You’re invited to Possip’s third annual Partner Retreat on Wednesday, March 8! You will join partners from schools and districts across the country and guest speakers!
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The audience will gain reflections on developing teams and systems that are adaptable and responsive to feedback from families and communities.
The post Creating Openness in Education Systems: Leaders Who Listen appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Caitlin Churchill, Possip’s Community Director provides an overview of top family feedback trends from February. If you love these Trend blogs, look forward to the annual Trends Reveal this April 26!
You may have seen response rates on Pulse Checks drop a bit during February – participation is lower this time of year than any other time of year. It may pick up in March, according to trends in past year’s data. The good news is that new voices continue to participate in each Pulse Check – over 21,000 new voices just in February. And over 42,000 families from across the country took the Possip Pulse Check in February!
Happiness has dipped slightly as well, from 77% to 75%. Generally, happiness is higher for families receiving Pulse Checks weekly, dropping a percentage point for families receiving Pulse Checks biweekly, and a couple more for those receiving Pulse Checks monthly. Parents in elementary schools tend to be happier than parents in middle or high schools.
P.s. We’ll feature praise trends next month to gear up for Teacher Appreciation Week!
Teacher Feedback is holding steady as the top trend this winter.
When framing this trend, it is important to mention that year over year the number of praise comments for teachers outweighs other categories.
This trend summary considers only the hot, medium, and cool recommendations provided about teacher feedback, so praise is not accounted for. In the hot comments, of which there are far more than medium and cool comments, families share concerns about interactions between teachers and students.
Reporters recommended articles such as Repairing and Rebuilding Student-Teacher Relationships from Growing Great Schools Worldwide.
Communication with Teachers is the second trend this month, but overall communication is a significant trend – encompassing communication about frequency and grades as well and representing about a fifth of all recommendations. Comments express parents wanting to be in touch with how their student is progressing academically or needing a better way to contact the school. Reporters suggested this Possip blog on Communications Solutions.
Many families mention situations where students are struggling or feeling overwhelmed and inquire about tutoring opportunities. In hot comments, over half the ~100 comments were requesting tutoring. Check out this highly-read article from Possip on tutoring programs for your school.
In general, families ask for supervision and transparency and may share that their student has communicated not feeling safe. Possip reporters recommend resharing with families the safety protocols that are in place for your school. Some of our partner schools like to share with parents and students ways they can communicate with a staff member if their child is feeling uncomfortable or unsafe for any reason. For more guidance, check out this highly-read Possip blog on school safety communication.
This winter families were asking for a more rigorous curriculum, but now the general ask is to help make learning fun and to help kids generate some enthusiasm and motivation! Parents are mentioning fine arts options and other elective classes students would enjoy. Possip reporters suggested hosting a curriculum night for families and reviewing course options with a curriculum planning committee or leadership.
Comments on disciplinary practices may be on teachers’ responses to behavior, or on the families’ desire to improve behavior. Here’s an article with best practices for student discipline.
Two separate trends in this month’s top 10. Among the top ten trends, this month is bullying. Possip Reporters recommend reminding students and families who to go to for bullying-related needs. Here is a resource with helpful responses to parents and actions to take regarding bullying concerns.
Uniquely in the top ten trends is transportation. Generally, families are asking for more transportation options or safer transportation by managing bullying and safe pick-up and drop-off locations.
This month parents are commenting on too much homework, particularly if it is online work or requires technology. Possip Reporters recommended sharing the feedback at an upcoming leadership team meeting and making adjustments when possible. Here’s a Possip blog post with 8 tips to help parents be homework heroes.
A close tie for #10 goes to Carline Logistics and Extracurricular Activities and we’ve coupled them together because some schools create flexible drop-off and pick-up schedules with extracurricular activities and after-school programs! Visit this clip of Lenisha Roberts from Uplift Education in Texas on how Possip feedback helped her network improve carline logistics!
We share these top family trends in the hopes that they help you have the tools, information, and ideas to support your school. Want to learn more about these trends? Reach out to Jennifer Kehl at jennifer@possip.com.
The post February Family Trends 2023 appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Great leaders deserve great insights! Join our demo to see how you can make your school stronger.
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Shani Dowell, Possip CEO & Founder, shares ways to sustain Black History Month beyond February.
Black History Month is coming to an end. Contrary to jokes, February wasn’t chosen because of its shortness.
Still, since Black History is American history and world history, we want to sustain learning about it beyond the month of February.
Whatever they are, in this Google age there is learning to be done.
The beautiful thing is the more specific and niche the area of interest, the more illuminating the research and information can be.
And one of the benefits of exposure to new information or insights is it makes you more curious for all you don’t know! It’s a bit like visiting a new country – it unlocks for you all this richness and dimension to the world that makes you see your own country in new and dynamic ways.
As humans, we naturally care more about our own histories. Consider exploring your own history and how it connects to Black history. This could be as straightforward about knowing the history of a town you grew up in – or about the history of the high school or college you attended to learn its history.
Learn or consider what your family may have been doing during key eras of Black progress. The reality is most people’s relatives were watching the Civil Rights movement and fights from the comforts of their home. But find out what conversation were being had, what was being learned and discussed, etc.
In short, sustaining Black history is a mindset. Families and schools that are intentional about integrating Black history and present all year long do it in 100 ways – big and small. These are just a few ideas to start – but you tell us! What are some creative ways you want to sustain Black history? Email us. We’d love to hear!
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Caitlin Churchill, Possip’s Community Director provides an overview of top family feedback trends from this past January!
January family trends are in! A few new and notable trends in the top 10 for this month are (#4) extracurricular activities, (#8) school safety, and (#10) facilities/cleanliness. Similar to patterns from last year, happiness tends to dip as schools approach the end of the calendar year, from an average of 82% happiness in September to 80% happiness in October and now 77% happiness this November
through January. Over 41,000 families took the Possip Pulse Check in January, covering about 277 topics of importance.
Teacher Feedback remains the top trend this winter. This trend is most often mentioned in feedback from elementary schools. Families comment on interactions between teachers and students. Hot comments are concentrated around interactions they perceive impacting their students’ emotional well-being and self-esteem. Medium and cool comments represent families asking for more structured or intentional classroom time and grading.
#2 Curriculum Feedback:
Curriculum Feedback rises in ranks to trend #2. Families have asked for more rigorous curriculum, or resources to assist their students. In some cases, families are concerned about content they feel is not related to the subject at hand – particularly around social commentary. Possip Reporter and Tennessee AP teacher, Savannah Staley, has provided us with solutions for your curriculum!
Parents most appreciate consistent attempts to communicate about their student’s experience, as well as reasonable response times when they reach out for help.
When families are asked in Pulse Checks what would help with attendance, Possip data shows they believe extracurricular activities, and a support person or mentor will help ensure attendance each day. Hear more
Also rising in the ranks this month is Academic Support. Many families are asking for more support from teachers and increased tutoring opportunities. at home. Check out this highly read article from Possip on tutoring programs for your school.
Comments on disciplinary practices may be on teachers’ responses to behavior, or on the families’ desire to improve behavior. Here are some tips for addressing bullying and restoring student relationships from Possip Reporter and Tennessee AP teacher, Savannah Staley. We also have a ton of resources on our blog to help you build out your anti-bullying programs.
Similar to comments above, we hear families asking for more communication, communication with teachers, and more diplomacy in communication with administration. While frequency is tough and varies according to preferences, there seems to be a tendency to want more frequent personalized communication.
Comments on school safety have progressively risen in 2023, thus far. In general families are asking for more supervision and transparency, and may share that their student has communicated not feeling safe. How safe and secure a student feels at school is a determining factor of whether they show up at school. Former Possip partner Catherine Cecere of Joffe Emergency Services shares advice on creating ecosystems of safety, “We at Joffe talk with schools about: how do we keep people safe and how do we make them feel safe? As you can imagine these have so much overlap, but they are not always the same thing.” Read more on creating school safety here!
Carline feedback persists even at this time of year! Most of the comments were about safety during carline, expediting the car line process, and the help of crosswalk guards. Possip reporter Virginia Williams provides tips for increasing efficiency, improving safety, and creating a better experience for everyone involved in school drop-off and pick-up. Possip also has some guidance on creating a car line number system.
We heard in November that families were asking for cleanliness specifically in cafeterias. Families will also comment on their student’s comfort in a learning environment due to factors like air conditioning, dedicated spaces, and cleanliness. We love this story from Superintendent Kayleigh Colombero, “Possip is really helping us get information we might not have otherwise heard. Things as simple as, my student comes home everyday and says the classrooms are too cold. It really has an impact on their experience! We want to know that and be able to address those things! Read more from Kayleigh here.
Want to learn more about these trends? Reach out to Jennifer Kehl at jennifer@possip.com.
The post January Family Trends 2023 appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Virginia Williams, Possip reporter with a background in Elementary Education & Special Education, shares ways to share the love in your community.
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It’s February! Which means teachers are not only receiving thoughtful Valentines from their students, but they are also TIRED. The rejuvenation they felt after winter break might be fading. They may be looking desperately towards Spring Break. Everyone is hopeful for warmer months and days with more sunlight. Administrators, you can help share the love!Do not underestimate the power of a little positivity at this time of year.
1) Know that families appreciate their teachers and teachers appreciate one another.
These are facts! We see evidence of this appreciation in every single report. It is so easy to focus on the feedback we receive – the loudest voices are often the most critical. But, if we are looking for it, the positives often far outweigh the negatives! In each Possip report, take time to notice the highlighted praise comments at the top of the report. Additionally, take time to read the rest of the praise comments bucketed into various categories. Lastly, don’t overlook the percentage of families who answer ‘yes’ to your sentiment question. These numbers can be so encouraging!
2) Share this praise with your staff!
Once you’ve taken a moment to notice all the positive praise within your community, find a way to share it with your teachers. Perhaps you send a weekly email listing specific shoutouts that have been shared. You can create a bulletin board in a central location at your school, elevating positive comments or appreciation that has been mentioned by teachers or families. Lastly, consider using Possip’s 360 product!
3) Give teachers a reason to continue sharing praise.
We all need something to look forward to and keep us motivated at this time of year. Consider creating some opportunities for teachers to win prizes as a result of recognition. For example, tell teachers that each week for the next 4 weeks, there will be a raffle! Any teachers who receive a shoutout from a colleague will have their name entered into the raffle to win a $5 gift card or another incentive!
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Possip can be an incredible tool for spreading love in your school community! We hope that Pulse Checks
, as well as the tips in this blog, will continue to help you support your school community as you look toward the end of the year.
Remember, the positives are there; you just have to choose to focus on them! Share the love.
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