Mandy Wallace, Possip’s Manager of Knowledge and Content, provides an overview of top feedback trends from August and September.
Starting the year asking for family feedback and input builds community and makes stronger schools. Over the years, Possip has collected hundreds of thousands of responses from Pulse Checks from schools across the nation. We’re thrilled that so many school leaders are checking in with their communities and building trust as they ask what they are doing well and what they can improve!
Top Ten Back To School Feedback Trends
We typically see a spike in logistical and operational concerns. Questions as families acclimate to the new school year was also popular. Here are the Top Ten Trends for Beginning of the Year:
Trend #1: Communication
Top of mind always for families is communication from the school and teachers. This includes concerns over the frequency and responsiveness (usually not enough) of messages from school as well as information about student progress and grades, communication tools used by the school, behavior expectations, and safety issues.
Generally families want more proactive communication so that they know what to expect so they can best prepare their children. For example, one parent reflected, “I wish there was more feedback from the teachers about kids’ performance in the class and what is expected from them.” Another parent couched their feedback with grace and praise: “Start of school is always hectic – there are some communications that I wish we had (ie – when will Seesaw be updated, what is going on with teacher assignments, etc.) Overall we love [our school]. All of the teachers, including the specialist, have been so great! Our kids feel at home there and I feel they are learning and doing well.”
Possip Resources to Improve Communication:
- Create Your Own Communication Tool Roundup
- Communications Solutions
- Increase Engagement With Possip’s Two-Way Communication
Trend #2: Transportation / Carline / Arrival and Dismissal
Getting children to school on time and picking them up stands as one of the perennial concerns for families as they transition into the new routines of the school year. We’ve developed several resources to help school leaders think through their processes and how they affect parents. It’s never too late to improve those processes – and if families are frustrated at your school, focusing on these procedures can be a tangible way to build trust with your community as you listen to their concerns and work to improve the situation for everyone.
We find that family members who experience the carline themselves often provide creative solutions when they are asked for their thoughts. Families who were frustrated with their schools’ carlines offered the following suggestions, perhaps some would work at your school:
- “…Send an email on how the school wants it to move.”
- “Will someone make sure the walkers will walk home and not get picked up by parents in the carline? It’s dangerous because the walkers walk in front of cars to get to their parents.”
- “To improve carline, especially in morning time while parents have to go work: gate should open at 7:15 instead of 7:30.”
- “It would be good to make sure there’s enough room to maneuver around the cones in the diving car rider lane.”
- “The pick up seems to be more chaotic this year. Hoping some correspondence with maps can be distributed along with some individuals directing traffic.”
Possip Resources to Overhaul Your Carline Process and Troubleshoot Transportation Issues:
Trend #3: Student Behavior / Discipline / Fighting
Within this trend, families were most concerned with conflicts between students – fighting and bullying. Looking at the breakdown within those subcategories, high school families were the most concerned with fighting, though families from elementary and middle schools also noted their concerns. Within the bullying subcategories, middle school families were most concerned with their child witnessing or experiencing bullying. Here’s Possip’s detailed plan to help school administrators react to bullying and here is a comprehensive look at strategies to address students’ social-emotional needs in times of crisis.
Trend #4: Extracurricular Activities
The fourth top trend of family feedback at the beginning of this school year is the availability of and communication surrounding extracurricular opportunities. We know this is also a top concern for proactive school leaders as extracurricular activities can boost enrollment, motivate students to attend school, and provide an after school solution for families who struggle with transportation options during the work day.
The concerns and questions families have posed so far this year vary from asking for more information to suggestions for activities they would like to see available for their children. For example, one parent asked, “”Que otras actividades después de escuela hay para los alumnos que no sea deporte? Translation: What other after school activities are there for students other than sports?”. Other parents asked: “When will after school activities begin and how can I know whether or not my child has signed up?” and “How do I sign my kid up for after school activities and is there an activity bus?” One parent suggested: “I wish they would have a club fair so our students would be able to ask questions and find out where they might fit in.”
Some of the most popular ideas for extracurricular activities offered include the following:
- Music and band
- Sports: softball, baseball, karate, cheerleading, dance team, soccer, badminton, archery
- Special interest: coding, science, cooking, chess, theater, Scouts, Spanish, workshop, robotics, school newspaper
- More opportunities for younger children, especially Kindergarteners and 1st graders
For ideas on how to increase extracurricular activities at your school (and motivate teachers and staff to lead groups, clubs, and teams), check out “Well-Rounded Students: Creative Ways to Provide Extracurricular Opportunities”.
Trend #5: Cafeteria Feedback
Families’ feedback on lunch time vary from questions about the quality and variety of food choices to the timing and length of the lunch break. The greatest concern was the length of lines and lack of time for students to eat lunch or grab a snack during designated times. Parents requested different choices, healthier options, and different opportunities for students to choose their seating arrangements.
One notable sub-trend we saw is that several families requested a menu to know what the food choices would be. This could be a way to help proactively communicate with families and reduce questions about what families can expect. However, make sure that when publishing a calendar it is as accurate as possible, as one parent noted that the published calendar was rarely correct and that was frustrating to plan around. For more examples on a smoother lunch time, check out this article, “Hoagies, Grinders, Navy Beans, and Not-Sloppy Lunchtimes”.
And lest Cafeteria Feedback seem trite relative to the big needs of schools: On a recent school panel when kids asked what made them want to go to that particular school, 3 out of 5 kids commented on the school’s cafeteria experience – the food, the optional activities during lunch, and the setting. Said another way, even a cafeteria experience can strengthen an overall school experience.
Rounding out the rest of the Top Ten:
- Trend #6: School Safety
- Trend #7: Technology Needs
- Trend #8: School Events
- Trend #9: IEP/504 Support
- Trend #10 – TIE: Academic Support & Curriculum Feedback
