By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT–A 2025 Climate and Culture survey finds four out of five teachers and parents in Westport think kids “like school.” Only 43 percent of kids say they do.

It is a perception gap that doesn’t surprise School Board Chairman Lee Goldstein.

“It’s not telling me what I want to know except there are discrepancies,” said Goldstein at a meeting last week.

Rigor

The same survey finds a disconnect when it comes to academic rigor. Roughly 90 percent of teachers and students say advanced students are sufficiently challenged, compared to 67 percent of parents.

Interesting to know said Board Member Jill Dillion. An actionable item? Not so much she said.

“This is Westport,” Dillon said “Parents are really pushing their kids.”

Why do kids profess to not like school?

Instead, Dillion said she would like district officials to figure out “the why” behind so many students professing to not like school, particularly in the middle grades, where most recent math scores dropped 10 points in the fifth grade.

“That’s a big problem for me,” Dillon said.

The survey is something the district does every year, not just every other year like state law requires. This year, a new firm, Hanover Research, took over the spring-time survey.

Some board members struggled with the new format.

Overall positive

Taken together, responses from parents, teachers and students paint an overall positive picture. Of 4,156 respondents, a strong majority of respondents across groups report students feel welcome–86 percent–and have a sense of belonging–82 percent–at school. 

But on whether students like school, 88 percent of parents and 79 percent of staff answered yes compared to only 43 percent of students.

The survey was given to roughly 2,600 students in grades 3 to 12. Roughly 765 parents and 615 staff participated.

Good climate

On instructional climate, greater than four out of five of total respondents agree that Westport schools provide enough technology resources and instructional materials, want students to succeed, and provide a well-rounded curriculum.

Disconnect between students / parents and staff

Another area of disconnect noted during the presentation was in the area of teacher feedback. Students and parents are significantly less likely than staff to feel that teachers provide helpful comments on work–67 percent of students and 65 percent of parents compared to 94 percent of staff.

Students are also far less likely to say teachers make real-world connections to what is being taught–55 percent–compared to teachers–95 percent.

Teachers are well-regarded

Even so, 81 percent of students say teachers care about them. 

Respondents across groups report positive relationships between students and staff members. Three out of four students say teachers consistently enforce rules.

Discipline / extracurriculars 

As for student discipline, three-quarters of students say school rules are enforced fairly but only 49 percent of students say their peers are good at following school rules. At the middle school level that drops down to 45 percent.

The survey also asked a couple of open-ended questions about extracurricular activities–students want more of them–and social-emotional learning. The initiative strives to help students develop empathy, self-regulation and collaborative problem-solving skills through classroom discussions and morning meetings.

Social emotional learning

Efforts to make students feel welcome and safe have not gone unnoticed. Still, concerns about bullying were expressed and the need for more consistent and thorough follow-through from administrators to address such issues.

“The district has put so much time into (SEL),” said Board Vice Chair Dorie Hordon. “I know some people are no more social emotional. Focus on academics.”

If the district is getting mixed results, she wondered if the effort is worth it.

Though difficult to measure, staff told her there are plenty of examples of conflicts being resolved because of district efforts.

Some open-ended responses on the survey called for more, not less, SEL instruction. Assistant Superintendent Michael Rizzo said the survey is just one tool the district uses to gauge its efforts to address the social and emotional wellbeing of students. Once the survey results are tallied, they are used by principals and school climate committees to figure out where improvement is needed.

Elementary school principals

At the meeting last week, all five elementary principals told the board of efforts to foster a positive emotional climate. All the schools participate in the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate initiative, which involves activities that promote respect and kindness. Efforts to increase student voice in what happens is ongoing with the development of student leadership teams at each school.

At Long Lots, Principal Kimberly Ambrosio said the school is actively trying to expand opportunities for joy and mini-electives are being built into the school schedule for fourth and fifth graders.

At Kings Highway, Principal Tracey Carbone said there is a “We Are” theme that involves a collective collage at the entrance to the school.

At Coleytown Elementary, Principal Safiya Key said there is a schoolwide community service campaign.

Saugatuck Principal Elizabeth Messler is working to make sure rules are enforced fairly, partly through the creation of a school “playbook.”

Greens Farms Principal Brian Byrne said his school works to create a joyful learning environment by working on relationships and making sure students have a rapport with teachers and feel safe enough to take healthy risks when it comes to learning.

“What that looks like and sounds like from kindergarten through grade five or even one classroom to another might be slightly different, but there is intentionality and purpose,” Byrne said.

How helpful is the survey to you, Goldstein asked the principals, adding “Wouldn’t you be doing this anyway?”

Byrne said the survey helps pinpoint areas of focus. Without the survey, whether students “like school,” might not be the question to focus on or try to understand better.

The board is to hear from the middle schools and high schools staff on responses to the survey next month.

Linda Conner Lambeck

^{_{Linda Conner Lambeck covers education for Westport Journal. She was a reporter for more than four decades at the Connecticut Post and other Hearst publications. She has covered education throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. She is a proud member of the Education Writers Association.}}