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Panorama results: Norwalk reports gains in school safety and staff leadership; student engagement remains low
Summary
District presentation of Panorama climate and SEL survey data showed increases in school safety, school climate and staff-leadership measures, while student engagement and out-of-school academic discussion scores remained relatively low, district staff said May 6.
Diana Pilardo, who led the district’s Panorama survey presentation at the Board of Education special workshop on May 6, reported gains in school safety, school climate and staff leadership relationships across stakeholder groups but persistent weakness on measures of student engagement outside the classroom.
Pilardo told the board that the district’s annual, anonymous climate surveys ran in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole and covered students in grades 3–12, teachers, staff and families. "We see positive trends in school safety and school climate across students, staff and families," Pilardo said, noting a rise in family-reported school safety from 66% positive in 2023 to 74% in the most recent survey. She also highlighted a double-digit increase in teacher perceptions of staff leadership relationships over a multiyear trend.
Key findings presented - School safety and school climate: Families, students and staff all registered higher positive responses compared with prior years; family responses for school safety rose to 74% positive, Pilardo reported. - Staff leadership: Positive responses about school leadership and trust rose significantly; overall staff leadership results showed a multi-year gain and a 5-percentage-point increase from 2024 for districtwide staff, with some middle-school teacher cohorts recording larger gains. - Student SEL and engagement: Elementary students showed modest gains in some SEL topics (growth mindset and emotional regulation), but secondary students reported lower positive responses overall. Student engagement — especially the question asking how often students discuss class ideas outside school — had among the lowest positive responses (35% at elementary; 20–27% at secondary for comparable questions).
Pilardo and district leaders connected the survey results to recent investments in mental-health supports and activities. "A strong perception of safety and climate supports our goal to increase critical thinking in classrooms," Pilardo said, arguing that a secure climate helps students take academic risks.
What the district will do next Pilardo and district leaders said the next priorities will be improving school engagement and reducing chronic absenteeism. The presentation included breakdowns by grade band and by survey item; Pilardo noted that response rates were stable year to year, and family participation remained the smallest respondent group, a pattern she said is typical in large-scale school surveys.
The presentation will be posted on the district’s budget and data pages, officials said, and staff recommended district- and school-level follow up to target engagement and family outreach work.
