St. Charles School District 303 expands listening sessions through online surveys

Residents of St. Charles School District 303 are invited to share their feedback through a series of online surveys as part of the district’s listening sessions.

The surveys will also be available to students, their families and staff. The first round of the district’s in-person Listen Learn Return sessions concluded earlier this fall and now more people are invited to participate electronically.

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting with and learning from the hundreds who attended our in-person Listen Learn Return sessions,” School Superintendent Paul Gordon said in a news release from St. Charles School District. “Thank you for taking the time and for your willingness to share feedback and hear the perspectives of others. From the beginning, our plan has been to expand these opportunities to those who were unable to attend. I’m looking forward to learning from even more of you through a series of online surveys.”

Beginning Monday, the district will launch the first of three surveys over a three-week period. Each survey will be open for one week and will ask the same questions presented during the in-person sessions, which sought feedback on the district’s challenges, opportunities for growth and points of pride.

“It is also important that the online surveys are closely aligned with our in-person methods and participant norms, which provided a safe space that encouraged honest feedback and the opportunity to learn others’ perspectives,” Gordon said. “That is why we’ll be using a platform called ThoughtExchange.”

ThoughtExchange is an anonymous survey tool that offers two-way engagement on important topics. Each survey, known as an exchange, works in three parts: First, participants are asked to share their thoughts on a single, open-ended question; second, they’re asked to rate the thoughts of others; finally, participants are able to discover the full conversation and ratings.

The process is confidential, so identities will not be known or associated with the thoughts of others or their ratings.

Survey/Exchange Timeline:

● October 24 - October 31 | Exchange 1: Challenges

● October 31 - November 7 | Exchange 2: Growth

● November 7 - November 14 | Exchange 3: Pride The link to access each survey will be shared on the morning of the exchange start date on the Listen Learn Return website, in parent and student emails, and on the district’s social media channels.

Learn more about this process and the ThoughtExchange platform at district.d303.org/llr.

“We look forward to growing our feedback to help drive our decision making, the future of our district and the success of our students,” Gordon said in the release.