JEFFERSON — They may have already graduated, but some former Jefferson High School students might have the ability to affect the lives of younger students.
The Jefferson City Schools System has implemented a "postsecondary survey" program for recent graduates.
"The survey was sent to approximately 325 students," Associate Superintendent Donna McMullan said. "We included information on a postcard regarding access to the (online) survey."
Because this is the first time the system has surveyed graduates, the postcards were sent to members of the graduating classes from the last two years.
The online survey asks graduates if they are currently enrolled in a junior college, university, technical school or if they are a part of the work force. It also asks students to weigh in on a number of topics, including how well prepared they were academically for life after high school, teaching styles encountered in post-high school classrooms and high school course difficulty compared to postsecondary courses.
"The goal of the survey is to obtain feedback from Jefferson High School graduates in an effort to improve educational services and program effectiveness," McMullan said.
In addition to answering yes or no questions, survey participants were asked to give short answers to questions relating to what they are currently reading for class and what opportunities they wish were more readily available while they were enrolled at Jefferson.
During a recent school board meeting, board chairman Ron Hopkins said he would like to see the survey expanded to allow students who may have struggled in school to say what helped them stick with it and graduate.
The postcards were sent out in December and participants were encouraged to respond by this month.
"We are still in the process of collecting feedback," McMullan said. "At this point, we have limited response, however we do plan to refine this process and continue to solicit feedback in the future. We may try to obtain feedback through other means, like interviews with graduates."