Caitlin Churchill, Possip’s Community Director provides an overview of the top 10 family trends from this past November! 

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November top 10 family trends are in! Similar to patterns from last year, happiness tends to dip as schools approach the end of the calendar year. This has historically happened during the late Fall months!

We see a variance ranging from an average of 82% happiness in September to 80% happiness in October and now 77% happiness this November. Over 32,000 families shared praise and feedback with Possip in November, covering about 275 topics of importance. 

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Below are the top 10 family trends in November.

#1 Teacher Feedback:

Teacher Feedback remains the top trend, similar to last month. In general families will comment on what they perceive as instances of disrespectful or harmful interactions between teachers and students and classmates. Hot comments are concentrated around situations that impact their students’ emotional well-being and self-esteem. Medium and cool comments represent families asking for more structured or intentional classroom time and grading. One consideration is how the availability of planning time for teachers – or lack of it – can impact family feedback. 

#2 Car Line Logistics:

Carline feedback persists! Most of the comments were about safety during carline, expediting the car line process, and the help of crosswalk guards. Car line continues to greatly impact the family experience! Possip reporter Virginia Williams provides tips for increasing efficiency, improving safety, and creating a better experience for everyone involved in school drop-off and pick-up. Possip also has some guidance on creating a car line number system. 

#3 Teacher Communication: 

The adage “more is less” does not apply here – families are appreciating weekly communications and anything that helps them feel they can answer the question: “How is my child doing?” This includes a mix of personal communications, parent-teacher meetings, and newsletters. Parents most appreciate consistent attempts to communicate about their student’s experience, as well as reasonable response times when they reach out for help. One parent this week shared gratitude to their school for listening to their request for more teacher communication – the parent had noticed the difference!

#4 Curriculum Feedback:

Families have asked for more rigorous curriculum, or resources to assist their students. In some cases, families are concerned about content they feel is not related to the subject at hand – particularly around social commentary. It is interesting to consider this feedback in relation to #3 on Teacher Communication.  One consideration – might helping parents plug into their students’ lessons in advance and student’s progress in real-time help schools get in front of concerns around curriculum?  Possip Reporter and Tennessee AP teacher, Savannah Staley, has provided us with solutions for your curriculum! Also, Possip reporter and former school principal Amy Kate Wallace shared a resource you can use for your families – or yourself – on understanding curriculum.

#5 General School Communication Content: 

Families are likely to comment when there is an incident and they are left asking the question “What happened?” Like many best practices in organizations, people praise communication that is sent in advance and transparent. Cincinnati Public Schools Principal Taylor Porter shares his favorite tips on informing, listening to, and responding to parents. 

#6 General School Communication Frequency: 

Similar to comments above, we hear families asking for more communication, communication with teachers, and more diplomacy in communication with administration. While frequency is tough and varies according to preferences, there seems to be a tendency to want less frequent automated communication and more frequent personalized communication.  Possip pulse checks can be a great way to learn more about what your families want to hear about.

#7 Academic Support:

Many families are asking for more support from teachers and increased tutoring opportunities. at home. Families engage when their student is falling behind or struggling, and provide feedback advocating for students with special needs like autism or trouble focusing. Similar to other trends represented, families appreciate individualized approaches or at least individualized communication. 

#8 Communication on Grades: 

Families tend to comment on visibility of grades. We see comments on how frequently grades are input, and available to view; families tend to desire weekly updates and the ability to see red flags, provide feedback, or open dialogue with a teacher. Here are great tips on communicating academic progress. 

#9 Student Discipline: 

While there are always comments on disciplinary practices and whether teachers should be more or less strict, the overall trend regarding student discipline is on peer behavior – the way students are treating each other and their teachers. Here are some tips for addressing bullying and restoring student relationships from Possip Reporter and Tennessee AP teacher, Savannah Staley. We also have a ton of resources on our blog to help you build out your anti-bullying programs.

#10 Cafeteria Feedback:

Families are requesting higher quality food for students. In addition, families also want longer lunch periods and higher standards for cleanliness. We share these top family trends in the hopes that they help you have the tools, information, and ideas to support your school.

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Want to learn more about these top 10 family trends? Reach out to Jennifer Kehl at jennifer@possip.com. 
To check out staff trends in November click here!