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Gallup presents Sycamore engagement survey: principals rank high, recognition and staff voice lag
Summary
Gallup consultants told the Sycamore school board that staff, student and family engagement produce strong foundations—principals rated in the 97th percentile—but highlighted gaps in recognition and whether employees feel their opinions count; Gallup recommended building‑level action plans and repeating the survey to track change.
Gallup senior learning consultant Heather Wright and colleague Lauren Thompson presented Sycamore’s first round of staff, student and family engagement survey results during a board meeting. Wright said 70% of staff responded and described the overall staff engagement grand mean as 3.89 on a five‑point scale, which the presenters said establishes a baseline for future progress.
Wright said the district showed strengths—principals and several school leadership groups scored very high, and staff reported commitment to quality work—but also clear opportunities. She singled out recognition and “my opinions count” as the two lowest‑performing engagement elements and stressed that those items are addressable at the school level. “My job every day is to help leaders like yourselves take the data, find the story behind the numbers, and really think about how do we create actions that will deepen our ability to create a district that’s thriving,” Wright said.
The presentation separated results by audience. Gallup noted that roughly 42% of staff were categorized as “engaged” and that district principals placed in the 97th percentile compared with Gallup’s K–12 database. Among students (grades 5–12), Gallup found high marks on items such as confidence about graduating and relationships with peers, while roughly 42% of students “strongly agreed” they feel safe at school on the five‑point item the firm reported.
Wright and Thompson urged the board and administration to translate the numbers into local action. They said building leadership teams (BLTs) should review results, write simple action plans, and revisit them monthly; Gallup advised that meaningful change typically requires four to six months of sustained efforts and suggested a 0.20 increase on the grand mean as an initial benchmark of substantive movement.
Board members asked how soon measurable improvement could appear and how teachers and BLTs would use the data. Wright said the next measurement is typically planned after teams have had time to implement and iterate on action plans. Lauren Thompson described a rollout in which BLTs lead building‑level planning and then share plans with teachers to create concrete, locally tailored steps.
Administration said some action planning has already begun and that the district will repeat the survey to monitor progress. The board did not take a formal vote on the Gallup presentation itself; the session concluded with action‑planning guidance and a commitment to use the results in the coming school year.
