Possip received almost 3,000 responses submitted by parents, family members, and caregivers this week. We read all of the praises and insights sent in throughout the week of April 26 through May 2. If your school uses Possip Pulse Checks, you may have heard about trends from your school about trends in your community. Our weekly family nationwide trends blogs can help you know what topics other parents are discussing with schools in 26 states across the country. Here is a quick summary of family praise and insights.

Last week, 84% of families responded that they were happy with their child’s school, with the remaining saying they were mostly happy or not happy with their child’s school.

We saw a few positive family nationwide trends from across the country:

• About 30% of our partner schools sent out bonus questions asking families to share praise for teachers. There were many shout-outs and praises for teachers and all the work they do. We heard families describe their student’s teachers as compassionate, dedicated, motivating, communicative, and caring (just to name a few). A few representative comments from actual families this week are:
  • “So grateful for the Teachers! They go above and beyond to make sure the Children have what they need.”
  • “Son muy importantes para nuestros hijos y un gran empuje en sus estudios Translation: They are very important for our children and a great boost in their studies”
  • “Teachers take on a lot especially now doing virtual school and face to face learning.  I just wanted to let the teachers know that they are TRULY appreciated.  I’m forever grateful and thankful for them. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE xx FAMILY’S HEART.”
• Families also articulated gratitude that their students feel safe post-reopening and gratitude for how campuses are trying to build community during this time. 

Here are the most frequently discussed feedback topics for schools across the country:

• 8% of all Possip recommendations to schools revolved around increasing communication to families. Families are asking for timely responses, more communication about testing logistics, and clear communication for student quarantine situations. Here are a few representative quotes from families on this topic:
  • “What is the time expectation for returned emails before student/parent follows up?”
  • “It needs to be more communication my daughter did not know what to do all week long while the other kids was testing”
  • “Better communication between the teachers and parents”
  • “Information needs to be sent home when students are quarantined and not a week and a half later.”

• 7% of all Possip recommendations to schools this week related to communicating student academic progress, sending grade updates to families, and providing more academic support for struggling students. Families asked questions about tutoring, summer school programs, and questions about their student’s academic progress or grade. Here are a few representative quotes from families on this topic:
  • “Como esta progresando mi hija Translation: How is my daughter progressing?”
  • “I have a question about tutoring?”
  • “More after school programs and summer school so children can catch up on things they miss or didn’t understand throughout the school year.”
  • “Teachers taking forever to post grades, especially for extra credit that a student worked so hard to complete, so a student has no idea what their actual grade is”
  • “My son is not learning , I don’t know what to do”

Possip Resources

Here are a few suggested parent tools and resources based on these family nationwide trends:

• Possip Resource: 5 Ways Families Can Support School Communication
• Possip Blog: How To Write A Teacher Feedback Email  

We also shared these resources with our partner schools…

• Teacher Appreciation Possip Blog: The Power of Praise during Teacher Appreciation Week and Beyond
• Teacher Appreciation Possip Blog: 10 Ways to Use Possip Praise Quotes During Teacher Appreciation Week
• Possip Blog: 5 Tips to Support Student’s Academic Growth
• Possip Blog: 3 Key Points to Sharing Academic Progress with Families

We’d love feedback from you. What else do you need or want to learn? Do these parent praise and insights align with what you know?