Thousands of stakeholders participated in a monthslong engagement process

July 23, 2021 -- As part of Saint Paul Public Schools’ work to serve students during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, SPPS meaningfully engaged with a wide range of stakeholders in a needs assessment over the course of the 2020-21 school year. The purpose of the needs assessment was to identify areas that would: 

• leverage existing investments, and 
• meet the parameters of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) (see the SPPS COVID Federal Funding Brief for a list of these parameters)

SPPS is receiving $206.9 million in ARP funds. ARP is the last of the federal funding allotments, totaling $334 million, that SPPS is receiving to address long-term student outcomes that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SPPS needs assessment included a mix of methods for collecting data from students, family members, teachers and other school staff, department and program leaders, principals, community-based organizations and other stakeholders. Some of the methods used included questionnaires, surveys, online forums, focus groups, document review, and analysis of existing data. In total, SPPS received over 11,000 responses.

While many strategies and recommendations were identified, SPPS is focusing on the needs that were presented, defined as the highest priority, but not comprehensive, set of the most pressing/foundational needs to be addressed across the district at this time. Four groups were identified, along with the most pressing needs for each group:

Students

• High-quality instruction
• Strong feeling of welcome, safety, support as an individual, and as a member of an ethnic/cultural/racial group and the school community
• High level of engagement and representation in the classroom 

Staff

• Time
• Professional expectations for culturally relevant teaching and instruction
• Healthy partnerships with families and community resources

Schools

• Understanding that different schools have different needs
• Being flexible and allowing staff to focus 

Family and Community

• Consistent safety procedures at school
• High-quality, engaging education that addresses core learning
• Racial/ethnic/linguistic representation
• Acknowledgement of the challenges facing families with children

“We would like to thank everyone who shared their voice as part of this process so far,” said Stacey Gray Akyea, Director of Research, Evaluation & Assessment at SPPS. “The decisions that we make moving forward will be better because of your input.”

A summary of the SPPS needs assessment is available at spps.org/Page/42080. The next phase of stakeholder engagement will begin later this summer to solicit input on SPPS’ plan to respond to these needs. For more information, visit spps.org/ARP.