Family, Student and Staff Survey Highlights

In May and June, we issued a series of surveys around reopening strong for next school year and heard from approximately 3,400 students, 8,600 families, and 5,200 staff members. Our #ReopenStrong survey results show that the majority of you would like to see:

• A hybrid schedule that is consistent and predictable.
• School operations that meet public health requirements around social distancing.
• The ability to choose whether in-person or virtual learning is best for your family.
• Virtual learning for students that offers more structure, a variety of ways to learn, and greater interaction with peers.

The Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) conducted a citywide, “Our Schools Family Survey” from June 3 to 10 that was open to all public-school parents/guardians. More than 16,000 families representing over 25,000 students responded and you can find the full report at this link. 

The majority of the families who completed the DME survey have children enrolled in DCPS. We received 11,043 unique responses from 8,612 families. Families were asked questions about their schedule preferences, their interest in virtual-only, and their access to technology.

As a complement to the family survey, we reached out to students from June 3 to 15. Students in grades 3-12 were asked about in-person programming they would like to see, priorities for virtual learning, and schedule options. We heard from 3,403 students, with Wards 3 and 4 representing 37 percent of responses and Wards 7 and 8 representing 23 percent of responses.

DCPS also issued an optional and anonymous survey to all staff from June 15 to 22 to capture their understanding and concerns as planning is underway to reopen schools this fall. We heard from 5,263 staff members, including 3,006 teachers.

We are using this input to plan for a safe and successful start to next school year for our students and staff, and we will continue to adapt our strategy guided by public health conditions.