Pasadena Unified Launches Family Survey

The Pasadena Unified School District is conducting a survey among current, former, prospective and private/charter school families this February, to gather data that would help PUSD set its priorities and policies and provide insights towards improving the quality of education for current and future students.

Results of the survey between February 2 and 19, 2016, will also guide the District in developing its Strategic Master Plan that emphasizes improved customer service as a top priority.

Earlier, PUSD Superintendent Brian McDonald said the District is committed to making “bold and courageous changes to chart a successful future.”

“It is absolutely critical that we invest in state-of-the-art planning – not only to build capacity in our educational system, but also to ensure that the innovative and successful programs we envision are well supported by capital expenditures,” McDonald said.

PUSD is working with Oakland-based Goodwin Simon Strategic Research to conduct the survey. On PUSD’s end, Associate Superintendent Mercy Santoro heads a Master Plan Survey Task Force, composed of community members and education leaders, that will work with the research company.

In addition to providing insights into areas of improvement, the District will also use the survey results to better understand how parents, including those who do not speak English, find information about the district and schools, and how they would prefer the district to communicate with them.

PUSD says the surveys will be administered to four groups of target respondents – parents with children in PUSD schools, parents who live in the Pasadena area with children of pre-school age, parents who chose to transfer their students out of PUSD schools, and parents with students in charter or independent schools.

A survey will also be available online for all PUSD families to participate. In addition, the PUSD team is working to develop, strengthen, and enhance partnerships not only with the cities of Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre, but also with social services, philanthropic, Pasadena City College and higher education, arts and industry leaders.

Initial results are expected to be available by February 26, 2016.

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), 351 South Hudson Ave., Pasadena, (626) 396-3600 or visit www.pusd.us/pages/PasadenaUSD.