The Path to Safer Schools: Top Questions to Ask

While answers aren’t always easy, Possip CEO & Founder Shani Dowell shares important questions for you to ask and consider on a path to safer schools.

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When you don’t have answers – sometimes the best you can offer is questions.  School and nationwide safety and violence begs for answers – but we need to start with some questions.

As a human, it’s hard to take the frequency, randomness, and prevalence of violence in our country and world.  Similar to how we are learning to live with COVID, it appears we’re getting accustomed to living with threats of violence.  We operate without the armor or delusion of safety.  Even places that were once considered safe havens for community – colleges, schools, churches, clubs – aren’t off limits.

And as much attention as gun violence and killings get, the truth is that far smaller incidents happen routinely.  These are the small incidents that rip apart at the seams of our safety and community.  This happens when adults fight at sporting events, when an adult yells at another adult in a school, and even when a kid throws a desk in a classroom.  As we empathize with all the challenges and difficulties that lead kids and adults alike to behave in these ways, the truth is they also can create feelings of stress and vulnerability. 

We don’t talk much about school safety because it’s hard to discuss.  The truth is the big events that can be universally agreed upon as wrong cover up the realities of far more complex situations that happen in our schools and communities every day.

For schools and districts and parents to truly deal with school safety, we have to get honest.  And the honest truth is, none of us have answers.  Our ideals battle the realities of human behavior battle policies.  We have to at least start asking ourselves the questions.  Part of why we don’t have answers is because even asking the complex questions – of ourselves, of our society, of our schools, of our parents – is hard.

We’re going to be digging into this topic of School Safety at an event in December. Before we dig into questions let’s consider a few broad frameworks to consider.  

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Forms of Safety in Your School and Community

There are 3 forms of safety to consider:

• Physical Safety
• Emotional Safety
• Mental Safety

 

Starting Questions For Creating a Safe School Climate

As your school and community starts considering these different forms of safety, you’ll also want to consider and ask yourself, your leadership team, and your community:

• What is our philosophy on creating a safe school climate?
• What systems can we put in place to support our philosophy?
• What are our priorities and levers in this system?
• What tradeoffs are we prepared or willing to make?

Additional Questions to Ask 

We know some of these questions may be ones you can’t answer now.  Our goal is to be able to at least consider the questions – even if the answers don’t come easily.

Questions for Schools and Systems Leaders:

• Do kids feel safe at school?  How do you know?  
• How can kids articulate if they feel safe or not?
• What are class sizes? How do class sizes affect feelings of physical, emotional, or mental safety?
• What happens to kids who demonstrate violence?  Who name call? Who use vulgar language?
• How are kids supported when they show mental health challenges?
• How does a school appropriately address threats to safety? 
• What parts of school campuses are physically safe?  What parts of the building may be unsafe?
• How can you prepare and plan for safety breaches, while not creating fear in students?
• How do you communicate to your community – students, staff, parents, neighbors – about plans regarding safety?
• What is considered “on campus” versus “off campus threats? How do interventions change?
• What is an appropriate role, if any, for law enforcement to play when connected to school safety or student safety?
• How can we care for those who may be struggling and therefore a threat to safety?  How can we do this while also caring for those who may be threatened by a student?

 

Questions for Parents and Caregivers:

• Does your child feel safe at school? Mentally? Emotionally? Physically?
• Has your child been name called? Hit?
• What could your child do that might make you say – my child is not safe in this environment?
• What could your child do that might make you say – my child is not safe for others?
• How can you share safety concerns with your child’s school?
• As a parent, what are your boundaries and lanes for what is okay for your child to experience at school?  
• Are you comfortable with your child participating in safety drills? What type?
• What type of information and communication do you want from your child’s school?

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When it comes to school safety – and society safety – sometimes the best we can offer is questions.  For other resources related to school safety check out:

• https://www.schoolsafety.gov/ 
• NAESP: School Safety and Tools
• Possip: Keeping Schools Safe: Safety Communication Tips

Need more tips on school safety? Check out our Safety Communication Tips blog!

The post The Path to Safer Schools: Top Questions to Ask appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

KIPP Leaders on How Possip Data is Equipping Leaders in Their Work

Caitlin Churchill, Possip’s Community director, sat down with KIPP Leaders from across the country to learn how they use feedback from families and staff to equip exceptional leadership in their regions. 

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KIPP networks across the country are using Possip to gather family and staff feedback. We sat down with two leaders to learn how routine feedback is to strengthen leadership. 

 

 

Tiffany Russ, Chief of Equity, Leadership and Student Experience at KIPP Nashville, and Allison Willis Holley, Senior Managing Director of Schools at KIPP NYC, agreed that the power of routine feedback enables their leaders by:  

1. Regularly hearing about the day-to-day experiences of their people.

2. Using happiness as a metric of retention. 

3. Providing affirming feedback to their staff. 

4. Routine feedback surfaces reflective questions for your team.

5. Sharing feedback across multiple teams. 

 

Scroll down to hear these comments in their own words! 

 

1. Routine feedback allows leaders to regularly hear about day-to-day experiences of their people.

“I had been a principal for a long time and I had worked at KIPP NYC for 16 years and it was the first time that I felt like I was regularly hearing about the day-to-day experience, that wasn’t related to a large problem that we were trying to solve that had taken months to solve, or a quick one off. It felt like I was hearing about the student experience from the lens of our families in a way that felt really relevant and real.” –Allison Willis Holley, Senior Managing Director of Schools at KIPP NYC Public Charter Schools 

 

2. Routine feedback allows leaders to see happiness as an important metric for retaining staff. 

“We found [Possip data] to be pretty correlative – we saw a strong correlation between those who said yes and those we retain year-over-year… It gave principals and leaders a chance to get away from reviewing only teacher outcomes and what they were producing, but also know what they actually feel. Because a few principals have been blind-sighted by some really awesome teachers saying they can’t do it anymore. With the regional dashboard we can trend and ask, what’s popping up here and what can we do regionally to respond to this and allow principals some resources.” –Tiffany Russ, Chief of Equity, Leadership and Student Experience at KIPP Nashville

 

3. Routine feedback gives leaders affirming feedback to share with their staff. 

“It is amazing to have a vehicle to be able to share affirming feedback. We’re all wired to hear the word feedback and jump to the negative side of our brain. It’s amazing to have a vehicle to share all the great things, and all of the gratitude and specific shoutouts and the really positive moments back with leaders. And for those leaders to be able to use that to share gratitude with the staff and buoy them through the rollercoaster that is a school year is really fantastic.” – Allison Willis Holley, Senior Managing Director of Schools at KIPP NYC Public Charter Schools

 

4. Routine feedback surfaces reflective questions for your team. 

“[Possip] brings up some really healthy reflective questions. It’s bringing up questions around trust, it’s bringing up questions around responsiveness. Questions like, how do we view partnership with our families? The KIPP Foundation started this school culture and climate survey. … and one of the questions is around partnership with families and shared power. I think [Possip] is a tool that’s very in line with that desire to become a network of schools that really does co-create and partner with families. I think our schools that are most adept at the follow-up have families that are feeling really affirmed. – Allison Willis Holley, Senior Managing Director of Schools at KIPP NYC Public Charter Schools 

 

5. Routine feedback enables access to data across across multiple teams. 

“There are so many ways that my team uses this data. Our Managing Director of Leadership Development is able to take this data and think about what we need to put in principal training to ensure they understand the kind of feedback you get as a principal and what to do about it. We use the data in leading, hiring and retaining staff. … Our student culture and student support leaders are able to get more qualitative data. … They are able to get that data that would have normally been invisible, like to the level of one parent. Because Possip allows us to be solutions oriented.. It also allows for more regional follow-up and allows us to ask good questions to our leaders on different campuses.” – Tiffany Russ, Chief of Equity, Leadership and Student Experience at KIPP Nashville

 

To see more past and upcoming Possip events click here!

The post KIPP Leaders on How Possip Data is Equipping Leaders in Their Work appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Top 10 October Staff Trends

Amanda Richards, Possip’s Reporting Team Lead, analyzed data from our Pulse Checks! The results were able to provide us with the top 10 staff trends from this past October in 2022! 

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The Possip team heard from about 4,500 staff members in Possip Pulse Checks this past month! Of those participants, 57% of staff members were happy with their schools. Here are some top-of-mind trends for teachers and school staff. 

First, we wanted to share a few larger themes that we noticed:

• Workload continues to be a growing concern- Teachers are consistently sharing that they are running out of time to accomplish all the necessary tasks during the day and are feeling overwhelmed by the number of to-dos on their lists. This has been a recurring trend in staff pulse checks but has risen to the top of the charts this month. 

• Student discipline needs and student fighting are increasing- Not only is this our #2 trend for staff this month, but it’s also in the top 10 for family Pulse Checks. We’re hearing an increase in violent behavior and fights happening on campus. October can be a time when the back-to-school “honeymoon” period is over and boundaries are starting to be pushed, especially with regard to student behavior. 
  

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Here are the top 10 staff trends that teachers are talking about.

 

#1 Teacher Workloads:

Teachers are feeling like there are too many checklist items, expectations, program responsibilities, meetings, initiatives, and classroom-based tasks. They want more clarity on what they should prioritize and feel that instructional tasks and pedagogical requirements should take first priority. Teachers are also sharing that many new initiatives on campuses this year, such as phonics curriculum, intervention periods, SEL curriculum, guided reading lessons, and added teacher meetings, are taking up significant time and pulling them in many different directions. 

 

#2 Student Discipline and Behavior:

Teachers are focused on finding solutions for concerning student behavior and fights on campus. The main points of feedback they shared in regard to discipline are more accountability. In addition, they want more monitoring in unstructured spaces like hallways. They also want more behavioral support for teachers when they need it. We are hearing that teachers feel student behaviors are escalating and there is a need for more school-wide discipline protocols. Some of the causes that teachers are attributing to this behavior spike include increased class sizes, lack of accountability or consistency with consequences on repeated students with behavioral concerns, lack of restorative practices, and a lack of monitoring in hallways and unstructured areas. 

 

#3 Administration Feedback:

The most commonly requested feedback was around administration having more transparency, more consistency, and more support for teachers.

 

#4 Curriculum Feedback:

Teachers want more freedom in their lesson planning and their classroom instruction. Staff members are also sharing feedback about topics like pacing, customization of content, resource choices, and wanting autonomy in those decisions. 

 

#5 Planning Time:

Teachers are sharing that meetings are falling into their planning periods and taking up preparation time multiple days a week. We also heard that there have been additional classes or preps added to teachers’ plates without having any extra planning time to complete those tasks. Many staff members are worried about work-life balance. They are using significant time outside of school and on weekends to complete their work without any additional compensation. 

 

#6 Staff Shortages and Teacher Vacancies:

Staff members are sharing that vacancies are impacting class sizes and disrupting the school’s ability to meet student’s needs effectively. Teachers are asking for more paraprofessionals and support staff, especially if teacher spots cannot be filled. There was also a trend that teachers feel that if they had more time and had more of a work-life balance in their roles, it may be a solution to ending teacher shortages and vacancies.

 

#7 Professional Development Sessions and Teacher Training:

Staff members shared feedback on current training content and requested specific content for future training. Some requested topics include trauma-informed practices, behavior management training, SPED training, and content-specific training. This would help teachers feel more confident with their curriculum. There was a trend of teachers sharing requests for new teacher training and better onboarding procedures, mentorship programs, and training resources for them to succeed.

 

#8 Teacher Duties & Requirements:

Teachers and staff members are sharing that their workloads and duties and unsustainable compared to the past. We heard that many new administrative duties, meeting requirements, data collection responsibilities, and adding academic responsibilities like intervention periods have been added to teachers’ plates. Teachers are asking that duties are shared equally across campus team members and that time should be given back to be able to prepare and complete these duties.

 

#9 Communication Content:

This is a new trend on our list this month. Teachers are sharing feedback on the content of the communication they receive from leadership on campus. They are asking for more proactive communication, especially when it comes to logistical emails or information on events. In addition they want clear and correct communication of changes or updates to important dates or deadlines. We also heard teachers ask that subs and support staff receive the same information as teachers so everyone is on the same page. Teachers also want to hear more about trends heard through their staff pulse check and what action steps may be taken because of their feedback and ideas.   

 

#10 IEP/504 Support:

Teachers want student needs and support to come first but are showing concerns about their ability to balance their tasks and make sure all IEP and 504 plan requirements are sufficiently being met. Teachers are asking for more communication and support from SPED departments, more training on best practices, and more collaboration with and observation from SPED departments or district leaders to better understand and meet student needs.

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We share these top 10 staff trends in the hopes that they help you have the tools, information, and ideas to support your students, families, staff, and school.  We love being a partner – so just reach out to us at caitlin@possip.com if you want to chat more!

Want to know more about staff needs? Join a Possip live demo!

The post Top 10 October Staff Trends appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Possip Live Demo

See how Possip is working with schools and districts to help hear from their entire, and diverse, communities! Register today!

The post Possip Live Demo appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Stories from KIPP Leaders: Impactful Use of Family and Staff Feedback

Join us for a conversation with you peers! On Wednesday, November 9 leaders from KIPP networks across the country will discuss how they are using feedback from Possip Pulse Checks.

The post Stories from KIPP Leaders: Impactful Use of Family and Staff Feedback appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Top 10 October Family Trends

Amanda Richards, Possip’s Reporting Team Lead, analyzed data from our Pulse Checks! The results were able to provide us with the top 10 family feedback trends from this past October! 

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October is a notoriously difficult month for schools. The “new school year” honeymoon phase is over, a holiday break seems far away in the future, and the deadlines for both school staff members and students can feel like they are piling up. It’s no surprise that October was when the Possip-launching dinner table conversation about the tough time in schools happened.

As we head into November, we want to share some of the key highlights from October we pulled out in our family Pulse Checks. This data represents comments from about 54,000 people who shared through Possip over the past month. On average, 80% of families said they were happy with their child’s school this past month. This is slightly lower than the 82% family happiness in September.

Before we dig into the 10 top trends this month, what are some key takeaways we noticed:

• Teacher feedback is increasing – Families are giving feedback about staff members on campus more frequently through Possip. We’re seeing specific feedback trends about professionalism, having positive attitudes with students, and requesting more feedback and support for students. 

• Student safety is top of mind – Families have an increased awareness of fights and violence happening between students on campus. This was also a trend we saw last year through Possip as schools reopened. Families generally want more transparency from leadership about these incidents on campus and would like to see more personnel monitoring students. Possip is hosting a Campus Safety event in December to help school administrators come up with solutions.

• Information is key – Families are asking for more communication and information from the school on a consistent, proactive, and streamlined basis. Improved communication about curriculum information and school events were two frequently discussed trends.

 

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Below are the top 10 October family & parent trends. 

 

#1 Teacher Feedback:

Families are asking for more positive interactions with students and families, including having more patience and increased professionalism. We also surfaced a trend about teachers sharing more helpful feedback on student work and progress with students and families. More transparency in grading practices, an increased understanding of individual student areas of growth, and listening directly to students to hear what they need were all highlighted through Possip results this month. 

#2 Teacher Communication:

More photos of classroom happenings, more individualized insight on how students are progressing behaviorally and academically, and consistent communication regarding deadlines and responding to emails or calls. We heard a few ideas to improve teacher communication. This includes more opportunities to connect with teachers at the beginning of the year to learn about how they can communicate with teachers and build a relationship from the start. Many parents and families didn’t know how to contact teachers. They felt unsure about what was going on in their student’s classrooms.  

#3 Curriculum Feedback:

Families asked for more interactive and engaging curriculum, more projects and real-world applications to the content, different book selections in reading classes, and less test preparation. A few other more specific topics we heard multiple families discussing was the pacing of the curriculum, more support with foreign language classes and math, avoiding any topics of politics with elections coming up, and feedback on the rigor and difficulty of the curriculum. Families are increasingly becoming more engaged with the content being taught in class and are wanting information consistently on what students are learning.

#4 Academic Support:

Many families are asking for more support from teachers, increased tutoring opportunities, and additional assistance solidifying learning or preparing for exams. Families also noted that the expectations and workload seemed very high and they felt students were struggling and not able to keep up. Overall, families are asking for more support for their students, and more tips for how they can support their student academically at home.

#5 General School Communication Frequency:

We heard a desire to have emails and calls returned consistently. Also, they want more direct communication to necessary stakeholders and not mass communications, and correct event dates that are not changed frequently. Families also asked for communication to be outside of social media for those that don’t use the mode of communication. 

#6 Carline Logistics:

Most of the comments were about safety during carline and expediting the carline process. Families added a lot of helpful ideas through Possip to help brainstorm solutions. Some ideas included more officers or staff to direct traffic, reiterating to families the carline rules, not allowing parking in specific locations near the carline, and school-specific ways to speed up the drop-off/pick-up process. 

#7 School Safety:

Families shared tangible ideas to make the campus safer. This includes more student monitoring in specific places and adding additional safety training. In addition, they want schools to transparent communication with families, so they are aware of safety measures or concerns. We also noticed this tied to our #9 trend this week regarding student fighting on campus. Families are worried about violence escalating to more severe situations inside the school and in the surrounding neighborhoods.

#8 Extracurricular Activities:

Families want schools to provide more activities, sports, clubs, and opportunities for their students to be social with friends in a fun way. Families are advocating for schools to add specific clubs or sports. Other families that have students involved in clubs or sports are asking for more facilities, more organization and communication of schedules. They also want more information about how their students can participate. 

#9 Student Fighting:

Families are hearing about increased fights at school and want more transparency about these situations. We heard families advocating for more consequences for fighting, and more information on what is being done to prevent fighting. Also, there were requests for more counselors or resource officers to support in decreasing fights.  Families are sharing worries about these fighting behaviors escalating into more school violence and dangerous situations on campus. 

#10 Cafeteria Feedback:

Families are requesting higher quality food for students. They also want more variety in the menu and correct lunch menus posted online and in newsletters. Additionally, families want to be able to bring food to drop off to students during the day or visit to have lunch with their students. In terms of the logistics of lunch, families are sharing feedback about removing assigned lunch seats for students and allowing them to choose their own seats. In addition, families also want longer lunch periods for their students to have ample time to finish their food. 

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We share these top 10 October family trends in the hopes that they help you have the tools, information, and ideas to support your students, families, staff, and school.  We love being a partner – so just reach out to us at caitlin@possip.com if you want to chat more!

Want to learn more about family and parent needs? Join our live demo!

The post Top 10 October Family Trends appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.