6 Tips to Support School Safety Efforts, for Parents

Erin, Possip Reporter and a seasoned instructional leader who served in the Commissioner’s Office at the Tennessee Department of Education, discusses school safety efforts that parents can start today.

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You squeeze in one last hug before they get out of the car and remind them to be kind and have a good day as they slide out and into the flow of foot traffic into school. After you drive away, you take a big breath, close your eyes, and hope they stay safe at school today. Or maybe you don’t because thinking about what could happen is just too scary.

With headlines almost every month of safety incidents at schools across the nation, it can feel pretty daunting to send your most precious child or children to school every day. As we discuss in The Path to Safer Schools, “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.”

While it might seem like there’s little you can do, parents and caregivers can actively engage and support schools’ efforts to ensure a safe learning environment for our children. In this blog post, we’ll explore various ways families can contribute to school safety and security initiatives.

1. Have Your Own Safe Schools Perspective

School leaders and administrators are negotiating lots of competing ideas about what safety and operations looks like.  As a parent, you should have your own sense of what you want to see in a safe school (we include some questions to consider in The Path to Safer Schools).  Having your own perspective on what is desirable or acceptable with your own student helps you share feedback – positive or constructive – with your child’s school. 

They often are themselves trying to figure out how to navigate their own thoughts and ideas with what others might think.  So having your perspective can be helpful.   Possip can be a great tool to share your perspective on the school’s safety choices – especially as they might impact your individual student.

2. Get Involved & Volunteer for Safety Activities

Attend general community events so you get to know other parents, family members, and the staff.  Promoting a strong and connected community can help you better know and understand who is in the school building – or who are the students your child is with every day.


Also you can attend family association meetings to stay informed about safety protocols and contribute valuable insights. 

Additionally, volunteer your time for safety-related tasks at school. Opportunities to help at school might include the following: 

• Supervising students during arrival or dismissal
• Monitoring hallways during class transitions, lunch, and recess
• Directing traffic in and outside of the building during school events

3. Understand & Enforce School Safety Protocols

Discuss safety protocols at home to ensure your child feels comfortable with them, understands why they exist, and knows how to respond effectively in different scenarios. Protocols to discuss with your child including the following:  

• Fire Drill
• Tornado Drill
• Shelter-in-place
• Lockdown

Additionally, you can be supportive and model helping with family-facing safety protocols and help enforce them in the following ways:

• Follow the asks of the school yourself and be patient with others. This is especially important with the carline and school entry and exit procedures.
• Refrain from asking for exceptions, like skipping the carline or asking to be let in the building without proper identification.
• Use positive parent pressure to remind other parents of expectations. This may look like asking a family member to be buzzed in the building rather than holding the door open for the person behind you.

4. Promote Cyber Security Awareness at Home

Talk to your student about responsible internet usage and the risks of sharing personal information. Free cybersecurity websites such as Be Internet Aware from Google can help educate your child through interactive game play. Likewise, ask your school administration about the cybersecurity education currently provided to students and advocate for programming if needed. 

5. Reflect on- and Monitor – Technology and Social Media Usage

Start with having your own set of principles and standards around technology, screen time and social media usage.  Learn more about the impact and consequences of social media usage (articles like this one can help: Why young brains are especially vulnerable to social media (apa.org).  Also take time to understand your school’s social media and technology policies and help enforce expectations by talking with your student about the rationale and consequences. 

Keep in mind that cyberbullying can occur on social media. Families can help prevent and address cyberbullying by doing the following:

• Understand the process for reporting bullying at your child’s school
• Monitor your student’s social media usage
• Talk to your child about the signs of cyberbullying
• Report even the smallest instances of cyberbullying to school staff

6. Advocate for Mental Health Support

Contribute to a safer school environment by ensuring the mental and emotional health of your child in the following ways:

• Familiarize yourself with the mental health supports available for students on campus
• Advocate for mental health programming
• Encourage open discussions about mental health at home
• Ensure your child knows where to go for mental health support at home and school
• As outlined above, know about – and when appropriate limit – technology usage that may not best support positive mental health

7. Report Suspicious Behavior & Provide Feedback

Empower your child to speak up about any unusual or concerning behavior they witness at school. Encourage them to report such incidents to a trusted adult. Likewise, families should report any suspicious activities or safety concerns to school administration through appropriate communication channels.  Platforms like Possip can help parents and staff share systems – or physical facilities gaps – that may lead to a gap in safety.  Examples could include areas of poor lighting in the evening, doors that get propped open, or even people who may be on school grounds inappropriately.

As one leader noted in our Actions for Keeping Schools Safe Schools, Event Recap, “Safety impacts attendance. How safe and secure a student feels at school is a determining factor of whether they show up at school.” By actively participating in school safety initiatives, parents play an integral role in creating an atmosphere where children can learn and grow without unnecessary worries. Let’s work together to make our schools the safest possible spaces for our children to thrive.

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At Possip, we understand the challenges and significance of being an engaged and informed parent. Over 1,500 schools across the country partner with us because:

• We believe parent voices matter, 
• We are school-approved, and
• We help people make a positive impact. 

To Read More about Possip and How to Introduce it to Your Child’s School or District, Click Here!

The post 6 Tips to Support School Safety Efforts, for Parents appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Addressing Children’s Social-Emotional Needs During Times of Crisis

This blog article was first published in April 2020. We have updated the content and provided more resources for further learning.

When facing a crisis or turmoil, kids need help from loving adults more than ever. 

A lack of control, a lack of normalcy, and feelings of uncertainty can throw their brains into survival mode, which is the “fight or flight” mode. If their brain is worried about the basic need of survival being met, then it’s not ready to be in learning mode.

Feeling safe and emotionally secure are foundations for emotional, social, and cognitive brain development. To help meet students’ social-emotional needs during a time of crisis, we need to focus on three important aspects of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): a feeling of safety, connection, and emotional regulation. 

Restoring children’s sense of safety can help bring their brains and emotions back in balance.

Tips to provide safety for students at home

1. Routines

Consistent routines and procedures can help reduce stress and facilitate stronger learning for kids during a time of crisis. Try to provide normalcy and create a safe structure and routines for students at home.

2. Psychological distancing

It can feel unsafe for children to talk about how they’re feeling in difficult times. If a child is hesitant to talk about their own feelings, try to use psychological distancing and instead of asking how they specifically are feeling. Ask something a bit more distant like, “What would you do to support your best friend who was telling you they were really worried about their grandma? What would you say to them?” This takes some pressure off because it’s not their emotions to start, but it can move more into a conversation about their emotions.

3. Real talk

Have some real talk with your student about the situation they are facing. Answer questions and share information in a way that a child would understand. Let them know they are safe and that it’s okay to feel upset if they are feeling that way. 

4. Share your feelings

Model emotional regulation for your child. You can share with them your emotions and how you’re dealing with those feelings. What makes you hopeful? What makes you feel positive when you’re worried or stressed? This will help students feel safe to share how they’re feeling with a parent or other adult.  

5. Limit news and media

Limit the exposure to news coverage, including social media. Kids can easily misinterpret things and become even more anxious if they don’t understand something they heard, read, or saw. While it’s important to talk to students about what’s going on and stay up to date, it’s also important not to overwhelm them and constantly have news broadcasts playing in the background all the time.

Children’s sense of community can quickly get lost during a crisis. It’s important for students to not feel alone. Focusing on creating connections for students. 

Tips to create connection for students

1. Continue SEL and community-building practices

Make time for verbal or written “check-ins” with the class and at home. 

2. Check-in with family and loved ones

Staying connected to loved ones can help children feel less lonely and isolated. Ways to connect to long-distance loved ones include phone calls, Emails, Mailing letters or postcards, Video chat, sending gifts, or downloading some app-based communication methods. 

3. Commit acts of service and kindness

This helps students build an appreciation for their own situation, improve mental health, and allows them to have a connection with other people. Find ways to donate to organizations or people in need, call a neighbor who is alone to give them some company. Things like that demonstrate kindness and help build gratitude during tough times.

It’s important to know that stress changes our brains and behaviors, which makes emotional regulation really difficult.

Strategies to promote emotional regulation

1. Acknowledge and share feelings

Keep in mind that adults may also be in a place of dysregulation. It’s important to acknowledge that both students and parents feel worried or stressed. It’s okay to share that. Talk about that together. Allow students to share and process their emotions, as well as giving them individual time to reflect and gather their thoughts. Within this, the adult should share strategies that they use when they’re stressed to move into a more regulated, balanced place.

2. Celebrate

Try to get up every day with a sense of gratitude and positivity. It can be hard, but really be intentional about finding something small to celebrate each day. Celebrate your health, if the sun is shining, or just the roof over your head. Students can even journal three highlights of the day and share them during dinner or another time together. Research shows that when we appreciate our present status and think of those good things, we develop resilience to the negative events that may be happening in our lives. 

3. Basic needs

Make sure kids get the basics of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Have a normal bedtime routine, eat healthy meals, and set a time to go outside or have an indoor exercise at the same time each day. Physical health is tied to mental health, so try to make sure these basic needs are met for kids at home.

4. Journaling

Teachers or counselors can provide prompts to parents, or students can just keep a journal of how the day went.

5. Find time to breathe or meditate

Make time to pause, breathe, be present, practice gratitude, and destress in a calm way. There are some great meditation apps to download.

6. Help your child express and name emotions

This can definitely take practice. One awesome tool for elementary and middle schoolers is the Mood Meter by the RULER at the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence. For older students, you can do activities where they can practice naming emotions by examining emotional attributes they see in leaders. For younger students, you can read books aloud and then reflect on the feelings of the characters in the books. It helps kids to understand their own emotions when they can name emotions others are having.

Finally, practice some kind of social-emotional learning each day. Families can make these activities part of the daily routine to really support children’s need. Some activities will work for specific students, and some won’t. But be patient and push families to keep trying until they find a strategy that works for that unique child. 

Other recommended resources include:

• www.casel.org 
• https://www.cnvc.org 
• Understanding National SEL Day
• 5 Tips for School Leaders To Emotionally Support Students Returning to School
• Gratitude Activities for Yourself… and for Your Students

Want to learn more about Possip? Join a Possip live demo!

The post Addressing Children’s Social-Emotional Needs During Times of Crisis appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Possip Speed Read: Using Your Feedback to Improve Our Reporting

Cate Reed, a seasoned administrator and current Senior Vice President of Teach For America, introduces how the new Possip Speed Read was designed to give busy leaders the information they most need.

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At Possip, our motto is: “Build Stronger Schools Through Feedback”. We view constructive feedback as a gift. It allows us to improve and, in the case of Possip, serve our partners even better.  We believe deeply in the power of listening. To that end, we routinely step back and ask our partners how we can more effectively serve them. So, they in turn can best serve their families and communities. 

This fall we are thrilled to announce that we have piloted! We are rolling out a new feature in our reports for schools, the “Speed Read”.

Introducing: The Speed Read

Now found at the top of every school report, the Speed Read serves as an executive summary. It will quickly orient you to the most important information that Possip reporters gleaned from your school’s recent Pulse Check. 

The new Speed Read will include:

• # of families heard from
• 2-5 points of praise trends so you can see what is working for families right now 
• 2-5 points of feedback trends for you to best understand what is most top of mind as families are experiencing your school
• 2-5 resources that are aligned to those feedback trends
• If applicable, a bonus question analysis that restates the question for your convenience and then summarizes the responses submitted

What won’t change? 

• You will have access to all of your data – the rest of the report continues after the new Speed Read section.
• We will continue to elevate feedback that needs immediate attention or follow-up, so you will not miss it.
• Our team will ensure that what you read feels actionable and realistic given all we know about the volume of things you need to manage on a given day, week, and month. 

Here is a sample of what you will see:

What inspired the Speed Read?

After talking to partners over the past few months, we heard a few common themes, regardless of the size of the school or how often they send Pulse Checks to their community:

1. Time is of the essence. Administrators have limited time to read long and extensive reports, especially when they might receive hundreds of families’ responses in a given week.  
2. Headlines matter. Sometimes there is a specific family response that needs immediate follow-up. It is equally as important to know the headlines that are on the minds of the greatest number of families so schools can react accordingly.
3. Aligned resources are critical. Presenting ideas and tools that align with the headlines of our reports gives school leaders a quick and effective way to take action if they choose–and can serve as a springboard to planning their teams’ next step.

As our #PossipPartners know, every time they send a Pulse Check to their community, we collect the responses and prepare a report summarizing the data, highlighting key topics, and bringing to the forefront “hot” issues or comments that need to be addressed immediately. Our reports include the actual comments themselves and can be relatively lengthy based on the amount of responses collected.

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With our new format, we are reducing the time school leaders need to spend to get to the main idea of their report, without sacrificing the breadth and depth of the feedback stakeholders shared.

Cate Reed, Possip Reporter and Writer shared,

“As a current reporter, I can say that the Speed Read lets me get into the meat of what I am reviewing within a school’s Pulse Check responses. I can focus my time on what I am seeing on a deeper level, as I analyze the parent’s comments and sentiments without getting bogged down in the details. In addition, I appreciate that I am still able to elevate places where families need immediate attention. I know that is incredibly important to school leaders.”

Fellow reporter, Lauren Rayburn shared her mutual enthusiasm,

“I LOVE the new direction! I think it’s “Work Smarter, Not Harder” (for everyone! School leaders AND Possip Reporters!)…. I just wanted to say GREAT WORK! It got my efficient and effective communicator heart pumping with excitement!”

One of our partner district administrators in Colorado commented,

Summary: She found the Speed Read helpful to get a quick pulse on the 12 schools in her district and how to support her teams. She found the Speed Read helpful in her meetings with vice principals that week and even asked if we would consider adding the feature to our district level reports! 

We hope you enjoy the new Speed Read feature, and, as always, we welcome your feedback on our new approach!

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Need Help With Bonus Questions to Improve Family Turnout at Events? Check Out This Blog!

The post Possip Speed Read: Using Your Feedback to Improve Our Reporting appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Maximizing Planning Time: A Perspective for Teachers and Administrators

Sarah Besand, a Teacher and Possip Reporter, shares ways to maximize planning time for teachers and administrators.

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Helping teachers get – and maximize – planning time is more controversial than might be expected.  The reality is time is a limited resource.  So more time planning means less time with students.

Staff members share through their Pulse Checks that limited teacher prep time and extra meeting time can be exhausting as they try to drive student learning and achievement. Yet administrators are often under significant pressure for student achievement and have paperwork, meetings, and requirements–where teacher input and participation is vital!

With this dynamic, teachers feel at odds with their principals, principals have high stakes deadlines, and two people who share a goal – student achievement – can feel at odds.

So–what can we do about it?

Our first recommendation is not a groundbreaking solution, but rather a gentle reminder: compassion.

All of our jobs are challenging in different ways. Teachers: We see you making those quick copies, differentiating instruction for learners, attending two IEP meetings in a week and providing thoughtful input, and trying to preserve your lunch break. We also know how critical planning time is for your success as an educator as described in this Kappan article: “Time for teacher learning, planning critical for school reform”. 

Administrators: Every day, we watch you balancing – attending to student behaviors, attending district meetings, building positive culture throughout your school, and hiring fantastic new talent. We know you want to preserve planning time for teachers, and we know how many competing priorities you have for that time.

To navigate this tension, here are four strategies for teachers and administrators:

1. Know your district’s policy

• Teachers: Knowing your district’s stated policy regarding planning time is essential. Do some research and find out how much protected planning time you are supposed to have each week. This information can often be found by checking your district or school’s handbook or contacting your local Teacher’s Association. Knowing this information can help you communicate more clearly to administration if you are not receiving this time.
• Administrators: You probably already know the stated planning time expectations from your district, and if that’s you, you are ahead of the game! However, it is still worth a double-check to make sure policies from previous years are the same. Additionally, knowing this information and abiding by it goes a long way in retaining teachers over the years.

2. Get insights from other districts and countries and models with planning time

Whether a teacher or administrator, having a vision for strong planning time and how it is used can inspire creativity for how you can create and support more planning time.  Here are two resources that have data about different districts and countries:

• How much time do teachers spend teaching? | Education at a Glance 2019 : OECD Indicators | OECD iLibrary (oecd-ilibrary.org)
• Planning time may help mitigate teacher burnout—but how much planning time do teachers get? (nctq.org)

 

3. Use a script for a productive and compassionate conversation

• Teachers: You’ve done the first few steps of knowing how much planning time your district has set aside for you. You may see that you’re not currently getting that full time.  Here is a potential conversation script:
  1. “Hey _________, is this a good time to talk? I am wondering if you are open to a conversation about teacher planning time.  Our district sets aside ___ hours for daily planning time – which I appreciate.  I know we have a number of meetings that matter to our success as a school. Unfortunately, that’s making it hard for teachers to get the full planning time.  This means we have less time to plan the highest quality of lessons, to meet by subject or grade level, or to call parents or plan celebrations for students.  Would you be open to brainstorming or chatting about ideas so we can both have the planning time we need – and meet the needs  of admin?  
• Administrators: Here’s a script for trickier conversations:
  1. “Hey ____________. Thank you for trusting me enough to share your feedback and worry.  Thanks also for thinking not only about yourself, but other team members, and students.  I can hear you are feeling ________ about your amount of planning time recently. I know how hard it is to juggle lots of demands as a teacher.  I want to explore and brainstorm some of your ideas overall – so let’s plan some time to do that as well.  Would you like to chat now?  Or schedule some time separately?  If you’re open to it now it would be helpful to look through what the past month has looked like from your perspective.  

4. Maximize the planning time you have

• Teachers: Speaking from personal experience–this is hard! Planning time for so many teachers can feel like the only time throughout the school day to decompress. Taking a break can feel much better than powering through.  Also, not only is planning time used for planning future lessons, it’s also easily taken up by grading, cleaning up your room from a recent class period, or making calls to parents–all important tasks as well, and the options are endless.
  
  However, to stay committed to working inside contract hours as much as possible and respecting the time you do have, you must aim to maximize it. Often, I will create a daily list of “must do” and “may do” tasks for each day of the week I don’t have meetings, and this helps tremendously. Try it, and see how much time you save!
• Administrators: If a teacher is getting the required amount of planning time and they still feel like they don’t have enough, offer to help problem solve or act as a sounding board as they create a strategy to maximize their time. Offering yourself as someone who is supportive, receptive, and willing to help problem-solve can go a long way in building trust with your teammates. 

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Teachers and administrator jobs are challenging in different ways. At Possip, we know people are doing their best to connect with and help students achieve their best–sometimes in very challenging situations. We’re always interested in improving communication and building trust within school communities; engaging in challenging conversations with compassion at the core can do just that.

Want to learn more about Possip? Join a live demo!

The post Maximizing Planning Time: A Perspective for Teachers and Administrators appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

What Is Possip? A Primer for the Curious Parent

Possip Knowledge and Content Manager, Mandy Wallace, shares everything a curious parent needs to know about Possip!

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At Possip, we understand the significance of being an engaged and informed parent. We know you want to work with your school to provide the best possible education and opportunity for your child (and their classmates!). Also, we know that sometimes it can be intimidating or logistically impossible to be active and engaged with your child’s school. 

We help parents communicate their feedback and praise to schools on a regular basis. We also provide credible and trustworthy resources for both parents who are already familiar with Possip and those who are considering it. Here’s why:

Parent Voices Matter

We believe in the power of parent voices and their positive impact in schools. Possip provides a platform for parents to share their feedback, concerns, and suggestions and then delivers that information to school leaders and teachers. We have reached out to and positively impacted the lives of over 1 million parents since our inception in 2017.

School-Approved

Over 1,500 schools and educational institutions trust and endorse Possip. Our platform has been successfully implemented in various educational settings, helping schools improve communication, engagement, and overall student experience.

Positive Impact

Many parents have already experienced the benefits of Possip. By sharing Possip as an option with your child’s school or district, you’ll be part of a movement to create a collaborative and supportive learning environment. Together, we can foster positive teacher-student-parent relationships and drive meaningful improvements within the school community.

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Could Possip benefit your child’s school or district? If you would like more information about Possip or need assistance introducing it to your child’s school or district, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to support you every step of the way!

Looking for more resources to support your child and effectively engage with your school? Check out our favorite blog articles: 

1. How to Write An Email With Feedback to a Teacher
2. Top Ten Testing Tips For Parents & Schools
3. 6 Tips to Get Your Kids Talking
4. 10 Things That Matter When Touring or Choosing Schools
5. Beyond The Bake Sale: School Fundraising In The 21st Century

Want to know more? Join our Possip live demo!

The post What Is Possip? A Primer for the Curious Parent appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

Develop a System to Effectively Use Possip Praise

 

Possip team member and former teacher, Adie Tate, shares ways to effectively use Possip Praise.

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Put yourself in your teacher’s shoes.

Imagine how you would feel if you walked into your classroom and saw this written on the board:

Or what if you walked into the staff break room and saw this posted on the refrigerator:

What if you came back from lunch to a card on your desk with a note from you with this praise:

Imagine what your Exceptional Education team might say if they all received an email from you congratulating them for their good work and this quote from a parent:

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Teachers are amazing people! They often put in extra hours and energy to make sure their students get what they need. We love reading the compliments and positive comments families post every week with Possip. We often call out staff members by name, and recognize their hard work. This could be something seemingly small, but very significant to them.

Sometimes that praise can be overshadowed by concerns, or frustrations families suggest. It doesn’t have the same sense of urgency when there isn’t a problem attached to it. 

Creating a system to let teachers and staff know the great things and praise families share about them can be instrumental in building and sustaining morale, as well as strengthening your community. Research has shown that praising employees on a regular basis is very beneficial. It can lead to more engaged and happier employees. To learn more, check out the article Why is Praising People at Work So Important?. In the past, we’ve examined The Power of Praise During Teacher Appreciation Week and Beyond. However, sharing praise regularly is just as important as providing constructive feedback on a routine basis. This helps create professional development and building trust with your staff.  

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Here are four steps to set up a system to share Possip Praise throughout the year:

Step 1: Ask teachers how they prefer to receive praise.

Some teachers love to be recognized in front of a group of their peers. Others love public praise that can be shared with loved ones. Some appreciate private messages and avoid the spotlight. Survey your staff at the beginning of the year. Or, use your Possip staff pulse checks – to get a sense of what will be most effective for each person or team.

Step 2: Create your ideal plan. 

The plan can vary throughout the year or you can do the same thing every time. Some of our favorite ideas for sharing praise include the following:

• Idea 1: Introduce a “Possip Praise Corner” in your weekly staff email. Create a section titled “Possip Praise This Week” or “Check Out this Possip Praise from Our Community” and include school- or grade-level praise.
• Idea 2: Let staff members know when they’ve been recognized. Teachers love getting personal notes. Also, they especially love having a handwritten note they can keep and look back at when they need a “pick-me-up”. If you are feeling short on time and have lots of praise for specific teachers, you can set up a system where you send notes to different teachers each week. For example, you can send one praise comment or accumulate multiple praise comments for the same teacher and send them all at once.
• Idea 3: Share school-wide praise at the beginning of each staff meeting. Have a few Possip praise quotes ready to share at the beginning of each staff meeting. As a result, the meeting will get started on a positive note. Take a few moments to select quotes that are school-wide. In addition, at each meeting, ensure that different staff members are praised.
• Idea 4: If your school has a social media presence, plan a weekly post to share praise. For consistency and ease, publish your praise on the same day each week. This way, staff and family members can look forward to the post!

Step 3: Loop in other staff members who are interested in creating a positive culture at your school to encourage sharing Possip praise.

Start a “Smile” or “Sunshine” committee and ask for volunteers who want to help share joy and build community at your school. Once you have this committee in place, share the praise from your Possip report and your plan, then encourage them to be creative in how to share that info with the school staff. Make sure to communicate your expectations regarding how often praise is shared, equity, and being sensitive to asking for and respecting people’s preferences. Consider asking family members to serve on the committee as well!

Step 4: Designate one person on your team to be in charge of your praise system.

Sharing praise can be one of the first things “dropped” because of everything school leaders and administrators have to do every day.  It does not have the sense of urgency that other tasks can have. Have one person serve as the “captain” of the system. Thus, the system is followed after each report. 

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For more ideas to share praise throughout the year, check out these 10 Ways to Use Possip Praise During Teacher Appreciation Week. We love to see how school leaders celebrate their staff. Please share ideas you’ve found to be successful below! Email us pictures at hello@possip.com. Tag @possipit in your praise posts on social media!

Learn more ways to use Possip Praise by joining our Live Demo!

The post Develop a System to Effectively Use Possip Praise appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

How Parents Can Share Curriculum Critiques with Kindness

Sarah Besand, a Teacher and Possip Reporter shares ways that parents can share curriculum critiques with kindness to their school staff this year.

As a parent, we know that it can feel like a losing battle when sharing curriculum concerns with your school. It can also feel confusing to know who even makes these decisions?! There is nothing worse than feeling like you’re “barking up the wrong tree” when sharing concerns to administrators who ultimately have no control over district-wide curriculum decisions. You might feel angry. Frustrated. Powerless. You may be wondering: how can I use these feelings for good? How can I share this feedback in a constructive way?

You are not alone in your desire to voice your feedback. Curriculum adoptions are becoming more and more contested and publicized across the country and globe. Many parents have felt empowered to voice comments regarding district choices. Possip’s March 2023 Family Pulse Check trends show an increase in curriculum feedback comments. We know and hear often from parents that they want what’s best for their scholar and deeply value the quality of the education they receive.

Consider your school’s perspective and options   

At Possip, we have several resources available for administrators on best practices for making curriculum information and change available for parents. Your administration might have already taken some of these steps, so it may be helpful  to review Possip’s blog post, “Solutions for Curriculum Feedback”. Becoming familiar with these insights to recognize the efforts made and tools available at your school can help build your compassion as you prepare to share your thoughts with decision-makers.

How to navigate the curriculum feedback process:

1. Lean in with curiosity

This step of the feedback process is critical. Often, we find ourselves susceptible to absorbing others’ opinions about a topic, so do your own research and build your understanding of the curriculum in use. Ultimately, this work strengthens your persuasive ability. This blog offers insightful reflections and questions you can ask your student’s school as you continue to build your opinion about curriculum choice. Using these prompts will help you understand information, like length of time a curriculum has been in place and how effective it’s proven to be.

2. Choose your audience strategically

Choosing your audience is also a very important aspect of sharing feedback and inspiring change across a school or district. Often, administrators have little control over district-wide curriculums in use. However, they may be able to direct you to leaders who have more of a voice in these decisions. It may be more helpful to get in contact with a leader who serves on a curriculum committee or a school board member instead.

3. Communicate with positive intent

At Possip, for administrators, teachers, and parents alike, we always recommend communicating feedback and assuming positive intent from the other educational stakeholder. This strengthens your point of view and sets the tone for a constructive conservation and space to share. Remembering that family members and leaders are on the same team is an easy way to put this into practice. We recommend statements like,

“I know you and I both deeply value the quality of student learning. I would like to share a few ideas I have about the curriculum in place that may enhance student learning even more.” 

4. Take part in a curriculum review

Often, districts or schools will look for active members of the community to be part of the curriculum selection process when it’s an adoption year. Cultivating your kind, but clear, voice as an engaged family member will be helpful in your ability to partake in this– keep it up! Ask to be involved or invited to participate.

We hope these tips will be helpful as you continue to hone your curriculum-feedback voice at your school! The root of your shared desire with others in your school community–to ensure your student receives the best education possible. Many factors go into curriculum adoption. Stakeholders can work together in inspiring ways to shape the learning experience for all students.  

Interested in Learning How to Write an Email with Feedback to a Teacher? Read More Here!

The post How Parents Can Share Curriculum Critiques with Kindness appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.