Tool 2: Student Empathy Interviews
9th Grade on Track
Purpose
As adults, we often make assumptions without pausing to ask our experts - students - what their
experience has been, what has worked and what has not worked to support their learning. Participants
will conduct 2-3 interviews with students who are currently or formerly a 9th grader at your high
school. Ideally, students will be selected who can share experience from the perspective of a student
within a group that has not been fully supported to be successful in terms of 9th Grade on Track and/or
high school graduation data.
Along with the quantitative 9th Grade on Track data, talking to students is a critical means of understanding how
best to set the conditions for every 9th grader in your building to be on track for high school graduation (and
beyond).
How to lead an Empathy Interview
To gain the best information, interviewers should:
●Have a conversation for 10-20 minutes per student
●Ensure that students feel safe sharing their perspective. Let students know that there will not be
repercussions for information shared.
●Encourage stories. Focus on asking open-ended questions that elicit a story. Ask Why.
●Don’t be afraid of silence. Don’t suggest answers to your questions.
●Take low inference notes and capture specific words and phrases used.
The following interview question stems are suggestions to start the conversation.
●Tell me a story about your 9th grade experience... Why is that?
●What was your middle school experience? What was the transition like to high school? Why do you think it
felt similar/different?
●Tell me about the part of your school experience that you feel the best about or most success in? Why do
you feel best / most successful in that part of school?
●Tell me about the part of your school experience that you feel the worst about or least success in? Why do
you feel least successful in that part of school?
●Tell me about an experience in school where you felt included or excluded? What about this experience
made you feel included/excluded?
●Who is an adult that you think cares about you at school? Why?
●What do you think your teachers think about you? Why?
●What are your hopes and plans beyond high school? Why?
Follow-up questions should aim to clarify and expand. Ask:
●Why?
●Can you tell me more about that?
●Walk me through that.
Every Student on Track | January 16, 2018
