Each year, summer hits like a wave. One part warm, breezy freedom. One part chaotic scramble.
In my household, summer often brings a sometimes delightful, sometimes not, disarray: kids home with fewer routines, flexible workdays, spontaneous travel plans. It’s both liberating and… revealing. With less structure, I suddenly notice all the cracks in our family systems—where plans were flimsy or missing altogether. The summer chaos highlights the need to step back and thoughtfully plan ahead.
And that’s true for organizations too—especially schools and nonprofits.
When daily routines ease, summer becomes a golden opportunity. It’s the ideal moment to look back, gather input, and plan forward—before the busy pace of the fall returns.
But here’s the catch: to build rich plans, you need rich insights. And rich insights don’t come from a one-size-fits-all survey. They come from layered, diverse, thoughtful feedback—gathered in a way that reflects the diverse communities we serve.
At Possip, we’ve learned this lesson well.
Community Feedback: Your Planning Superpower
Over the years, we’ve supported thousands of schools and districts in using community surveys—what we call Pulse Checks—to gather real-time feedback from families, staff, and students. We’ve seen how feedback becomes the foundation for real change—especially when collected during summer.
Here are 8 ways schools (and other community-serving organizations) have used feedback for powerful planning:.
1. Car Line and Arrival/Dismissal Plans
Summer is the time to redesign traffic flows, entry points, signage, and staffing needs—based on real feedback from parents, teachers, and even neighbors.
Ask: What worked in arrival and dismissal? What didn’t? What felt unsafe or confusing?
2. Communication Preferences and Gaps
Families want to be informed—but not overwhelmed. Pulse Check feedback helps you learn which channels work, which languages matter, and how to improve clarity and timing.
Ask: How did families prefer to receive updates? What did they miss?
3. Bullying Prevention and Culture Building
Survey data can highlight patterns of exclusion or concern. Summer allows time to train staff, revamp policies, and design proactive culture initiatives.
Ask: Did students or families feel seen and safe? Where did bullying or bias arise?
4. Parent Feedback and Response Systems
Collect feedback on how families felt about being heard, respected, and responded to. Then plan systems to close the loop more effectively next year.
Ask: Were families’ concerns acknowledged and addressed? How quickly?
5. New Teacher Onboarding and Support
Gather insights from both veteran and new teachers to build onboarding that’s responsive, not generic. Summer is key for creating training and mentorship programs.
Ask: What helped new staff succeed—or struggle?
6. Absences and Substitute Coverage
Use feedback to understand when and why staff absences created disruption—and how sub systems can be more supportive.
Ask: What was the impact of unplanned absences? Were subs prepared?
7. Positive Behavior Supports and Discipline Plans
Families and teachers alike want consistent, fair behavior systems. Summer allows you to retool them based on community feedback—not just internal perspective.
Ask: What discipline policies felt fair? What rewards worked for students?
8. Dress Code, Uniforms, and Belonging
Survey data can reveal whether current policies support inclusion—or unintentionally marginalize students. Summer is the time to revise them thoughtfully.
Ask: Did students feel that policies allowed them to express themselves respectfully?
Planning That Reflects Your People
The power of community feedback isn’t just in what you hear—it’s in how you ask. Make sure your surveys invite honesty, reach across languages and accessibility needs, and offer multiple ways to share (text, open response, phone, etc.).
Because your community isn’t one-size-fits-all—your data collection shouldn’t be either.
As you sip your summer lemonade or shuffle kids to camp, lean into the clarity that this season brings. Use the pause to gather feedback. Build plans. And return in the fall with confidence, direction, and trust.
Because planning ahead doesn’t just reduce chaos—it builds community.
