Strategies to Build Community as a Leader

Being a superintendent means you are accountable and need to build community with so many people: families, students, teachers and even your school board!  Having positive working relationships with all of these people is crucial to build community, above and beyond just supporting student learning.  Creating strong community engagement starts with transparency and trust.  

Cate Reed, seasoned administrator, current Senior Vice President of Teach For America, and Possip Reporter, shares tips for superintendents to foster community and support.

And while there are so many people who count on you, it can also be lonely. There is only one superintendent, and the buck stops with you – the good and the bad. The average tenure of many superintendents only lasts a few years. It can be a really hard, and at times, a very isolating job.

However, there are ways to keep the job engaging and even fun (sometimes!).  Superintendents can employ various strategies to stay in close touch with those people they are serving. That proximity can build up resiliency in an otherwise very hard job.build 

Build Community Through Communication

• Newsletters: Sending out newsletters via email or traditional mail can keep families informed about school events, updates, and important information.
• Social Media: Utilizing platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram can help superintendents communicate with families in real-time.  Share updates, photos, and engage with questions or concerns. Here’s an example of a superintendent and principal announcing a snow day with a duet!
• Virtual Town Halls: Hosting virtual town hall meetings allows superintendents to connect with families who can’t make it to school board meetings. A virtual setting invites people to express concerns, ask questions, and receive updates directly in an interactive format.
• Personalized Communication: Tailoring communication to the specific needs and preferences of families can enhance engagement and connection. Our data shows families respond to text more frequently than email. Also consider phone calls or video messages. 

Click here to read the full content in the Possip Membership

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Elevating School Safety: How Fayetteville City Schools Uses Possip

Enrollment numbers were dropping. There were theories as to the cause, but the administration didn’t know for sure. Teaming up with Possip, Dr. Claudia Styles, the Supervisor of Federal Programs at Fayetteville City Schools, asked families why and found out that school safety was a top concern. 

Caroline Carrello, a Possip intern majoring in Human and Organization Development at Vanderbilt University, explains how Pulse Checks are helping a district improve school safety and mental health awareness and, ultimately, curb decreasing school enrollment rates. 

During our recent webinar panel about parents’ worries about their children’s basic needs and safety at school (you can read a recap of the event here!), Dr. Styles shared how her district used Possip to make significant changes.

Administering Surveys With Purpose

Fayetteville City Schools had a problem: declining enrollment rates. Initially they contemplated crafting their own survey to uncover the reasons but soon realized many limitations. Feeling stuck in a cycle of constant guessing regarding the declining enrollment, they decided to ask families using Possip. Together, we tailored a comprehensive community survey, refining questions to unearth the reasons behind the enrollment drop. 

To Dr. Styles’ surprise, the feedback didn’t align with their initial assumptions, revealing previously unseen factors influencing families’ decisions. Parent feedback is often overlooked when trying to solve problems in schools. Asking parents the right questions to receive their feedback is crucial for schools to understand what the real issues are. This revelation sparked action, enabling Fayetteville City Schools to address underlying issues effectively. With enrollment now on the rise, Dr. Styles credits Possip for empowering them to delve deeper into parental perceptions and take proactive measures.

Digging Deeper Into Parent Needs and Concerns

Dr. Styles underscores the importance of school safety trends, an area where Possip’s insights prove invaluable. Reflecting on the impact, Dr. Styles shares, 

“Possip really has been instrumental in the job I am doing. I use it for my needs assessments on all of our applications (PreK, Consolidated Funds, CTE, and District Plans). I use the data for our monitoring tools and our end-of-year evaluation reports. It has also been instrumental in providing the ‘proof’ needed to spearhead many of our programs. All other surveys that I used simply gave a basic Yes, No, Maybe type response and you could not ‘read into’ the feedback. You just had to guess what was behind the response. The open-ended option really allows us to see inside the minds of our parents and that IS A GAME CHANGER! Thanks for what you do to help us educators. :)” 

This testimonial underscores how Possip’s open-ended feedback mechanism transcends conventional surveys. With Possip, stakeholders can share the nuances of parental perspectives, ultimately fostering a safer and more supportive atmosphere.

School Safety and Mental Health Awareness at Fayetteville

Dr. Claudia Styles sheds light on the critical issues of school safety and mental health within their educational community. Recognizing the impact of bullying and the overall school climate on students’ well-being, Fayetteville took proactive steps to address these concerns. Through a grant initiative, they were able to hire three social workers who implemented innovative strategies, including weekly community talks where students could express their feelings in a safe environment. 

The data collected using Possip allows Fayetteville to pave the way for long-term success. Dr. Styles shares how the data and insights from Possip surveys help to strengthen their grant applications. Additionally, Fayetteville initiated parent training sessions, leveraging feedback from Possip surveys to tailor their programs effectively. With virtual trainings and targeted interventions, Fayetteville City Schools continues to prioritize the safety and mental health of students, fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Dr. Claudia Styles and Fayetteville City Schools use Possip as a tool to navigate obstacles and enhance their educational environment. Their experience showcases the power of collaborative feedback in driving innovation and shaping a brighter future for students and educators. Dr. Styles emphasizes the importance of open-ended questions, a feature that sets Possip apart. By leveraging these responses, Fayetteville City Schools can identify patterns and glean valuable insights, empowering them to take decisive action and address the needs of their community effectively. 

Here are additional resources to combat bullying: 

• Reacting to Bullying: A Detailed Plan
• Bullying and Student Discipline Solutions: Trend #3

Click here to learn more about how our partners use Possip to prioritize mental health.

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New Possip Landing Pages Empower Leaders to Be Curious, Data-Driven, and Proactive

We’re excited to unveil the latest update to the Possip Platform: customized landing pages designed specifically for to empower leaders at all levels—from school principals to multi-district directors! These dashboards provide instant access to essential tools and your data. With them, you can engage strategically with your community, harness powerful insights, and confidently make data-driven decisions. 

Be Curious

Possip’s 1-minute Pulse Checks gauge your community’s real-time feelings about their school and district. Our new landing pages give you an overview of your Pulse Check results, cadence, and shortcuts to the tools that allow you to customize Pulse Checks for your needs. We’ve highlighted two new sections on the landing pages: Next Pulse Check and Bonus Question Scheduling.

Next Pulse Check

Develop strong, predictable communication systems so your people know when they can offer their thoughts and ideas. Know how often and when your next Pulse Check will go out to your community. 

Bonus Question Scheduling

Make easier decisions and be curious. No need to stress about what the community will think about decisions when you can ask them! It is easy to schedule a custom Bonus Question to understand what is top of mind for your community or gather their input about a specific topic. 

Be Empowered in Your Decisions

Asking your community for their thoughts on a regular basis can bring in a ton of data and information. Our technology and team does the heavy lifting for you by sorting, analyzing, summarizing, and prioritizing your community’s responses. Instead of sifting through an avalanche of emails, voicemails, texts, and app messages, get regular reports of your community’s pulse in the Possip Speed Read and Trending or Cumulative Topic Tables. 

Possip Speed Read

Want to be empowered by QUICKLY knowing what your community is talking about? Get a quick overview with this condensed summary on a school level. 

District and Cumulative Trending Topics

Be an empowered leader by knowing what people are talking about in real-time based on your latest Pulse Check. Stay informed with collective trending topics from all the school and district accounts you manage. This can help you know if what feels like a lot of feedback is one person with really strong feelings and opinions – or a true trend. 

School and District Year Insights

Be data-driven in your leadership, planning, and management. Track important year-to-date cumulative statistics.

Be Data-Driven

Our new landing pages give you graphs and visuals to quickly gauge your community’s data over time. Whether you are responsible for managing one school or one hundred, you can easily keep tabs on how engaged and happy your community feels with School or District Year Insights and Highlight Quotes.

Highlight Quotes

Look deeper into what the numbers represent. Celebrate yourself and your team! Remember why it matters with Praise comments from your community.

Sneak Peek at Our New Landing Pages that Empower Leaders! 

Curious what leaders will see when they log in? We’ve highlighted five new sections for each leader view below. PSSSST! Current Possip Partners, check out your landing page now! 

School Administrator

This landing page gives you a quick glance at the things that matter most to school administrators – principals, head of schools, and anyone on your school’s Report Reading Team. The five main areas of the new School Admin landing page include:

1. Possip Speed Read
2. School Year Insights
3. Next Pulse Check
4. Bonus Question Scheduling
5. Highlight Quote

District Administrator

The District Admin landing page gives you a quick glance at the things that matter most to district administrators. The five main areas of the District Admin landing page include:

1. District Year Insights
2. Trending Topics
3. Next Pulse Check
4. Bonus Question Scheduling
5. Highlight Quotes

Executive Director Admin

The Executive Director Admin landing page gives you a quick glance at the things that matter most to Executive Directors who might have multiple schools, networks, and/or districts. The five main areas of the Executive Director Admin landing page include:

1. Cumulative Topics Table
2. School Year Insights
3. School Topics
4. Next Pulse Check
5. Bonus Question Scheduling

Multi-District Director Admin​

The Multi-District Director Admin landing page gives you a quick glance at the things that matter most to Multi-District Directors who might have multiple networks or districts. The five main areas of the Multi-District Director Admin landing page include:

1. Cumulative Topics Table
2. District Year Insights
3. District Topics
4. Next Pulse Check
5. Bonus Question Scheduling

Our landing pages provide you with the insights and information you need to make informed decisions and drive positive change within your organization. Possip is proud to empower leaders! Possip Partners, check out your new landing page now!

Ready to get a Possip landing page of your own? Contact us today!

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Supporting Mental Health: Bolstering Assertive Communication Skills

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4 Things Parents Notice About Amazing Teachers and Staff

As we approach Teacher Appreciation Week, I know many of us are reflecting on the amazing things we see our students’ teachers or colleagues doing every day. On my own teaching journey, I frequently look around my building and see so many teachers with qualities that inspire me. I’m constantly getting new ideas to implement in my own classroom! 

Sarah Besand, a teacher and Possip Reporter, reflects on the qualities and actions parents love from their teachers and school staff members.  

Just as I have gleaned many ideas from my colleagues at school, I am also inspired through my reporting work with Possip. Each week, I read report after report with praise comments filled with compliments for amazing teachers and staff members across the country–and that’s information I can’t gate-keep! 

I want to share with you four comments I’ve read in the last 6 months that have inspired me and have helped me become a better teacher myself. They imbue overall positivity and the power of  intentionality. I hope these comments inspire you too.

1: Amazing Staff Make People Feel Seen and Known

“Ms. A greets us every morning with a smile. And she knows so many of the parents by name and personally knows each scholar. While in the office I see her welcome each visitor and family and talk with the scholars about their special interests. She deserves such a big thank you! We love Ms. A!! ”

I love this comment for so many reasons, but most of all because this teacher cares about the little things–that are not so little. When people in the school community feel heard in this way, community blossoms. Teachers are often so great with remembering names and important details, and I love that this family member celebrated this! These actions go so far in students and families feeling known and valued in school communities.

Tip: Here are ways to cultivate a sense  of belonging for parents and family members!

2: Amazing Teachers Create a Culture of Love

“Mrs. C treats her class like her children or grandchildren. It seems she has a great system for behavior and rewards and she does things she doesn’t have to do. [My daughter] told me she brought a Christmas dessert from a different country to engage them and celebrate while teaching them culture.”

This comment speaks to me because it shows the level of genuine love and care this teacher shows her students. This is felt not only by the students but families as well! When kids feel accepted in the classroom, they go home with stories about their school days. This family now gets to be a part of their child’s learning about new countries and cultures–and activities like this can spark important conversations at home. As a teacher, this inspires me to continue to cultivate these practices in my classroom because I can see it has a ripple effect throughout communities!

Tip: As the school year progresses, the day-to-day can begin to feel overwhelming for teachers. When you’re trying to meet standards, advance through the curriculum, and meet student needs simultaneously, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This article explains ways to slow down and celebrate the individuals who together make up your school community.

3: Amazing Teachers See Kids as More Than a Test Score

“I would like to recognize the hard work of Ms. A. I have never had a teacher genuinely care so much about not only my child’s academic progress but their well being as a whole.”

This comment hits me right in the heart! Social Emotional Learning is something that is woven into my instruction every day, so I love seeing this amazing work being done in schools across the country, too! This teacher clearly knows the balance between challenging academic instruction and also making sure students are nurtured emotionally. Research shows us that this even fuels more learning! When students are learning in a calm classroom where they feel safe, their academics soar as well.

Tip: Here’s an article I wrote about how I incorporate SEL and teaching the Language of Emotions to kids and the impact I’ve seen in my own classroom.

4: Amazing Schools Communicate Clearly and Consistently

“My children transitioned from [another school to this school] and it has been nothing but GREAT. The teachers and the entire staff are always super friendly. They keep me updated on EVERYTHING and I am thankful for that and I love how rewarding they are for the scholars. They have great behavior and are achieving academically.”

Communication is what sticks out to me when I read this comment! I can see that this teacher is extremely organized when it comes to keeping parents informed and involved. With these action steps, parents feel trust in their child’s teacher. And they feel connected too! This serves as a great reminder to me to make sure parents are getting thorough updates on how their student is doing in school on all fronts. Academic updates are so important, but so are behavioral and social as well!

Tip: Make sure to include these six things in your communication plans with families.

We hope you loved reading these praise comments as much as we did! Reporting for Possip constantly reminds me how amazing teachers and school staff members are. Let’s celebrate that during Teacher Appreciation Week and beyond!

Click here for additional ways to use praise to celebrate teachers using praise year round!

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Possip’s Amazing 2024 Spring Interns

From data analysts to graphic designers, to data scientists to UX/UI designers, our 2024 spring interns dove into projects across Possip’s platform and outreach. We are thankful for the incredible work our interns completed this year and are excited to follow them in their future careers! We’re also incredibly grateful for our intern program partnerships with Vanderbilt University and University of Cincinnati 

Possip 2024 Spring Interns

Caroline Carrello | Sales and Community Outreach Intern

Caroline is a senior at Vanderbilt University studying Child Studies and Human and Organizational Development. Originally from Long Island, NY, Caroline is passionate about the education and business worlds. Outside work, she loves to cook, read, and be active!

Monika Reddy Gunnam | Delivery Data Analyst Intern

Monika Reddy Gunnam, from India, recently graduated from Lindner School of Business, University of Cincinnati with a Master’s degree in Business Analytics. She previously worked for Infosys as a Data Analyst and also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communication in India. Apart from work, she enjoys art, walking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Sashwat Mishra | Delivery Data Analyst Spring Intern

Shashwat Mishra is a sophomore at University of Cincinnati majoring in computer science. His passion for computer science stems from the idea of creating and working on impactful products. As a spring intern he served as our data scientist, working with the Tech Team. Outside of school and work, Shashwat enjoys playing table tennis and drinking boba tea!

Anna Mullinger | UI/UX Designer Spring Intern

Anna Mullinger is a UX/UI designer with a passion for innovative and accessible design. With an eye for detail, she brings a designer’s perspective to the look and feel of Possip’s growing interface.

Anna is a 4th year communication design student in the University of Cincinnati DAAP program, studying a variety of design related fields. Before Possip, she worked at UC’s Center for Cyber Strategy and Policy creating educational videos and marketing materials. In her free time, she enjoys making music, watching horror movies, and cooking with friends

Geeta Phuyel | Business Analyst Spring Intern

Geeta Phuyel is a senior at the University of Cincinnati studying Business Economics. She dove into the role of a business analyst intern at Possip, working hard to pick up some valuable professional skills along the way. Being someone who uses English as her second language and attended public schools, Possip’s mission hits close to home for her. In her free time, she enjoys reading books by Agatha Christie, Khaled Hosseini, Leo Tolstoy, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Lemony Snicket. She also loves exploring with National Geographic. When she’s not doing that, you’ll find her cooking or hanging out with her family.

Hailey Taylor | Marketing Intern

Hailey Taylor has been studying communication design at the University of Cincinnati DAAP since 2019 and is our social media and graphic design intern. Originally from Troy, Ohio, Hailey fell in love with design in high school. She has always had a passion for creativity, and also loves photography, drawing, travel, long boarding, hiking, and spending time with loved ones.

Lily Unterhaslberger | Marketing Intern

Lily Unterhaslberger is studying communication design at the University of Cincinnati. To that end, she is excited to use her skills in design to help better students’ everyday lives. She is from Cincinnati, Ohio. When she is not designing, Lily enjoys drawing, visiting art museums, and walking her dog Ruckus.

Want to work with us? Click here for Possip job openings!

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April: What We Are Thinking About – Monthly Round Up

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