Summary of 2018-19 School Climate Connectedness Survey Results

    • Participation is slightly up from 2017-18 across all respondent groups
    • 86% of student[MS1] s feel their teachers believe they are capable of learning and also encourage them to be successful in school
    • Bishop Woods, East Rock, Clinton, Lincoln Bassett and Wexler Grant show significant gains in identified areas of growth which include:
    • Student perceptions about teachers
      • Peer interactions
      • Difference in perceptions of acceptance based on race, gender, sexual orientation and disability
      • Regarding Food service students criticize taste want larger portions

     

    Participation

     

    Nearly 8,000 individuals participated in our School Connectedness Climate Survey[MS2] .  Approximately 54% of all respondents were students, another 47% are teachers and nearly 1600 are parents. Overall, survey results show several schools with higher favorable responses. However, the results present the need for growth across the district.

     

    Schools with positive trends

     

    Bishop Woods, East Rock, Clinton, Lincoln Bassett and Wexler Grant show significant gains in Student School Climate Connectedness Survey compared to the district. These schools had higher scores than the district on at least eight of the eleven student categories as well as compared to their own scores for the previous school year.

     

    Student perceptions of family and teacher support

     

    Student responses present a complex story. Although there are some positive notes, there were drops of 1 to 6 points within the top student scores. The highlights are that 86% of students feel their parents, family/caregiver help them to be successful in school. This is important because 87% feel they have to work hard to get good grades in school. Eighty percent of respondents indicate that teachers encourage them to be successful in school and 86% feel their teachers believe they are capable of learning. Additionally, 73% responded there is at least one adult in school that knows me well and 75% stated ‘There is at least one adult in this school that I trust”.  Seventy-eight percent of students responded favorably to the statement “I feel good about my future”.

     

    Student Areas of Growth

     

    Areas for growth in student connectedness exist on multiple fronts:

    • Student perceptions about access to teachers for academics or other issues
    • Teachers connecting learning to the real world
    • Students supporting one another, physical fights, bullying
    • Students feeling inspired by teachers, seeing teachers as role models[MS3] 

    This year’s survey responses showed more than70% of students agree to some extent that schools are safe and accepting regarding race and gender, while a  66% [MS4] felt the same way concerning student disabilities and a slightly less 61% feeling similarly around issues of safety and sexual orientation.

     

    Action Steps

     

    The survey results provide plenty of opportunity for growth across the district. The following steps are in process:

    • Training for teachers in Enhanced Google Classroom to improve student engagment and to connect learning to the real world.
    • Social Emotional Learning (SEL) training for teachers
    • Mandatory  training around bullying and sexual harassment  for  all staff and targeted training on LGBTQ rights.
    • Anti-bullying workshops for students are being offered at various schools and Second Step anti-bullying kits have been delivered to various K-8 schools
    • The Say Something Anonymous Reporting system from Sandy Hook Promise is in process to be used district wide this fall.