Student Engagement Survey

When community members drive by your schools they see the same brick and mortar they’ve known for years.   But, do they really know how much has changed inside those walls when it comes to educating today’s youth? For many members of your community, the only connection to the District may be the articles they’ve read about the sports teams in the local paper or an occasional news story about a special project or trip. For others, it may be a concert or performance they attend. Unfortunately, this may be the extent of what they know about the many valuable programs and services your district has implemented over the years. From my experience as a retired superintendent of schools, whenever my district sought to improve facilities or increase operational funding, it quickly became clear that the community didn’t fully understand the resources needed today to provide a quality learning experience.  All too often at a referendum informational meetings someone would say “we sure didn’t

While school administrators are regularly evaluated on their performance (and should be), how often is your school board examining its' own effectiveness? This is an area of evaluation frequently overlooked. Shouldn't school board members also be accountable for their work? When communities elect representatives to serve their school district, the expectation is that they conduct their work responsibly, respectfully and efficiently. It is also expected that they conduct themselves in a collaborative and supportive manner with their only employee, the district administrator. While it doesn't mean everyone is in agreement all the time, the public understands that school improvement requires a positive working relationship between the board and the superintendent of schools. Without it, district success, however, it's measured, will be on hold. So what kinds of measures should be examined by the board in an ongoing manner? Since 2000, the National School

You have invested a lot of time creating and implementing a communication plan for your school district. It's no secret that earning the trust of your constituents is fundamental to making a positive difference in your schools and a comprehensive communication plan is a key component. Let's face it, soon you will need to ask the community (once again) to support your district through an operating or capital referendum - or maybe both. Unless those in your community hold a positive view of how well your schools address the needs of their children, you could be facing an uphill battle. No one wants to invest in an unsuccessful or unproductive organization. You've created numerous press releases and many of them have been published in the local news. However, research tells us that word of mouth is still what people believe and value the most. So, what is the public hearing from your employees and who do they believe the most? Jamie Vollmer is a well-known advocate for ou

Supporting your next referendum, advancing the district’s educational program, or simply speaking positively about your schools - parents are the key to promoting and improving your district.  The opposite is also true.  Without their active support, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to make a positive difference in your schools.  So, how can you gain their confidence and make them a champion for the future of your district?  It begins with listening and learning from them. When is the last time you asked them how they felt about the educational experience you provide their children?  Without knowing the answer, planning school improvement lacks a basic understanding of what parents believe is needed.  Earning parent satisfaction survey support requires serving the needs of their children and doing so from their perspective. parent satisfaction survey It goes without saying that all modes of communication with parents can build confidence and suppor

Supporting your next referendum, advancing the district’s educational program, or simply speaking positively about your schools - parents are the key to promoting and improving your district. The opposite is also true. Without their active support, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to make a positive difference in your schools. So, how can you gain their confidence and make them a champion for the future of your district? It begins with listening and learning from them. When is the last time you asked them how they felt about the educational experience you provide their children? Without knowing the answer, planning school improvement lacks a basic understanding of what parents believe is needed. Earning parent support requires serving the needs of their children and doing so from their perspective. It goes without saying that all modes of communication with parents can build confidence and support for the district’s mission and daily work. However, parents also need to know

When the School District of Monroe Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner was looking for a way to gather feedback from her staff on District initiatives and culture she turned to School Perceptions. The Wisconsin – based company was a known entity with the District as they were already working together on a community survey. “We are committed to ensuring every employee in the District has an opportunity to provide input and feedback,” Hirsbrunner shared. “We value how staff fee we are doing as District and the challenges they are experiencing that need to be addressed.” The web-based school staff engagement survey is designed to gather feedback on staff members’ feelings and perceptions on specific engagement drivers. “We know that there is a strong correlation between staff engagement and student engagement,” shares Bill Foster, founder and president of School Perceptions. “When students are engaged, achievement increases.” An engaged employee is one who is fully absorb