DSST: Aurora Science & Tech Middle School

High Family Satisfaction: What We Heard & Next Steps

04/04/24, 8:19 AM

Good Morning, DSST Families,

We are excited to share with you the results of our recent Spring Family Survey! First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us. We had our highest participation ever with 50% (or 3,271) of our families completing our survey. Your input is valuable to us, and we can only do better for our students if we hear from you. I’m excited to share a few key highlights with you and some areas of growth that we will prioritize in the coming months.

We saw a considerable jump in family satisfaction, with the highest number of families agreeing they would recommend DSST schools to their friends and family. This is the highest compliment to us, and we want to continue to be a partner and offer an excellent public education choice to our communities. Word-of-mouth referrals are the best form of recruitment, and we sincerely appreciate all of our families for being part of our continued success.

A few network highlights:

• Advisors and teachers communicating with families is a growing strength.
  • 89% (compared to 88% in the fall) of families agreed that they hear from their student's Advisor and teachers in a language they understand.
  • 80% (up significantly from 77%) of families are receiving regular updates from their student’s Advisor regarding their child’s progress and well-being at school.
• Our schools are creating thriving communities (Strategic Priority 2.1) for families.
  • 87% (up from 86%) feel welcomed at our schools.
  • 83% feel their school creates an environment that helps students learn.
• Our families know that we prioritize college preparation (Our Graduate Profile).
  • 83%  feel confident that their student will be prepared for college.
  • 83% believe their school fosters a college-going culture inclusive of all students.

There are continued areas of network growth:

• We will prioritize sharing pathways and options available to students in both Creative Electives and STEM with 28% and 23% of families, respectively, not seeing meaningful choices for their students.
• We will create a more consistent cadence of updates for our advocacy website and newsletter with 28% of families still lacking information on the importance of education advocacy to DSST and their school. 

School leaders have been reviewing their individual school responses and will share specific feedback they heard as well as action steps they are taking. Thank you again for your time participating in the survey and providing us with valuable feedback. Your input is incredibly important to us so that we can continue to provide an excellent education for all students.  

We value your partnership and look forward to working together to support the success of all students at DSST.

With gratitude,
Danielle Felder
Chief External Affairs Officer