Students faced with bullying, staff want more training, Portland schools survey results show
Results from Portland Public Schools' latest student and employee surveys show that staff feel they need more training, and more than half of seventh-grade students were insulted, called names or made fun of at least once last year, in addition to other findings.
Portland Public Schools released the results of its staff survey Thursday afternoon and findings from a student survey on Friday. The Successful Schools Survey asked questions about school climate, discipline, professional development, instruction and more.
According to a report from Portland-firm DHM Research, which analyzed the results, about 1,460 school-based staff and administrators took the survey. About 34 percent of respondents taught in grades five or above, 26 percent taught in grades four or below and 5 percent were administrators. About a quarter of those who took the survey were classified staff.
Nearly 5,500 students in grades five, seven and 10 took the student version of the survey.
DHM Research provided un-weighted data and results weighted to reflect the PPS staff and student population. Here are a few takeaways from the surveys using un-weighted numbers:
Staff survey
- Schools have positive environments and promote academic success:Survey results reflect that staff largely feel their school environment is positive for students. About 90 percent agreed that their school is "a supportive and inviting place for students to learn." More than 85 percent agreed that their school works for academic success and sets high academic standards. About 87 percent agreed that their school emphasizes relevant teaching strategies.
- Some staff don't have enough professional training, especially on how to serve special needs students: Some of the areas with the most disagreement were tied to professional support. For example, nearly 30 percent of those surveyed disagreed that they had adequate materials, resources and training to do their work effectively. Concerns about special education resources were also apparent. About 70 percent of those who took the survey said they work with special education students. About 61 percent said they need additional resources to serve students with special needs and roughly half of respondents said they needed more training on culturally relevant instruction and closing the achievement gap. About 45 percent said they need more training about helping English Language Learners and behavioral supports and classroom management.
- Some staff want support services and help with discipline: About 33 percent of survey takers disagreed that their school provided adequate counseling and support services for students. In terms of discipline, about 38 percent disagreed that behavioral and discipline issues are handled effectively. Survey results also reflect a need for additional prevention instruction, according to the report. About 54 percent of those who took the survey said their school provided little or no instruction on drug and alcohol use prevention. Roughly 23 percent said their school provides little or no instruction on harassment of bullying prevention.
You can see the full survey here.
Student Survey
- Most fifth-grade students feel connected to school, but some lessons don't address different backgrounds: More than 93 percent of students said they "feel close to people at school" at least some of the time, and more than 74 percent said they felt that way most of the time or all of the time. About 83 percent said teachers treat them with respect most of the time or all of the time. However, results also show that class lessons don't always reflect a student's background. About 30 percent of fifth-grade students say their lessons never have examples of their "racial, ethnic or cultural background."
- Many seventh-grade students feel safe at school, but students also reported bullying: About 58 percent of students in seventh-grade said they feel safe at school and another 28 percent said they feel very safe. Similar percentages of students said they feel safe in the hallways, cafeteria and restrooms specifically. Yet students also reported concerns with bullying. About 43 percent of students said they had been the subject of mean lies or rumors at least once in the past year. Another 38 percent said they had been made fun of because of how they look or talk at least once. More than 20 percent of students said they had "been made fun of, insulted or called names," four or more times in the past year, and 53 percent experienced those situations at least once. The report also found that non-historically underserved students were more likely to have not been harassed or bullied in the past year.
- Tenth-grade students notice misbehaving peers, strong teacher support: About 60 percent of high school students who took the survey disagreed that their peers behave how teachers would like them to. Another 38 percent agreed that it is easy for students to get kicked out of school, and about 40 percent said that sexual jokes, comments or gestures had been directed at them at least once in the past year. Students also noted strong support from adults. About 91 percent of 10th-grade students said it was at least a little true that there is an adult at the school who believes in their success.
The full student survey is here.
Superintendent Carole Smith said she appreciated getting feedback from employees and students, and said the district is committed to anti-bullying and racial equity work.
"A supportive and inclusive learning environment is among the most crucial ingredient for all students to reach their potential," she said in a statement. "We want to build on what's working in our schools and fix what isn't."
The results of a companion survey for parents, hosted by Portland State University's Oregon's Kitchen Table program, came out last month. More than 6,000 parents and guardians took the study.
--Laura Frazier
