In November, 2024, we launched a new survey to learn more about the culture and climate in our schools and measure progress toward key initiatives in our five-year strategic plan.

There is a lot to celebrate and areas for improvement.

View a summary report of the results here.

What parents said.

Overall, parents have a very positive perception of Parkway. Parents responded positively to every question on the survey.

• Parents feel safe, respected, and welcomed in the district, especially at their schools.
• Parents appreciate the sense of community and the respectful relationships with staff.
• Parents report that what their children are learning is important and that their child gets the help they need at school.
• Opportunities include supporting individual student needs and improving responsiveness to parent concerns. 
• The quality of our facilities remains a high-priority concern.

Overall, parents said Parkway is performing well in fostering relationships and creating a positive environment.

What students said.

• Students overwhelmingly said teachers care about them and that they feel safe and respected in their schools. 
• Students reported that they get the help they need at school and that what they learn is important to them.
• Several areas for improvement emerged. Middle and high school students report low care and connection among peers. 
• Some students struggle to see how their learning connects to life outside of school. 

What staff said.

• Staff feedback indicates more dissatisfaction than students and parents. While most staff said the district does a good job of responding to staff concerns, this is still an area for improvement. Positive responses to this question increased compared to survey results from last year. 
• Similar to parents, staff concerns include outdated facilities.
• We are pleased to see staff generally feel respected within their school buildings, have confidence in their abilities, and believe their work is important. There is a strong sense of belonging among staff.

The survey data reinforces our strategic plan.

Results from the survey have reinforced our work and plan for the next five years, guided by our strategic plan. We are focused on key areas including ensuring learning is meaningful for students and connected to their life and beyond school. Long-range planning for our facilities is a key initiative in our plan.

Your feedback on this new survey has been helpful. One of the key takeaways is that our strategic plan, developed in partnership with our staff, parents, students, and community last year, is still the best path forward to meet the needs of our students. Thank you!

We are making progress right now in key areas.

The key initiatives in our strategic plan are already being developed. To learn more, check out our update to the community at the State of the District event on February 5 here.

What's next?

We will continue to seek important feedback through this survey twice a year. We want to share how we are using your feedback to support students.

Parkway will use this data to:

• Measure progress towards the goals and objectives of our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan.
• Monitor trends over the next five years.
• Develop a process to dive deeper into areas of improvement and highlight areas of success.
• Identify baselines and goals for survey questions to understand where we are doing well and where we should focus more attention.