Amanda Richards, Possip’s Reporting Team Lead, analyzed data from our Pulse Checks! The results were able to provide you with the top 10 feedback trends from Possip families!
As we are approaching the end of the school year, the Possip team is excited to share Possip family trends from the Spring semester! We hope sharing these trends is to bring awareness, understanding, and empathy for family needs and feedback. Families also have shared really impactful information to make communities better this semester, and these trends can prove to be very useful for school leaders and educators. This data is composed of over 65,800 family members that shared through Possip™. On average for the semester, 74% of families stated they were happy with their school.
Top 10 Feedback Trends From Possip Families
1️⃣ Covid Safety Measures
2️⃣ Curriculum
3️⃣ Teacher Communication
4️⃣ Carline Logistics
5️⃣ Bullying
6️⃣ Academic Support
7️⃣ Student Safety and Fighting
8️⃣ Transportation Needs
9️⃣ Extracurricular Activities
🔟 Student Discipline
Top 10 Trends From Possip Families Breakdown
#1: COVID Safety Measures
Families shared extensive feedback on mask protocols, vaccination requirements, and communication around COVID safety. Also, they had feedback around allowing students to use lockers and water fountains again. Additionally, they want normal pre-COVID cafeteria seating, and allowing parents back in the building to volunteer or eat lunch with their students. Families also shared questions about testing procedures, cleaning processes, and how schools are actively working to decrease the number of COVID cases on campus. Overall, though, there was a wide variety of opinions and content of the feedback that families shared. Some wanted schools to have more strict COVID safety protocols. Some wanted less protocols and increased normalcy for students. As we get closer to the end of the school year, families are talking about this topic less frequently.
#2: Curriculum
Families shared a need for both extension learning and more rigorous content for students, along with additional support for students who have fallen behind and are struggling to keep up with the grade-level curriculum. We also heard families share specific feedback like decreasing screen time and movies shown in class, adding more art, music, and special class options, and increasing engagement of the curriculum for students. Feedback regarding lesson pacing, student workload, and test prep content swung to both sides, some wanted lesson pacing slower and some wanted faster, and some wanted more test prep content and some less. In general, though, families are interested and in tune with the student’s learning process.
#3: Teacher Communication
Families discussed feeling disconnected from their teachers. They feel like they don’t have a direct and reliable mode of communication with their teacher. In terms of content, families want more updates on the academic and behavioral progress of their students, more parent-teacher conference opportunities, and more opportunities to hear what is going on in class and what students are learning. We also heard that families value consistency in communication, timely responses to emails/calls, and want to build a relationship with their student’s teachers.
#4: Carline logistics
Another discussed topic for families was around carline management and drop-off/pick-up procedures. Families used words like dangerous, frustrating, chaotic, and horrible to describe their carlines. We heard feedback about better control over traffic during carline, ideas to make carline safer for students and families, and feedback on logistics to make the process more efficient. Families asked for more staff to be present during carline, better enforcement of rules for families, and clear speed limits in the carline area.
#5: Bullying
We heard families sharing both very specific bullying concerns, and requests for a more general focus at a community level to improve bullying prevention and cultural norms. Families want more attention and seriousness towards resolving bullying situations, and also want to know exactly the process that the school takes during a bullying investigation. In addition, families want more supervision on campus, on the bus, and increased mental health support for all students involved in bullying situations.
#6: Academic Support
Families want more tutoring opportunities, many of those in ELA and math classes. They also want more one-on-one time with teachers, and focus on closing academic achievement gaps for students. We also heard requests for more communication when students start falling behind and need academic support. Also, families want more resources for how families can support students at school.
#7: Student Safety and Fighting
Families are advocating for serious handling of violent behaviors on campus, more teacher supervision, and increased safety protocols. We heard families share that students aren’t feeling safe on campus. Families don’t feel fully communicated with when safety situations occur on campus. Specifically, families want more clear and transparent communication when weapons are brought on campus and reasons for lockdowns. Focusing on safety is a top priority for families.
#8: Transportation Needs
We heard that the bus schedules are not consistent or reliable, busses don’t show up at all some days, and families are concerned about the safety risks the bus inconsistencies pose for their students. Families asked for daily messages if busses are not expected at the right time. In addition, they asked for more support from the school if they can’t drive their students every day.
#9: Extracurricular Activities
The next trending tropic was extracurricular activities and after school clubs. Specifically, families are interested in virtual club options, increased club offerings on campus, and social opportunities for students. Also, families asked for more information on how to get their students involved in current club offerings. We also heard a concern about all teams and activities getting equal recognition and equal funding.
#10: Student Discipline
The final topic in our Spring Possip Pulse Checks™ trends is around discipline on campus. Families shared feedback wanting increased consequences for students, better classroom management from teachers, and more positive incentives on campus for proactive culture changes. We also heard families share feedback about collective consequences like silent lunches, taking away recess, inconsistencies in punishment, and more family involvement or communication regarding discipline situations. Overall, we are hearing a need for a more positive, consistent, and supervised environment in classes and on campus.
If you have questions about these feedback trends, how to resolve them in your school, or have feedback on our trends blog, please reach out to amanda@possip.com!
