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The National School Boards Association (NSBA) this week launched Students on Board: A Conversation Between School Board Members and Students, an online toolkit designed to get school board members nationwide talking to students about school climate.

"Feeling welcomed and connected at school can have a huge impact on student achievement," NSBA executive director Anne L. Bryant said in a statement. "Schools where students are safe, academically engaged, and supported by education professionals are more likely to have fewer dropouts and higher student performance."

The website offers detailed guidance on how to connect with students to gauge a school's environment, using questions from the research-based school climate surveys developed by the NSBA's Council of Urban Boards of Education and by the Pearson Foundation's The Million Voices Project.

Key guidelines include the following:

• Ask the superintendent to select students in whatever manner best suits your district. Ask for the group to be a true cross-section of your school's culture, involvement and interests
• Invite six to 10 students so that everyone can easily participate in the conversation
• If possible, instead of the entire school board, have students meet with just two or three board members
• Have students invite another caring adult to come along with them--for instance, a teacher, coach, or other adult they all know
• Have the meeting in a comfortable location selected by the students
• Schedule the meeting to run 60 to 90 minutes
• Ask students to write up their reflections on the conversation afterward, and ask for at least one student to volunteer to share those reflections

"Students on Board helps school board members incorporate practices that ensure they hear directly from the young people their schools serve," Pearson Foundation president and CEO Mark Nieker said in a statement. "Research-based surveys can provide an immediate, detailed snapshot of their own school climate. With this baseline, schools can take concrete steps to improve their students' experience--and they can provide similarly focused and informed support for their classroom teachers."

For related news and other information from Schools.com:

• Obama administration initiates reform of No Child Left Behind
• Survey: Most parents aren't saving for their kids' college
• Survey: 68 percent of U.S. adults say discipline in public schools is too lax
• CEP report finds no clear benefit from school vouchers