Tyler ISD Releases Climate Survey Results

TYLER – Tyler ISD recently concluded a Site-Level Climate Survey to hear how staff, students and parents feel about a host of issues including academic preparation, student support, school leadership, faculty relations and support, parent engagement, safety and behavior, and school operations. “The surveys are one way the District is engaging in ongoing, candid conversations to help our students reach their full academic potential,” Tyler ISD Superintendent Gary Mooring said. “The survey provides Tyler ISD with a baseline which we will build upon as we continue reaching out to our community on an annual basis.”

A total of 3,327 people completed the survey, comprising 869 parents, 1,516 students and 942 staff members. According to a TISD news release, “We believe that participation will increase across all groups as everyone becomes more familiar with the process and as the value of the survey results become more widely-known. Overall, a comfortable majority of respondents across all groups — 70% of parents, 69% of students and 73% of staff members — rated the quality of their schools either “A” or “B.” Most encouragingly, 89% of staff members enjoy their work, and 80% of parents feel their principal makes decisions with the students’ best interests in mind and that parents are informed about their child’s grades and behavior.

“Regarding academic preparation, 73% of parents, 78% of students and 88% of staff members believe students are being prepared to enter the next grade. On the topic of student support, 90% of staff members and 79% of parents believe that students have the support they need to succeed in school. Of particular concern, however, is the fact that too many parents and students have reservations about safety in their schools. Only 50% of students and 59% of parents indicate satisfaction with safety and behavior, with 71% of students saying they have witnessed threatening or bullying behavior in their school. In addition, only 64% of students indicated satisfaction with the support they receive at school.”

The news release continues, “As far as District operations, we will look closer at the fact that only 36% of students and 63% of parents agree that their schools serve fresh, healthy food. It is good, however, to know that 85% of parents, 88% of students and 83% of staff agree that students have the instructional materials needed for their classes.”

“This is just the beginning of a vital conversation that will help improve our District and ensure that our students have everything they need to be successful in an increasingly global workforce,” Mr. Mooring said. “Our initial dialogue has been very helpful in learning where we excel, while identifying important challenges that must be met.”

The release continues, “The responses from Tyler ISD parents, students and staff enrich this process, and with their constant help and support we will continue to ensure that today’s students become the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.” You can go to http://tylerisd.org to view the complete findings of the survey.