Student surveys have shown that they deserve to be one of those measures, he argues. Ferguson developed student surveys as part of the Tripod Project for School Improvement — which addresses teachers’ content knowledge, pedagogic skill, and relationship skills — over more than a decade of work. Initially, Ferguson worked with k–12 teachers and administrators in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and with 15 member districts of the Minority Student Achievement Network. Since 2005 he has developed the surveys for use both around the nation and abroad, and over one million surveys have been administered. The student surveys measure instructional quality using seven categories, ranging from a teacher’s control of the classroom, to her or his ability to challenge students, to whether he or she is able to create a caring and emotionally safe environment for students to learn in.