Last week, Newark Public Schools (NPS) released results from nearly 1,800 post-application surveys taken by parents of Newark students participating in the Newark Enrolls process. The survey asked parents to rate their experience with the application process, to share information about how they learned about the process, and to share information about their preferences. 95% of those surveyed shared that they found their experience with the enrollment process ‘good’ or ‘very good,’ and 96% said they found the application ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to navigate.
“While the district has made improvements in recent years, it is important for us to be more transparent than ever about the data we collect during the enrollment process,” said Interim Superintendent Robert Gregory. “I am encouraged by this parent feedback, and remain committed to examining the strengths and weaknesses of all of our existing policies, processes, and systems as we transition back to local control. We are sharing these results today to further inform that conversation.”
Data about where parents live shows that families who responded appear to be equally represented from wards across Newark. In addition to aggregated survey data, the district is also releasing approximately 800 written survey responses (un-edited with redactions to protect individual identification), so the public can see directly what parents are saying about their experience. Survey data and written responses are available here.
“Our goal as a district is to make enrolling in a school as easy as possible for parents, while ensuring that there is a neutral set of rules to ensure the process is fair and equitable for everyone,” added Gabrielle Ramos-Solomon, Chief of School Planning, Enrollment and Family Supports at Newark Public Schools. “These results show us that the vast majority of families who participate in the enrollment process find the application easy to navigate and are rating their experience high.”
The survey results come after the district has made a number of improvements to the process in recent years to make it more family friendly. These include releasing a videothat explains how the process works, creating a Family Enrollment Portal to give parents the ability to directly address concerns they may have after the initial school match is made, and a number of policy changes in response to parental feedback, including full neighborhood preference.
These results also add to information released in a study last week out of Columbia University that analyzes enrollment data and shares key takeaways for the Newark community to consider.
Families awaiting their match results can access them at www.NewarkEnrolls.org
