District 196 presents inaugural family survey, finds high marks for education and communication gaps

District 196 staff presented the results of the district's inaugural systemwide family survey at the July 13 school board meeting and outlined next steps for addressing concerns identified by respondents.

"We garnered about 5,778 responses representing 6,802 students or about 23% of our student population," Director of Communications Janet Swachikowski said. Swachikowski warned that participation was voluntary and not a statistically random sample, but she said the results aligned with other feedback channels and provided a useful benchmark.

Key quantitative findings included a 90% combined rating of "excellent" or "good" for overall education quality (52% rated quality "excellent"). Subgroup breakdowns showed variation but generally strong ratings: responses from families identifying as Asian (95%), Black or African American (93%), Hispanic/Latino (94%), white (92%), Multiracial (86%) and American Indian (86%).

Swachikowski said the three "daily desired experiences" measured were (1) feeling welcomed and respected, (2) children progressing and successful at school, and (3) parents engaged as trusted partners. Scores for those areas ranged mostly from the mid-80s to low-90s; items below 80% agreement included some measures of communication from teachers and information to support learning at home.

Open-ended responses flagged transportation reliability, behavior and discipline, and screen time as recurring concerns. Swachikowski said next steps include cross-tabulation by demographic groups, school-level reports for principals, a working group to set teacher communication guidelines, and expanded family engagement efforts targeted at underrepresented communities (including Spanish-speaking listening sessions).