2023 DISTRICT SURVEY:

FAMILY SURVEY RESULTS

Presentation to the Needham School Committee

10-3-2023

purpose of the district survey

• Data collected biennially starting in 2001 and annually since the pandemic.

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• Research-validated Panorama survey instrument used to measure progress toward district priorities in our Portrait of a Needham Graduate Strategic Plan.

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• Opportunity to celebrate strengths and respond to areas needing attention.

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• Informs planning for the coming school year.

Importance of Family Feedback

Parent/Guardian Engagement in 2023

• In partnership with families, the district is making steady progress in preparing all our students for their future.

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• 1,352 Parents/Guardians responded to 37 questions covering 8 topics relevant to their family’s experiences within the Needham Public Schools.

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• 2 open-ended questions provided us with hundreds of comments and suggestions.

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DEMOGRAPHICS OF 1,352 FAMILY RESPONDENTS

- 24.5% response rate -

With which race(s) does your child identify?

In which grade?

Which school does your child attend?

Special Education services? 19%

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English Language Learner services? 4%

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Survey administered

May 1-15, 2023

survey topics ALIGNED TO DISTRICT PRIORITIES

LEARNING BEHAVIORS

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ACADEMIC STANDARDS

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PORTRAIT OF A NEEDHAM GRADUATE

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Priority 1 Topics

SCHOOL FIT

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CULTURAL AWARENESS

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Priority 2 Topics

ADAPTABLE ENVIRONMENTS

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SCHOOL CLIMATE

Priority 3 Topics

INFRASTRUCTURE

Priority 4 Topics

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Priority 1

ALL STUDENTS ARE DRIVERS OF THEIR OWN LEARNING

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Priority 3

ALL STUDENTS LEARN & GROW WITHIN ADAPTABLE ENVIRONMENTS

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Priority 2

ALL STUDENTS EXPERIENCE INTEGRATIVE TEACHING & LEARNING

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Priority 4

INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTS NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS

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Links provided to Survey questions within each topic area

DISTRICT

SURVEY

summary of FAMILY SURVEY results 2023

33% favorable

Percent Favorable responses shown as top-2 measures on a 5-point scale for each of the 8 topics in the Family Survey

50%

52%

54%

60%

61%

65%

67%

Example: For Academic Standards, “Extremely high standards” & “Quite high standards” are top 2 on a 5-point scale; mid-point (at 32%) NOT included as favorable

Percent Favorable for 2023 just slightly more favorable compared with 2022,

from +1 to +4 percent more favorable, for 6 of the 8 survey topics

summary of FAMILY SURVEY results: % Favorable Comparison 2022 Vs. 2023

Digging Deeper: RESULTS ON ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Over the past school year, how high were the school’s academic standards for your child?

OVERALL PERCENT FAVORABLE in 2023: 33% perceive academic standards to be “Quite High” or “Extremely High”; significant differences by grade & more favorable responses from high school families

62%

50%

40%

27%

33%

33%

20%

15%

24%

30%

20%

25%

49%

RESULTS ON LEARNING BEHAVIORS:

Families’ perceptions of their child’s learning styles and behaviors

PERCENT FAVORABLE for those receiving Special Education services:

Responses to 8 questions are combined to establish overall percent favorable for “Learning Behaviors”

41%

60%

61%

62%

51%

63%

42%

53%

OVERALL PERCENT FAVORABLE:

RESULTS ON PORTRAIT OF A NEEDHAM GRADUATE

Creative Thinker and Problem Solver (raising questions, analyzing data, expressing creativity, innovating solutions): 48% favorable

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Communicator and Collaborator (listening and articulating ideas, contributing to teamwork): 55% favorable

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Socially and Culturally Responsive Contributor (respecting diversity, acting to ensure equity, addressing issues through civic and community engagement): 48% favorable

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Responsible and Resilient Individual (taking responsibility for actions, making healthy choices, self advocating, overcoming challenges, adapting to changes): 53% favorable

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Empowered Learner (integrating content from multiple disciplines, engaging in self-directed learning, using technology): 47% favorable

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Perception of how much their child practiced each of the Portrait of A Needham Graduate competencies over the past year

OVERALL PERCENT FAVORABLE

59%

54%

56%

47%

43%

48%

47%

46%

48%

45%

54%

57%

53%

2022 Survey

OVERALL PERCENT FAVORABLE BY YEAR:

RESULTS ON school climate

2023 Survey

Pre-Pandemic 2018 Survey

Responses to 7 Questions are combined to establish overall percent favorable for School Climate

RESULTS ON SCHOOL FIT:

How well school matches their child’s developmental needs

OVERALL PERCENT FAVORABLE:

Responses to 7 questions are combined to establish overall percent favorable for “School Fit”

64%

59%

46%

63%

58%

76%

58%

RESULTS ON CULTURAL AWARENESS

Opportunities to learn about different races, ethnicities & cultures?

Confident that teachers can have honest conversations with students about race?

OVERALL PERCENT FAVORABLE = 60%

33%

50%

63%

61%

54%

PERCENT FAVORABLE BY RACE

PERCENT FAVORABLE BY WHERE FAMILY LIVES

Boston: 33%; Needham: 61%; Other Cities/Towns: 54%

Responses to 2 questions are combined to establish

overall percent favorable:

RESULTS ON INFRASTRUCTURE

Quality of resources?

Programs/Services not adequately meeting needs?

(percent of mentions for specific programs/services; N=1734; differentiates areas impacting larger numbers of families)

Communication easy with staff?

OVERALL PERCENT FAVORABLE = 65%

Communication from school administration effective?

open ended comments:

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MOST POSITIVE ASPECTS OF NEEDHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

680

The administration, teachers, guidance counselors and staff truly care about the students.

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We have been incredibly impressed with the quality of education that our student has received. The teachers have been exceptional, and we feel that our child has really been challenged to push academically.

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Provides a high-quality education that prepares students well for college. Excellent teachers that are engaged with students. High quality athletics.

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The academic curriculum is clearly very well vetted and presented in a thoughtful manner.

We have felt a lot of support from the teachers and community at school.

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Always organizing activities to promote diversity and raise cultural awareness.

Well done!

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Key themes and representative quotes from families....

open ended comments:

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS

733

Key themes and representative quotes from families....

Ask the students what they think of the schools and what they would like to see offered for classes and after school activities.

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The children in the Needham schools need to learn you do not get “re-do’s” in life and you either do it right or the best you can in the time allotted or you do not.

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Improve the education about race and diversity, particularly Black History.

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I feel that the lunches could be healthier and organic products could be used.

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First and foremost, fix the building.

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There should be a greater focus on academics and much less focus on mainstreaming woke political ideologies.

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We need more investment on hard skills like math (real math not narrative math).

next steps

FY24 ACTIONS in support of the District Strategic Plan

DISTRICT SURVEY 2024 with Families, Students, and Staff

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Key staff are developing the skills and tools to analyze Family Survey data in light of FY23 Actions for each District Priority, such as those highlighted in the District Performance Report.

Informed by the 2023 Family Survey results, we are continuing to identify areas that need attention as we implement the FY24 Actions in partnership with families.

BUILD TARGETED ACTION PLANS

In May, in this 5th year of implementing the Portrait Strategic Plan, we will continue to monitor progress on the District Priorities with 2024 Survey input from all 3 stakeholder groups.

CONTINUE TO MEASURE PROGRESS

ASSESS WHERE WE ARE

questions & comments?

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2023 district survey: family survey results