Norfolk Public Schools reports mixed results from spring parent/guardian climate survey; staff to fold recommendations into training

Krista McGarity, senior director of ARA for Norfolk Public Schools, presented results from the division’s spring parent/guardian climate survey and said the locally run survey saw “an increase of 327 participants” and representation from 45 school buildings. The presentation, delivered at the school board business meeting Aug. 27, spelled out areas of high, mixed and low agreement across academic support, school leadership, student support, safety and behavior, family involvement and communication preferences.

The issue: why it matters Parents’ perceptions shape trust and engagement that can affect attendance, discipline outcomes and student supports. The survey identified strengths—clear expectations, perceptions of courteous administrators and awareness of school safety procedures—alongside persistent concerns about the timeliness and helpfulness of teacher feedback and lower awareness of individual schools’ PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) plans.

Key findings and details - Participation and representation: McGarity reported a net increase of 327 respondents from the prior year and said parents from 45 schools answered the survey. She said almost a quarter of respondents are military-connected and “more than 30% were NPS graduates.” - Principal effectiveness: McGarity noted 73% agreement that principals were effective leaders, up from 61% the prior year. - Student supports and school climate: The share of parents reporting staff availability to help with personal problems rose to 86% from 76% the previous year. McGarity said 76% of parents agreed their child was connected to and proud of their school, a slight rise from 74%. - PBIS familiarity and reporting: Board members asked about PBIS; one board member cited the presentation’s numbers and said roughly 92% of parents know school rules but only about 58% are familiar with their school’s PBIS. McGarity explained that awareness of general rules is not the same as seeing a school’s one-page PBIS plan and that schools report PBIS materials at open houses and on walls for students. - Academic feedback and career planning: The report showed high agreement that students are challenged and that expectations are clear, but mixed agreement on whether feedback is timely and whether instruction connects to outside life; there was also less agreement about supports for academic and career planning.

Administration response and next steps Board members pressed on survey timing, outreach and whether staff and student climate results are being collected in a consolidated report. McGarity said this parent/guardian survey was local and administered in English and Spanish using the division’s Case 12 Insight tool with analysis by Hanover; she said the division extended the survey four additional weeks in spring 2025 to increase responses and used QR codes, emails, text reminders and robocalls to drive participation. When asked if employees and students were surveyed, McGarity said this particular instrument surveyed only parents and guardians; she noted the state VDOE climate survey covers staff and students and typically runs in January.

Actions and direction McGarity and board members discussed follow-up: McGarity said the administration has taken recommendations to staff and that “Mr. Brady and his team have included that in professional development” on feedback. She also said Dr. Cataldo and executive directors have been addressing discipline reporting and discrepancies and “we've worked with our staff on that.” Those steps were presented as administrative direction rather than a board vote.

What remained unresolved Board members asked for a consolidated view that would include staff and student climate measures so the board could monitor trends across internal and external stakeholders. Several board members also requested clearer documentation on question count and survey length as possible causes of nonresponse and discussed whether to pare questions to boost completion rates.

Context and background McGarity said the parent survey is run locally and made comparable across years; Hanover helped pare questions while preserving comparability. The presentation compared 2023–24 and 2024–25 results where available. The board’s discussion emphasized improving outreach and combining parent results with VDOE staff/student data for a fuller climate picture.

Ending The board did not take a formal vote on the survey results. Members asked staff to continue refining outreach and to present an integrated climate summary that includes staff and student survey data in a future briefing.