Rhode Island Department of Education Surpasses 100,000 SurveyWorks Responses

Published on Thursday, March 23, 2023

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) today announced that the agency has received over 100,000 responses to its annual SurveyWorks. The statewide survey allows students and their families, along with educators, to provide feedback on the public-school experience. Thus far, more than 65,000 students, 20,000 families and 10,000 educators have responded since the survey opened in January 2023. The window for the survey has been extended to April 7.

In 2022, RIDE’s survey amassed over 125,000 responses, more than 10,000 from the previous year, which RIDE hopes to exceed with this year’s survey. SurveyWorks covers anything from school safety and environment to family involvement and educator professional development.

“The momentum surrounding our 2023 SurveyWorks this year has been inspiring to see and we hope to see even more responses,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “We want to hear from students, families, and educators from across the state to ensure we are getting clear, up-to-date data so we can better serve our schools. This survey is an enormous resource for us when it comes to improving and building on policy, curriculum, and more. I am glad to see we have reached over 100,000 responses so far and cannot wait to hear from more community members.”

With this milestone, Commissioner Infante-Green commended local school leaders for their innovative and creative efforts in increasing SurveyWorks response rates. East Providence in particular had exceptionally high response rates for the survey. Currently, Silver Spring Elementary School has a 96% response rate from students, 98% from families, and 100% from staff.

“We have worked incredibly hard to ensure all voices are heard loud and clear, whether it be students, families and staff,” said Silver Spring School Principal Fatima Avila. “We have had educators motivate their colleagues to complete the surveys, as well as providing incentives for families such as entering them into a raffle upon completion. Their input is so important to helping our classrooms run smoothly and remain on track.” 

Providence Public Schools has also seen high student and staff response rates. Lillian Feinstein Elementary School at Sackett Street has a 94% response rate from students, and a 100% response rate from staff, as did Leviton Dual Language School. Leviton also has a 100% student response rate.

“Whether we meet them at a local grocery store or a recreation center, hearing from our students, families, and staff is paramount in our efforts to turnaround the Providence Public School District. We are proud to have two schools with high rates of SurveyWorks engagement from students and staff, but we know more work remains,” said Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez. “Time and time again, our community demonstrates their commitment to being involved in uplifting our district. We thank those who have responded for their input and ask that those who have not participated to prioritize filling out the survey and let their voice be heard.”

Students, families and educators can take the 2023 survey and view their district’s 2022 results, by visiting the SurveyWorks Resource Center on the RIDE website.