million.
Second, none of the measures to date has provided the potential re-
spondent with a written definition of a volunteer, one that can stand both
scrutiny and the test of time and that can be responded to easily and
quickly. Nor has the definition of volunteer been standardized such that
the list of activities to be included or excluded is clearly delineated, with
agreement by those representing the schools that the components are rea-
sonable and acceptable and can be isolated or separated, as desired. Third,
OCR for page 25
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
25
even assuming a standard definition of volunteer, the numbers them-
selves are open to serious question. For example, during our visits to
schools, we became aware that in some instances the counts of volunteers
are derived by summing the names entered in the sign-in registers. In its
brief exploration, the committee also became aware of instances in which
the registers were incomplete, were not used at all, or contained dupli-
cate, partial, or incomplete entries. And many schools, even given rela-
tively good registers, do not bother to tally; rather, they choose a "typical"
period a day or week and use the single tally as the guide for the
entire school year. Based on the committee's observations, so-called knowl-
edg~able estimates would appear to be a major source of the number of
volunteers. As noted above, the committee also has reservations about
the prospective nature of the questions now being used by NCES; we
strongly urge the application of cognitive research in the development
and testing of appropriate question wording, as well as the evaluation of
results.
Taken together, these concerns lead to an overriding need for agree-
ment on periodic collection of relevant, important, and much needed na-
tional information on the state of voluntary activity in schools. In this
regard, we have in mind the regular collection of data both on the extent
of voluntary activity and on the characteristics of those giving and receiv-
ing the unpaid services, that is, data collected both from schools and from
the population of volunteers. The NCES has made a good beginning in
collecting limited data from schools; it should now consider how fre-
quently such information is to be collected and, more important, how and
how much to expand the detail to be collected.
Similarly, NCES should review the need for information on the charac-
teristics of school volunteers and determine the scope and frequency of
what data to collect and how best to do so. The committee suggests that
NCES consider a periodic supplement with rotating subject areas, which
might be appended to the Current Population Survey conducted by the
Bureau of the Census. Such an approach might provide an efficient, eco-
nomical, and timely means of meeting needs for such data.
It is clear that standards on how the data should be gathered and
evaluated must be established, agreed upon, and carried out. Further-
more, if individual states wish to collect such information and a number
of the states already do-they should be encouraged to use agreed-upon
definitions and question wordings in order to ensure conformity with the
national data. Above all, the responsibility for providing national data
should and must rest with the federal government, in this case with NCES,
which is legislatively charged to provide the Congress with information
on the state of education. In our judgment., such an assessment must
include information on the use of volunteers in schools.
The committee is not in a position to discuss who should be respon
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VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
sible for ensuring conformity and coordination among those concerned
with and interested in this data collection effort. Instead, we merely note
with some emphasis the need for such action to be taken and suggest that
the Secretary of Education provide the needed leadership in this area.
THE STATE PICTURE
Since education is primarily a state responsibility, it is not surprising
that a number of states have active statewide volunteer programs. What
is surprising, however, is that so many states seem to have so little in the
way of legislation, leadership, or information about such programs. To
obtain some information on the extent of states' roles, the committee sent
a questionnaire to the states, extra-state jurisdictions, and the U.S. Depart-
ment of Defense schools. Most of the state replies indicated great interest
in community involvement in education; some even sent anecdotal infor-
mation on the use of volunteers in their schools; a few suggested that they
were about to move forward with both legislation and leadership; some
referenced a variety of data collected, compiled, or otherwise composed at
the local level; however, few had much of any substance to offer or dis-
play as their own contributions. If the 40 replies received are representa-
tive, it appears that local school districts and individual schools are far
ahead of their state leadership.
This is surprising in view of the strong support by the Council of Chief
State School Officers for parent, business, and other community involve-
ment in education, including school volunteer partnership development.
For example, the published policy statement of the council, a nonprofit or-
ganization comprised of the public officials responsible for education in
each state, includes the following in regard to the use of school volunteers
(Council of Chief State School Officers, 1988~:
Volunteers provide vital assistance to educators and students in the reinforcement
and enrichment of instruction and in the provision of related support services. Or-
ganized volunteer programs promote the involvement of a wide spectrum of the
population including parents, business and industry personnel, community organi-
zation members, retirees and students.
The Council encourages state education agencies to provide leadership in working
with local schools and communities to promote the statewide development of part-
nerships between professional educators and citizen volunteers to improve school
effectiveness and student performance.
The National Association of State Boards of Education, the policy-making
bodies in most states, has also issued statements encouraging citizen in-
volvement in schools.
Nevertheless, only 14 of the states that replied to the committee's ques-
tions had enacted legislation or issued state board of education policy
statements that authorized and encouraged the use of volunteers in schools.
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SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
27
An additional 27 indicated that they had "some kind" of program encour-
aging school districts to use volunteers, despite a lack of specific legisla-
tion or written policy, but they failed to provide any detail. Several noted
that they do provide some financial or technical support but again did not
provide any specific information. About half of the replies provided the
name and address of a person at the state level who had been designated
as responsible for school volunteer program coordination, and a small
number provided a brief description of the responsibilities of the position.
The state of Florida has what is probably the strongest legislative com-
mitment, with annual categorical funding for matching grants to school
districts to promote and extend school volunteer programs. This program
has resulted, according to statistics issued by the state for the 1987-1988
school year, in volunteer programs in more than 2,000 schools with more
than 140,000 volunteers.
Another area of inquiry dealt with the availability of information at the
state level on the extent of participation in public school voluntary activi-
ties and the characteristics of participants. Of the states that responded,
some 16 indicated an availability of some information, but less than half
of these provided information sufficient to support their contention or to
enable the committee to evaluate their data. For example, one state noted
in passing that the count of volunteers was not restricted to those who
gave services in schools but, rather, included anyone who gave any ser-
vice to the cause of education, anywhere in the state. Accordingly, this
state reported five times as many volunteers as another state with a popu-
lation that was eight times larger. In another instance, one state reported
23,000 volunteers contributed 5 million hours of effort (or 200 hours per
volunteer), while another state with almost six times as many volunteers
(140,900) showed only 6 million hours spent in service (or 43 hours per
volunteer). Only two states reported having undertaken any kind of evalu-
ation study.
A number of the states also attempted to quantify in dollar teas the
value of the efforts of volunteers. As a first step, using sign-in records,
observation, or assumed knowledge, the states developed an estimate of
the average number of hours that volunteers devoted to the schools. They
then ascribed an hourly dollar value to the aggregate number of hours,
which produced an estimate of the overall dollar value. This approach
also was followed in a number of the early data-gathering efforts: for
example, the 1982 NSVP study estimated the value of volunteer services
at "about $655 million." Even accepting the possible usefulness of such
information, it is important to recognize that such figures are fraught with
potential error which, on the one extreme, may reflect merely poor arith-
metic or poor assumptions or, at the other extreme, may reflect the desire
to make the state or the program look good.
The point of these examples is not to suggest that one or another of the
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VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
states or systems is attempting to mislead or misstate; rather, it is to dem-
onstrate the extreme variability in what the different states report, if at all,
and how they go about doing it. The point is to highlight the importance
of and need for reliable and consistent information that can enlighten
discussion about school volunteers and to emphasize that such info~a-
tion is not available at the present time, either at the national level or the
state or local level. Finally, these examples serve once again to remind the
Congress and those in the executive branch charged with determining the
state of education and providing guidance and support that they cannot
depend currently on state-derived and state~eveloped infold Elation to assist
and guide them in their tasks. Unfortunately, as we have seen, all too
often the data fall far short of the task.
EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS
In recent years, the roles of business and industry in the education
process have changed markedly. Certainly, business and industry have
always had and shown interest in the schools and, especially, in the type
of graduates they produced. However, as long as the labor market supply
was adequate or in excess, interest was not one of concern nor was it ex-
pressed in any major form of contribution to the process. With the recog-
nition that the entry pool of workers is shrinking and that new recruits
are not only more difficult to find but also less well trained than might be
desired, the focus of Attention by industry and business has shifted to one
of overt participation in education, in hopes of meeting their needs. This
changed participation led to what are now known as education partner-
ships, which have taken many forms, ranging from the provision by busi-
ness and industry of money and equipment to providing different types
of expertise to assist in and further the education process. Since this form
of activity seemed to be growing rapidly, during the 1987-1988 academic
year NCES undertook to measure both the size of the phenomenon and
the change since an earlier survey (1983-1984~.
The most recent study showed that there were an estimated 140,800
education partnerships between public schools and outside sponsors as of
the 1987-1988 academic year (National Center for Education Statistics,
1989~. The most frequent sponsors of education partnerships were busi-
nesses and civic organizations or service clubs. Forty percent of all public
schools participated in partnerships, and 24 percent of all public school
students were reported directly in them. These schools averaged 4.6 part-
nerships each. These numbers represent a substantial increase from the
earlier survey in 1983-1984, when there were approximately 40,400 part-
nerships in existence and an estimated 17 percent participation among
public schools.
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SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A STATISTICAL PROFILE
29
Partnerships were particularly prevalent in the southeastern region of
the country, where some 54 percent of public schools reported participa-
tion in an education partnership; in other regions, participation ranged
from 32 to 39 percent. Overall, just under one-half (46 percent) of the
secondary schools had education partnerships, as compared with one-
third of the elementary schools. School participation in partnerships was
directly related to school size, ranging from 30 percent in small schools to
57 percent in large schools. Finally, poverty appeared to be a key deter-
minant in the presence of a partnership program in a school, with the
number rising for schools with larger poverty student bodies.
The overriding support received from the partnerships was in the form
of goods and services. About three-fourths of the schools reported this
type of support, about one-fourth received money contributions, and one-
third received a combination of goods, services, and money. The specific
services that schools received consisted for the most part of the use of
guest speakers from the partnership' the use of sponsors' facilities, and
the provision of student incentive programs, such as student scholarships
or awards. Of particular note was the finding that principals initiated
most partnership arrangements in existence during the 1987-1988 school
year. Some 52 percent of all schools were involved in partnerships initi-
ated by a principal, compared with about 25 percent of schools involved
because of the efforts of others, such as superintendents, coordinators, or
teachers.
RECOMMENDATIONS
About 1 million people were expected to serve as volunteers in the
nation's public school systems during the 1987-1988 school year, accord-
ing to information collected by the NCES. Almost 47,300 schools, or about
60 percent of the nation's elementary and secondary schools, reported the
use of volunteers, averaging almost 21 volunteers per school.
These facts about volunteers provide a reasonable framework within
which one can begin to understand the contributions and importance of
volunteers to the educational process in the nation. In this situation, as in
so many others, reliable, consistent, timely, and accurate information be-
comes the guidepost to where the nation has been, where it is, and where
it wishes to go. At present, there is a paucity of such information.
It is the hope of the committee that the recent developments by NCES
in obtaining information on volunteers is but a starting point and that our
comments, caveats, and recommendations will serve to move the process
forward so that policy makers and others concerned with this area can
understand and take for granted that "the right thing is being measured
and it is being measured right!"
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VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
.
The committee recommends that the National Center for Educa-
tion Statistics be given responsibility for the collection, analysis,
and publication of national data on the use of volunteers in schools.
The committee recommends that the National Center for Educa-
tion Statistics use its existing advisory committees to define both
the data content to be collected and the appropriate frequency of
collection.
· The committee recommends that the National Center for Educa-
tion Statistics consult with state and local school officials, with
policy makers, and with parties concerned with the use of volun-
teers in schools to ensure that full cooperation is forthcoming in
effecting the collection of useful and usable information.
· The committee further proposes that the U.S. Department of Edu-
cation pronde leadership to the states and, given willingness on
their part to participate, provide both technical and limited short-
term financial assistance in initiating state-level periodic collec-
tions of data on the use of volunteers in the public schools.
REFERENCES
Center for Education Statistics
1986 E.D. Tabs; The 1985 Public School Surrey, Early Tabulations. Washington, D.C.:
U.S. Department of Education.
Council of Chief State School Officers
1988 Council Policy Statements, 1988. Washington, D.C.: Council of Chief State School
Officers.
Hodgkinson, A., and M. Weitzman
1986a The Charitable Behavior of Americans, Findings from a National Surrey. Conducted
by Yankelovich, Stally and White, Inc. Washington, D.C.: Independent Sector.
1986b Dimensions of the Independent Sector, A Statistical Profile. 2d Ed. Washington,
D.C.: Independent Sector.
Independent Sector
1986 American Volunteer 1985, An Independent Sector Summary Report. Washington,
D.C.: Independent Sector.
National Center for Education Statistics
1989 Education Partnerships in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools. Washington,
D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Im-
provement. CS-89-060.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
private schools
