Join us on Wednesday, May 25th, at 2PM CT/ 3PM ET for our monthly live Possip Demo! Here we will explain how we can make outreach to your families, staff, and students even easier! Reserve your spot today!
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Savannah, a current Possip reporter and former educator, shares several tips on celebrating graduating students!
The inspirational wishes for the graduating students will encourage them to excel in their studies and choose the right path in their life. We’ve provided ideas to help you start your celebration and appreciation!
Every celebration must have five components. Keep CARES in mind when planning creative milestone celebrations so that you have a framework to begin thinking about putting your event together. Here’s what it stands for:
One of the best times to build relationships with families and students is during a time of celebration. So, the celebration should find a way for people to connect with their community and feel a sense of “together”-ness.
When we receive public praise and support, there’s actually positive chemistry that’s happening in our brains. Our “feel good” endorphins are increased and “negative” cortisol levels are significantly lowered. This is especially important during this time of crisis for students when they’re struggling with anxiety and uncertainty. Focus on finding ways to acknowledge students during your celebration to make this a really memorable and positive event.
Participating in celebrations connects students to the bigger significance of our lives and their purpose. It provides a sense of appreciation for where we’ve been and where we want to go. Allow time for reflection for students and families to make it a purposeful time.
This is pretty self-explanatory, but celebrations add excitement and fun. This is the perfect opportunity to partake in the joys of life during a difficult time.
Our brain remembers memories that carry significant emotions to them. When we are celebrating, we are basically putting a marker in our brain for that positive emotional experience. How will you make this memorable for students? Also, how will you create tangible pictures/media/keepsakes to re-live these experiences in the future?
As we go through this, if you’re planning a Kindergarten graduation or a Senior graduation, keep these 5 components in mind and adapt these ideas to fit your needs!
You can allow students to order their cap and gowns, and encourage them to decorate them, post them on social media or websites, and have a contest on how many “likes” they get. This idea will also allow students to have a personalized cap to celebrate their uniqueness during the ceremony.
Gather Senior Photos and Bios by asking students to submit them along with some fun facts. These photos and bios can be posted on a website for the senior class. You can think of it as kind of a living, breathing yearbook! There are also some website platforms where students and families post celebratory messages or comments for seniors, which would be a fun way to show extra appreciation and support.
Some schools have created and posted yard signs in the community for each senior. This could be in a public area for people to walk or drive by, or they could be printed and given to families to put in front of their homes.
This is a great way to build community. The school could have a “Senior Day” or “Senior Week” where a whole day or week is devoted to posting photos of the Senior class. Also, having an Instagram “hashtag” during that social media campaign can help students feel connected and celebrated and share other special memories they have from that time.
Schools could partner with local businesses that need extra business to create “senior care packages” for graduation day. I’ve seen principals and school leaders drop this off and take photos with students. This could be school swag, maybe items for their dorm room, or sweet treats for the seniors.
See what students want to do to celebrate. Students could design and perform a class dance that is recorded and sent out to the school body. Additionally, students could vote on a class song and someone can sing that, or someone can write a poem or spoken word and record it about the graduating class. These student-led experiences could be spread across a graduation week and allow students to take ownership of how they’re celebrated! Students are creative and want to be involved, so see what ideas they have!
Other students who are not seniors are still struggling without saying goodbye to their teachers and classmates. To get some closure for students, a few ideas include:
Ask students about their favorite memories and events during the year and create a “memory book” for students or another creative way to compile answers to give back to students as a ‘keepsake’ for the year.
Get videos from students, teachers, parents, and leaders and compile an end-of-year video for the school. (A fun example I’ve seen is having everyone dance to the same song in their individual video and create an end of year “music video” to close out the year.
And of course, remember that we do celebrate our graduating students in this way to show appreciation for their hard work. So, use these celebrations as an opportunity to reflect on the year and make it special for all students!
If you want to brainstorm more about these events, email amanda@possip.com!
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It’s already summertime! Managing planning can get chaotic. Amanda Richards, reporter for Possip, explains what you can do as a school leader to meet your summer planning needs!
I got this question a lot from friends outside of education, “What do principals do during the summer?” The answer to that question is difficult to give a quick response to because of all that school leaders do. However, it just might be the reason a school has a successful school year. There is no right or wrong way to nail summer planning, but it is necessary to have a strong plan of action prepared. We wanted to share a few key topics and questions to think through as you’re preparing for summer planning.
Sit down, either with your leadership team or individually, and create a Master To-Do list. I used a shared OneNote document where there are boxes to “check-off” as you’ve done things and can be shared amongst the team. Amy Kate, another former school leader on the Possip team, used a spreadsheet excel document that had descriptions of the tasks, team member assignments, and a “status check” space. Whatever tool you like to use, make sure it is user-friendly and can be shared. If you prefer physical paper, here is a resource that provides various free to-do list templates!
One school leader can’t do it all, so part of time management is delegating and trusting your team to do the work, too. Using that master to-do list, you can assign tasks and have weekly check-ins to discuss status and progress towards completion. In those meetings, use some time to look forward and set goals for what they will complete this week and what is coming next week. That will help with transparency, accountability, and goal setting for completing these summer tasks. Each leadership team member is probably different in terms of support and management style, but having a consistent touchpoint with each member will help the planning process.
If you’re like me, I like to fill my calendar and tend to “overfill” at times. However, setting protected time to plan and have uninterrupted work is crucial to success. Put large work chunks on your calendar or even have two days a week with no meetings that are devoted to your own thinking and working time.
Similarly, getting to-dos done is important, but summer can also be a great time for learning and big picture strategy. Having a weekly or biweekly book study with your leadership team may be a great use of time. As a team, you could choose a book that aligned with areas your school wants to focus on or improve based on the previous year. Those spaces for learning new things and thinking through a vision for change can be a great use of planning time.
Being intentional about receiving feedback proactively and as you progress through summer planning is strong leverage for school improvement and transformation. Here are some ways to get feedback from important stakeholders to build trust and gain investment.
One of the most important things I did as a principal was invite parents and family members into my office during the summer for small focus groups to learn more about their feedback and what they saw as growth areas. I received helpful and actionable feedback during those meetings. It was a great way to build relationships and trust with families. Not only did this help with families, but also doing similar things with teachers is a game-changer. Invite teachers who are willing to volunteer to come in during the summer at different points to see drafts of policies, plans, or changes for next school year. This helps to get additional sets of eyes on documents and plans. It also improves investment and helps teachers have a voice in planning. This helps leaders understand what pushback or critical feedback they could potentially receive before rolling it out to all staff.
Some tasks during summer planning are done best with a team, where additional minds can share ideas and important feedback can be given. Many of these topics were things the leadership team had already received feedback on from the past year (our last whole-staff PD was always a full feedback session on every part of our strategic plan). Independent work time is needed and precious during summer planning, but team work-time can create innovative, unique solutions and plans.
It’s an understatement to say these past few years have been difficult as a school leader. The summer should also be a time for school leaders to rest and take an extended break. You will be a better leader for your school if you are the best version of yourself. Take time to do those things that make you happy and healthy. For me, I always felt restored when I took time away during the summer and rested. Whatever resting and refilling your cup means to you, do that. It will be a benefit to your school’s summer planning in big ways.
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As we fully open up for the summer, it might be difficult to figure out how to reengage in the outside world. Zoom fatigue is real and students were feeling it, and now it’s all about mitigating screen time in general and getting those kiddos outdoors.
Here are some tips for schools to encourage students to take a break from screen time:
When kids, and adults for that matter, are out in nature, stress is reduced, attention is restored, and our health is positively impacted. Check out some creative ways to get students outside:
Allowing children to get creative, get active, and explore the world around them as a learning experience has so many benefits. Here are a few ideas on how to get kids exploring during the summer:
Kids developmentally need time away from the screen. Find time in the day for them to get up and get away from the screen. A tip I’ve heard is taking at least a 20-second break every 20 minutes. Ultimately, though, it’s up to each student to find out what breaks they individually need.
This is a great time to have kids invest in learning about family and community history. Here are some ways to support students in learning about these important parts of their life:
If you’re interested in learning more about what we do at Possip, email amanda@possip.com
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Amanda Richards, Possip’s Reporting Team Lead, analyzed data from our Pulse Checks! The results were able to provide us with the top 10 feedback trends from school and district staff for the Spring 22′ Semester.
Teachers and school staff members have shared very important and honest feedback this Spring about their needs and how their own individual schools can improve. Possip has been able to gain important insights that fully value teacher input and voice. This feedback will be crucial going into summer planning for next school year.
We wanted to share the top 10 trends with the hopes that it will bring awareness, understanding, and empathy for teacher feedback and needs. In the fall semester, we heard from over 11,300 staff members who responded through Possip Pulse Checks! 55% of staff members were happy this month.
1⃣ Compensation
2⃣ Student discipline
3⃣ Teacher Workloads
4⃣ Curriculum
5⃣ School Schedule
6⃣ Communication
7⃣ Facilities and Cleanliness
8⃣ Staff Shortages and Teacher Vacancies
9⃣ Professional Development Sessions and Teacher Training
Staff Morale
Staff members are sharing that they don’t feel like they are getting proper pay for all the additional work they are taking on this year. They feel raises also need to be high enough to account for rising inflation. Teachers and staff members are providing ideas for improving compensation like signing bonuses and increased stipends.
We heard that teachers feel a lack of discipline support on campus and an increase in difficult behavioral situations they experience. Teachers are sharing they don’t feel fully safe on campus, teacher turnover is impacting effective discipline on campus, and are requesting consistent school wide behavior plans with follow-through on consequences. Proactively promote more incentives for students, and find more ways for students to stay motivated towards positive behavior.
In one Possip© comment from a teacher, they used the term “monumental workload” to describe their current to-do list. Teachers feel like the workload is continuing to increase and negatively impacting their work-life balance. We heard that staff members are asking for a focus on protecting teacher time and decreasing the amount of administrative tasks, like attendance management and cleaning for example, that teachers are required to do daily. Read more on teacher workloads and burnout here.
Teachers provided feedback on new curriculum or ed-tech platforms that districts are using. We heard requests for more vertical alignment in the curriculum, increased time for small groups in their lessons, slower pacing, and additions in course offerings like trade classes. They requested more room for teachers to be creative with their curriculum. Teachers are also frequently asking for more flexibility within their curriculum to meet their student’s needs and requesting to have more voice in what curriculum decisions are being made.
We heard ideas about changing both the day-to-day schedule (block periods vs. 8-period days) and also changing the yearlong schedule to have shorter summers or a 4-day school week. Staff members also shared feedback about having more inclusive PTO policies for religious holidays. There was also feedback on school schedules after inclement weather days. We heard an overarching theme that teachers should have input in school schedule changes and have a voice in what the daily and yearly calendar is.
Staff members want to feel more connected to their admin and receive clearer and more candid communication. We’ve also heard a theme around not getting responses from emails regarding questions they have. Teachers also want communication from their leaders during the decision making process as to what potential decisions are being made, not just hear after the decision. One interesting idea that stood out in staff feedback is that they want to receive the same communication that is sent out to families. They also feel disconnected from the information families receive. Overall, we heard that teachers feel a lack of communication on campus and want to feel more “in the know”.
Staff members shared feedback on improving overall cleaning practices on school, more support and staff members on custodian teams, requesting updates to the building on old campuses, and requests to fix HVAC units. We heard teachers discussing the option of cleaning their class themselves, both in favor and opposition to that additional task.
Staff members discussed having better systems in place for sub coverage so teachers were not responsible for covering classrooms, questions about teacher replacements and next year’s staffing counts, and requests for more clarity on the process for hiring staff members. Teachers also had many concerns about teacher turnover and requests to focus on teacher retention to decrease potential turnover rates. For more info on dealing with teacher vacancies, read here.
Staff members asked for differentiated PD and more training for new teachers. Also shared were specific training topics like best practices for implementing IEPS, how to use new supplemental curriculum materials, Spanish lessons for teachers, and leadership development. We heard an overarching theme that teachers want to have a voice in the PD topics for the year and opportunities to get support on topics they need. If the trainings feel irrelevant for teachers, we noted that they prefer to just have work time or collaboration time with peers. Here is a list of PD programs for teachers!
We’ve heard that teachers are looking for more joy on campus and more positivity within their teams. They’ve shared ideas like staff shout-outs, random notes with positive teacher feedback, and gratitude activities thanking teachers throughout the year. We also heard about more time to bond with staff, especially new staff members, and increased opportunities for team building. Staff members shared that they are feeling burned out and nearing their breaking point. Showing grace and appreciation will positively impact the culture in big ways.
If you have questions about these trends, how to resolve them in your school or have staff/teacher feedback on our trends blog, please reach out to amanda@possip.com!
The post Top 10 Feedback Trends from School Staff this Spring appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.
Amanda Richards, Possip’s Reporting Team Lead, analyzed data from our Pulse Checks! The results were able to provide you with the top 10 feedback trends from Possip families!
As we are approaching the end of the school year, the Possip team is excited to share Possip family trends from the Spring semester! We hope sharing these trends is to bring awareness, understanding, and empathy for family needs and feedback. Families also have shared really impactful information to make communities better this semester, and these trends can prove to be very useful for school leaders and educators. This data is composed of over 65,800 family members that shared through Possip
. On average for the semester, 74% of families stated they were happy with their school.
1⃣ Covid Safety Measures
2⃣ Curriculum
3⃣ Teacher Communication
4⃣ Carline Logistics
5⃣ Bullying
6⃣ Academic Support
7⃣ Student Safety and Fighting
8⃣ Transportation Needs
9⃣ Extracurricular Activities
Student Discipline
Families shared extensive feedback on mask protocols, vaccination requirements, and communication around COVID safety. Also, they had feedback around allowing students to use lockers and water fountains again. Additionally, they want normal pre-COVID cafeteria seating, and allowing parents back in the building to volunteer or eat lunch with their students. Families also shared questions about testing procedures, cleaning processes, and how schools are actively working to decrease the number of COVID cases on campus. Overall, though, there was a wide variety of opinions and content of the feedback that families shared. Some wanted schools to have more strict COVID safety protocols. Some wanted less protocols and increased normalcy for students. As we get closer to the end of the school year, families are talking about this topic less frequently.
Families shared a need for both extension learning and more rigorous content for students, along with additional support for students who have fallen behind and are struggling to keep up with the grade-level curriculum. We also heard families share specific feedback like decreasing screen time and movies shown in class, adding more art, music, and special class options, and increasing engagement of the curriculum for students. Feedback regarding lesson pacing, student workload, and test prep content swung to both sides, some wanted lesson pacing slower and some wanted faster, and some wanted more test prep content and some less. In general, though, families are interested and in tune with the student’s learning process.
Families discussed feeling disconnected from their teachers. They feel like they don’t have a direct and reliable mode of communication with their teacher. In terms of content, families want more updates on the academic and behavioral progress of their students, more parent-teacher conference opportunities, and more opportunities to hear what is going on in class and what students are learning. We also heard that families value consistency in communication, timely responses to emails/calls, and want to build a relationship with their student’s teachers.
Another discussed topic for families was around carline management and drop-off/pick-up procedures. Families used words like dangerous, frustrating, chaotic, and horrible to describe their carlines. We heard feedback about better control over traffic during carline, ideas to make carline safer for students and families, and feedback on logistics to make the process more efficient. Families asked for more staff to be present during carline, better enforcement of rules for families, and clear speed limits in the carline area.
We heard families sharing both very specific bullying concerns, and requests for a more general focus at a community level to improve bullying prevention and cultural norms. Families want more attention and seriousness towards resolving bullying situations, and also want to know exactly the process that the school takes during a bullying investigation. In addition, families want more supervision on campus, on the bus, and increased mental health support for all students involved in bullying situations.
Families want more tutoring opportunities, many of those in ELA and math classes. They also want more one-on-one time with teachers, and focus on closing academic achievement gaps for students. We also heard requests for more communication when students start falling behind and need academic support. Also, families want more resources for how families can support students at school.
Families are advocating for serious handling of violent behaviors on campus, more teacher supervision, and increased safety protocols. We heard families share that students aren’t feeling safe on campus. Families don’t feel fully communicated with when safety situations occur on campus. Specifically, families want more clear and transparent communication when weapons are brought on campus and reasons for lockdowns. Focusing on safety is a top priority for families.
We heard that the bus schedules are not consistent or reliable, busses don’t show up at all some days, and families are concerned about the safety risks the bus inconsistencies pose for their students. Families asked for daily messages if busses are not expected at the right time. In addition, they asked for more support from the school if they can’t drive their students every day.
The next trending tropic was extracurricular activities and after school clubs. Specifically, families are interested in virtual club options, increased club offerings on campus, and social opportunities for students. Also, families asked for more information on how to get their students involved in current club offerings. We also heard a concern about all teams and activities getting equal recognition and equal funding.
The final topic in our Spring Possip Pulse Checks trends is around discipline on campus. Families shared feedback wanting increased consequences for students, better classroom management from teachers, and more positive incentives on campus for proactive culture changes. We also heard families share feedback about collective consequences like silent lunches, taking away recess, inconsistencies in punishment, and more family involvement or communication regarding discipline situations. Overall, we are hearing a need for a more positive, consistent, and supervised environment in classes and on campus.
If you have questions about these feedback trends, how to resolve them in your school, or have feedback on our trends blog, please reach out to amanda@possip.com!
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Shani Dowell, Possip CEO and Founder, shares the importance of recognizing parent needs surrounding student academics!
Before kids, I worked with a few community organizing groups earlier in my career. One group was doing parent surveys to discover parent needs. A large-scale survey What Matters Most to Parents in Your Kids’ School revealed that academics were near the bottom.
At first, I assumed the surveys were faulty and parents were mistaken. Also, It was impossible for me, a former teacher and the spouse of a leader of schools, to believe that the very thing schools were designed to do was near the bottom of their list for most parents.
As I’ve gotten older (and hopefully wiser), had kids, and gotten to know the feedback from thousands of parents, I understand a whole lot better. In conclusion, parents are right. Academics matter, and yet only to the extent to which other needs are also met on the path to academics. Parents need to know that their child is safe, clothed, known, and not teased. Only then do they care that their child knows how to subtract or can recognize a gerund.
Additionally, parents would rather hear about a teacher who loved their kid and was a mediocre teacher of long division – than a teacher who yelled at their kid (never mind that we do it :)) and was an excellent teacher of long division. Unfortunately, It’s not always the answer we want to hear…but it is the truth.
Kids – and parents – are as humans are. So, we have a hierarchy of needs. The need for an academically high-quality school experience is along the lines of self-actualization. Academics matter – but there’s a hierarchy of worries and needs that parents and students have along the way.
Does my kid have transportation? Is it reliable? Are they fed? Clothed? Comfortable? Do general school operations take care of the basics?
Is my kid safe in school and on the bus? Is anyone picking on him or her? Do teachers and staff treat my kid in a way where they are emotionally and physically safe?
Does my kid feel seen? Known? Do they have friends at school? Do teachers know my kid – beyond their name? Does my kid have a seat at the table? Do teachers and staff know
my kid such that they can tell me new things about my kid even I never knew?
Does my kid know their strengths? Can they tell me about a subject they love or are good at? Can they share more than 1 thing for which they are proudly recognized?
Does my kid have the academic experiences that are going to lead them to learn and be able to do whatever they want to do? Is what they are learning – and how they are learning – going to set them up for success in life?
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Join a quick, 30-minute virtual session featuring trends and insights from a year’s worth of feedback and praise from parents, school staff, and students.
The post 2021-22 School Feedback Trends appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.
Savannah, a current Possip reporter and former educator, shares her input on navigating the banned books sweep!
A recent book ban is sweeping across school districts in the United States. It’s beginning to attract growing attention as famous poets like Rupi Kaur begin to speak out about the controversial topic. However, banning books in and of itself is not a new phenomenon. Books were first banned in the US in the 1600s. So, why is this such a hot topic and how are schools navigating this?
PEN America, is a non-profit organization founded in 1922, that aims to protect free expression in the United States, especially as it relates to literature. Last year, PEN America researched and reported banned books across 26 states and 86 school districts. They found that 1,586 individual books were banned in school libraries or classrooms in the United States from July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. To put this into context, last year, the amount of books challenged doubled since the previous year.
Here are the most popular reasonings for the banning of books:
With grade-level comes variation. 537 titles which are classified as “young adult”, and 209 titles (picture books) are the largest numbers. 
A few of the most recently challenged titles include:
This is a difficult question to answer. As our political climate has become more charged, it has also become more polarized. The categories, “conservative” and “liberal” are more popular than “human.” Additionally, what is “grade-level,” or “appropriate,” has always been rather subjective.
The death of George Floyd served as a catalyst for reflection across the United States. Included in this reflection were school leaders and teachers, who sought to revamp curriculum to make it more culturally inclusive. Also, the attention around Critical Racy Theory also began to highlight school curriculum across the country. The exact reason for the recent increase in banned books is complex, but there is also a greater truth here. When we move away from a human-centered and student-centered approach, we begin to lose our why.
I recently left the classroom June of 2021 for many of the reasons highlighted in other Possip blogs. Some of these reasons include: teacher burnout, feeling undervalued, and not receiving adequate compensation that met my needs. When I left the classroom, I was the Upperclassman Grade Level Chair, English Department Chair, and AP Literature and Language teacher at a small high school. Never in my life did I think I would leave teaching, but I ultimately made that decision to meet my own needs.
Almost every one of my students chose to write about Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye on the AP Literature exam. In our end of the year reflection, one of my students wrote, “My favorite book of this entire year would definitely be The Bluest Eye, due to it’s realness and being able to incorporate the Feminist Lens, as well as Critical Race Theory.” This novel is my favorite text to teach, albeit heartbreaking and difficult, because every year students devour this book. They connect to the characters, their experiences, and the topics. In my AP Language class, Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime, is overwhelmingly the favorite text each year even though it is historically banned.
When I formally taught Creative Writing, Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey was beloved by many of my students. Milk and Honey, was supposedly recently banned in Texas and Oregon school districts. I pushed to incorporate The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas into our sophomore curriculum, which at the time was heavily dominated by white canonical authors. Students were not just reading the book, they were reading ahead, turning pages in the hallways between classes. The Hate U Give, is yet another recently challenged title.
This issue is complex issue and very heated given our current climate. Take time to research banned books across the nation and in your school district. Invite courageous conversations, and consider taking action. Use tools like Possip to gather feedback from families so that together we can create a better and more human-centered world for our students.
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