As part of our work with “Embarking on a New Journey Together,” the leadership team in Oakwood Schools created multiple methods for gathering feedback to help provide clarity and direction in future work across the District.  A part of the process was collecting feedback through surveys. We contracted with Fallon Research to administer a Community Survey.   Because they employed a random sampling from the community, we also posted similar questions from their survey on our district website so community members who didn’t get to participate in the Fallon Research could provide feedback online.  Although the Fallon Survey is a more valid representative of the community, we wanted the broader community to provide feedback.

The Fallon Research collected 352 responses from adults in the Oakwood community.  In talking with Paul Fallon, he shared positive remarks about the strength of responses on the satisfaction of the schools and the quality of education. Because Fallon Research works with hundreds of school districts across the country, his comments helped to affirm the positive things happening in Oakwood Schools. 

At Oakwood Schools, we have much to celebrate from this survey. In many places, the quality of education was seen as a positive reflection of the schools. Overall, 80% of respondents rated the quality of education as excellent or good. This is a direct result of our caring and supportive staff members who work hard, going above and beyond for our students and families. Another area of pride is the strong feedback in responses to preparing our students for the future after they graduate. 

We found the general themes from the Fallon Survey:

• Oakwood residents love living here;
• Schools are a driver of why people move or move back to Oakwood;
• Residents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the quality of education being provided;
• Oakwood residents are eager for information;
• Few indicated that they were dissatisfied with the schools; and,
• Some were “unsure” about key priority areas indicating a need for more targeted communication.

In my years of leadership, I’ve learned that surveys sometimes lead to more questions than answers. While we might be able to interpret some responses, we also have to be careful in making assumptions and dig deeper to find the root of an area of need or issue. 

Here are the Key Findings from the Fallon Survey:

• Residents and parents exhibited high levels of satisfaction with the school system, and results indicate it has served as a magnet to attract people to and keep them in the community, which suggests it holds a position of centrality and is an integral part of Oakwood’s social fabric.
• Ratings for the quality of education and other aspects were exceptionally high and the sentiment was consistent among the spectrum of various sub-groups within the District.
• Some more intricate aspects of school operations, such as finances and meeting the needs of a diverse student body, were less obvious to residents, and even parents, indicating less salience and, perhaps, less concern about such matters, which typically only garner attention when problems are evident.
• Like other government entities in the modern era, the District appears to be having mixed success with communications, in part, because of fragmented mediums through which residents get their information.
• The high readership of The Oakwood Register newspaper serves as a partial solution, but a bifurcated strategy may be warranted to continue to bolster community support as information & news habits continue to evolve.
• The public, and even many parents, did not appear attuned to facility needs or shortcomings, so public dialogue about solutions may initially come as a surprise to many who are not yet poised to contemplate them.
• The totality of the various results indicates that the District and its educational product are in very good standing with parents and the public, which is reassuring and suggests very high confidence in its work!

Many of the questions revolved around communications. We value providing clear and timely information to our community, students, staff, and families. Moreover, we acknowledge that communication can be challenging even beyond educational settings. The ways and times in which individuals prefer to communicate vary greatly. What proves effective today may not necessarily be so tomorrow. This remains an area where we are committed to reflection, striving to find ways to better connect, engage, and inform.

Here are the links to the two surveys based on the data collected:

• Fallon Research Survey Board Presentation
• In-District Online Survey
   

I am excited to continue reflecting on this information as we continue to make our schools even better. Thank you for embarking on this journey with us! 

#OneOakwood