By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT — The town’s public schools may score high when it comes to academic achievement, but only one-third of its secondary school students give the district high marks when it comes to offering engaging classes.

One-third of local secondary students say they feel connected to adults at school.

Half feel a sense of belonging, but fewer than half would rate their school’s climate favorably.

Those are among of the findings of a 2022 School Climate Survey given last June to students, staff and families in the district.

 The news wasn’t all bad.

At the elementary school level, 77 percent of students say they have a good relationship with their teachers, 74 percent feel safe and 70 percent give a thumbs up to school climate.

Still, the results had some Board of Education members at Tuesday’s meeting calling for action and others checking the responses to the pandemic.

Districts are statutorily required to administer school climate surveys every other year. 

The survey used by Westport is new, the first one administered since the COVID pandemic began and, according to Board Chairwoman Lee Goldstein, asked more relevant questions on safety, engagement and relationships than in the past.

“The results are probably less than we hoped for,” Goldstein said.

“The engagement numbers really trouble me.”

Engagement, or interest in classes, was rated least favorably by students at both elementary and secondary levels.

In all, 3,143 students in grades three through 12, 601 staff members and more than 1,000 families participated. That is more than in the past. Some credit increased participation to the new survey, created by a firm called Panorama. The survey was shorter than those given in the past.

Michael Rizzo, assistant superintendent for pupil services, said the results show positives as well as areas for growth.

Student responses raise questions

School safety and having a sense of belonging ranked highest among students at both levels on the climate survey.

Among third through fifth graders, 77 percent said they liked their teachers and 74 percent say they feel safe.

Asked what schools could improve upon, younger children said things like bathroom cleanliness, monitoring behavior at recess and lunch.

In grades six through 12, which would include both middle schools and Staples High School, 66 percent feel safe in school, 49 say they have a positive relationship with their teachers and 47 percent have a favorable view of the schools’ climate.

On the open-ended question, older students said they want more focus on mental health, more course options, an open campus and more wellness days.

More than half of both groups of students gave themselves high marks when it came to grit, or the ability to work through difficult problems or try again if they fail.

That contrasts with the same question asked of teachers and parents. 

Only 44 percent of teachers say students are likely to try again if they fail to achieve a goal and just 30 percent can work through difficult problems unassisted. 

Just 41 percent of parents said it is likely their child can motivate themselves to do unpleasant tasks to help accomplish a goal.

Students also seemed less concerned about bullying than parents.

Some 89 percent of younger students and 78 percent of older students say they could get help at school if someone bullies them online. The confidence level among parents was 64 to 68 percent.

Most teachers generally satisfied

The big takeaway on the staff survey, according to Anthony Buono, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, is that more than 70 percent of teachers and staff feel valued.

At a time when teacher retention is suffering nationally, Buono called that result great to see.

Some 84 percent reported being excited at work in the week they took the survey and 60 percent said that, overall, they were satisfied with their jobs.

About half give leadership of their schools high marks.

Asked what they would change, school-day start times were at the top.

Families’ views influenced by pandemic

The survey filled out by parents was perhaps most influenced by the pandemic, said Valerie Babich, coordinator of psychological services.

One question asked how often they meet in person with teachers at their child’s school. For two years, parents were largely barred from schools.

“We are hoping this will improve as we allow families back in [to schools],” Babich said.

Some 36 percent of parents last June said they almost never met with teachers at the school. Only 3 percent came monthly or more often.

Just 19 percent say they have helped out at school in the past year.

Families generally perceive school climate favorably and feel schools are safe, although 60 percent say they worry about violence.

Some 72 percent of parent respondents said their children enjoy going to school, and 83 percent respect school staff.

Board, administrators considers what comes next

 A handful of school principals at the meeting said efforts are underway to use the survey data to make changes, particularly in the area of student engagement.

At the elementary level more attention will be paid to mean-spirited activities on the playground and outreach to parents, some of whom may never have been in the schools before.

Districtwide, the first 30 days of school was spent trying to build connections between students and staff, focus on well-being and activities that make school fun.

At Staples High School, Principal Stafford Thomas Jr. said parents are starting to fill seats at fall concerts and sporting events.

Students are being give a greater voice. There is an excitement, he said.

Thomas said he had difficulty understanding some of the student responses about engagement. The school, for instance, offers more 100 clubs.

“We will be looking at classes, offerings. We have more offerings than [just about] any school,” said Thomas.

How engaging they are is something that will be explored internally, he added.

Goldstein questioned if that was enough, particularly at the high school.

She noted that national norms from Panorama, the survey firm through 2021, show Westport in the bottom percentile on every measure but school safety. The firm serves more than 1,500 school districts across the country and 32 in Connecticut.

Buono said he was surprised by student responses on engagement.

“Lessons I have observed, students seem very engaged,” Buono said.

He said it could be that students view school as very transactional. They do things to get a grade and don’t take classes based on interest.

Board Vice Chairwoman Liz Heyer said some parent engagement may be affected by the child. Particularly at the high school level if you are trying to get the child to advocate for themselves, they may not be inclined to contact a teacher, she said.

“I think it’s a weird time to ask about parent engagement,” said board member Dorie Hordon, noting the survey timing in relation to the pandemic. “I wonder what the responses will be if asked this year.”

She called “Back to School Night” at Staples this fall incredible.

“Parents were so excited. I ran into people I haven’t seen in years. It was really fun,” Hordon said.

Board member Robert Harrington said the survey suggests that students lost more than learning during the pandemic and that district efforts to implement a strategic plan that focuses on well-being and problem-solving can’t come soon enough.

“I am really concerned with the timeline,” he said of the multi-year plan. “The timeline is not appropriate for what we are dealing with.”

Michele Carey-Moody, a Staples parent who waited out the four-and-one-half-hour meeting to hear the report, applauded the board for doing it.

 “It was definitely necessary,” Carey-Moody said. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

Freelance writer Linda Conner Lambeck, a reporter for more than four decades at the Connecticut Post and other Hearst publications, is a member of the Education Writers Association.