Land O’ Lakes, FL – (February 4, 2014) – The District School Board of Pasco County conducted its first Gallup student poll and employee engagement survey in October, November and January, with results to be used as a baseline measure for comparison of future years to current and previous year survey data.
Student Poll
The Gallup Student Poll is a 20-question survey that measures the hope, engagement, and well-being of students in grades 5 through 12. Research supports the idea that hope (ideas and energy for the future), engagement (involvement with and enthusiasm for school), and well-being (how we think about and experience our lives) are actionable targets linked to student achievement, retention, and future employment. The Gallup Student Poll was conducted online during the school day from Oct. 15 through Oct 31, 2013, with 31,740 students completing the survey.
During a workshop today, the School Board received the results and discussed their meaning. District students’ results showed 52% Hope, 53% Engagement, and 63% well-being, compared to average results nationwide of 54% Hope, 55% Engagement, and 66% well-being.
“When you look at district overall results (for students), they look very similar to U.S. overall data,” said Tim Hodges, Ph.D., director of research for Gallup. He explained that results are expected to be in the same range when looking at large-scale surveys.
Employee Survey
Based on more than four decades of research, Gallup has identified definitive employee attitudes that correspond with the most successful workplaces. Employee engagement — involvement with and enthusiasm for work — is measured by Gallup in a 12-question employee survey. An employee’s level of engagement links to various school outcomes, including employee retention, parent engagement, student retention, and student achievement. The employee engagement survey was conducted online from Nov. 15 through Nov. 22, 2013, and Jan. 13 through 17, 2014, with 3,896 employees registering their opinions (79% response rate). For this year, school-related personnel and non-represented, non-bargaining personnel did not participate in the survey.
Pasco School Board employees’ results indicate 26% of staff are engaged compared to 30% of U.S. workers; 53% of staff are not engaged compared to 52% of U.S. workers; and 21% of staff are actively disengaged compared to 18% of U.S. workers. Counting only the district-level staff, 33% are engaged, 56% are not engaged, and 11% are actively disengaged.
During the school board workshop, Dr. Hodges said, “If there was one word to describe today, it’s ‘baseline.’ The most important place to look is where we are compared to last year. This is the first year we’ve worked with Pasco schools, so we consider this a baseline measurement.” He also reassured the board that, “To look at the rest of the U.S. working population, this is what we tend to see as a starting point.”
“We will use these results as a foundation on which to build employee and student engagement,” said Superintendent Kurt Browning. “We have to ask ourselves as an organization, ‘What do we need to do to foster an environment where people feel valued and respected?’”
Assistant Superintendent Amelia Larson said, “By collecting the right data, we can keep our finger on the pulse of our employees and students and continue building their engagement.”
“We must be intentional about improving engagement by providing staff the tools and supports they need to prepare students for college, career, and life,” said Superintendent Browning.
This is a long-term project, not a one-time survey. The district is working with the Gallup organization to build employee engagement, thereby increasing student engagement, which ultimately should improve student achievement. Future surveys will be administered and the results will be compared with this year’s scores to gauge whether the district’s efforts have improved employee engagement and student hope, engagement, and well-being.
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