Edwardsville School District #7 Shares Info on Improving Climate and Culture

EDWARDSVILLE - During the regular meeting of the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education, Acting Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan shared information about the district’s scores on the 5Essentials Survey.

The 5Essentials Survey is an anonymous assessment developed by the University of Chicago. Students in grades 4–12 and their parents and teachers take the survey every year to assess the district’s climate and culture. The results of the survey influence the district’s score on the Illinois School Report Card.

“This is a really important survey,” Duncan said. “Our principals use it to guide their school improvement plans. It provides the community feedback on what the experience of parents and teachers and students are in our buildings.”

The 5Essentials measure effective leadership, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environments, and ambitious instruction. The scores are compared to all other schools in Illinois.

“Our data for last year is really positive,” Duncan said. “We improved pretty dramatically…As you look at the data, you can see that we are trending up in all of our areas. We’re improving. This is good stuff for the district.”

Let us Bring the Party to You!

Shop Local

Riverbend Axe & Games

Get This Deal →

Response rates have increased considerably. Duncan noted this is a positive trend, showing that teachers, students and parents feel their opinions matter.

Additionally, the district saw “a major jump” in the effective leadership category, which Duncan believes reflects the principals’ commitment. The involved families and collaborative teachers categories have also improved significantly. Duncan credited this to the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) time, which is “geared towards teacher collaboration.”

The ambitious instruction and supportive environments categories have stayed relatively flat. This is the first time in four years that the district has not had one of the categories qualify as “weak,” and every category saw improvement.

Duncan noted that strong schools in at least three of the five categories are ten times more likely to improve student learning outcomes. Additionally, the survey “provides a lot of insight and gives us guidance on actionable steps to try to continue to improve,” he said.

“When you look at the trend lines, last year was a really good year for us with the 5Essentials data, and I think it was a group effort between our principals, our teachers and our students,” he added. “We’re really looking forward to what this year’s data will look like.”

The 5Essentials survey opens Feb. 3 through March 10, 2026. Students, teachers and parents are encouraged to complete the survey so the school has data for this year. Duncan said principals will communicate with families to share the survey link with them so they can take the survey. He emphasized the importance of parent participation.