Eden Prairie Schools was the only school district in the state to receive higher favorable ratings post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels in recent surveys conducted by market research firm The Morris Leatherman Co. In what ways has the district made progress during that time to earn that distinction, and how has that progress helped set Eden Prairie Schools apart from other school districts?
We’re so proud of that distinction, and it didn’t happen by accident. Before, during and after the pandemic, we kept our focus on personalizing learning for each and every student. And all along, we've really continued to see outstanding support from our community, who see what we're doing for our students and want to be a part of it. They want to come and give back.
I think that’s really unique, and it’s part of what sets us apart from other school districts — we’ve really invested in our community partnerships. We're so lucky to be in an area where our district boundaries are almost entirely contiguous with our city’s, and that lets us foster that community pride in being an Eagle. We have so many alumni who go on to do amazing things in the community, and they want to come back to share their experiences with our students. That's true of other business partners, too. We partnered this past year with the Eden Prairie Historical Society, we're always in conversation with the city, and I think that really helps us be in tune with what our community's looking for in the education we provide to our students here in Eden Prairie.
Let’s dig into some of the data from the surveys. 95% of community members rate an EP education as excellent or good. What does that say about the quality of educators and staff at Eden Prairie?
We truly have a second-to-none group of team members here in Eden Prairie Schools. We have staff members who have been here for 20, 25, 30, 35 years, all the way up to 47 now for Linda Wallenberg at the high school. That really speaks to the quality of the educators that we have here in Eden Prairie Schools, their deep connection to our district and investment in the success of our students. They are truly united by our mission of inspiring each student every day, and I see that come to life all the time when I'm out and about in schools. I see that in classrooms, I see that on buses, I see that in our before- and after-school programming. I believe that's how we continue to achieve this outstanding score for educational excellence — our staff members going above and beyond for our kids every single day.
Families gave us a lot of praise in these surveys, with 94% saying they trust the district to do what’s right and 98% saying they would recommend Eden Prairie Schools to a friend. How does the district earn that trust from families so they feel that not only can they count on us, but other families they know can as well?
We know that families in this area have a lot of excellent options for where they could send their child to school, so we need to prove every day why Eden Prairie Schools should be at the top of that list. Families send us their biggest gifts every day, and strong communication is key. That means responding to questions and concerns, being really proactive, and being in touch with our families and forming those connections. The survey showed that 94% of our families also believe that we do a good job of communicating, and that when they reach out to us with a concern they receive a response quickly and they're satisfied with the answer. We have incredible school leaders who I have seen go above and beyond to pick up the phone and call a family they know has a question or concern, and that really goes a long way.
And the other piece of it is, our staff are really good at what they do! We’ve truly got the state’s best educators, school and district leaders, and support staff here in Eden Prairie, and they care so deeply about students that it’s obvious to our families. I think families know that everybody – from a classroom paraprofessional or teacher, all the way up to the principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent – are really united by our mission of inspiring each student every day. And that builds trust and pride in our schools.
96% of families also said they believe the community receives a good value from its investment in our schools. In what ways does the district ensure that the investment from families benefits the community?
The first way we do this is by promising financial stability. Over the last several years, we've seen a lot of our neighboring districts have to go through really significant budget cuts. We have not had to do that here in Eden Prairie, in part because of very sound financial management in the district and also because our community is incredibly supportive.
The 2014 operating levy promised to avoid reductions to programs and services for at least five years, and by the time we went out and asked our community again for additional financial support in 2022, we had delivered on that promise and were in year eight. The 2022 referendum promised another five years of financial stability. That really instills a confidence that the excellent experience that each student is getting today, they will still be able to receive in five years because of the way we safeguard our taxpayer resources.
We were also named a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools district this year, and that was in part because about 85% of our energy comes from solar panels. A lot of those solar panels are actually on our district buildings! That helps us protect our planet, and then it also helps us protect taxpayer resources, because over the next 25 years that investment is going to save the district about $6 million. That money goes right back into our students and into our community.
Eden Prairie Schools has also created a lot of opportunities for community members to engage with the district.
Exactly. We know that it's easy to feel connected to a school district and care about it when your student comes home and talks about it every day. It's really important to us to be making those connections with our community members as soon as they move in, all the way through experiencing their students having gone through our schools and becoming empty nesters, and looking toward what's next for them and enjoying the rest of their lives here in Eden Prairie. So we are making sure that our community has many touch points with us.
Our fantastic Community Education program provides learning opportunities for people of all ages; we see folks interacting at reunions throughout the years, our Family Fun Day brings people from across the community, we see old friends reuniting at homecoming — we really want to welcome people back. This last year, we celebrated 100 Years of Inspiring Each, and many of our events were done in partnership with the Eden Prairie Historical Society. We had people of all ages come and enjoy a Historic Prom with us, and then a Citywide Celebration that included a parade. That's really what schools should be: hubs of community.
This statistic really stands out: 99% of graduates said that Eden Prairie Schools prepared them for life after graduation. What does that say about the opportunities and experiences available to EP students? What does that say about the district’s vision for learning, the Inspired Journey, which gives students a variety of ways to discover, explore and pursue a well-rounded education?
This is so important, and it's the first time we've ever asked this question. Folks picked up the phone and were answering questions, and we said, “Did you graduate from Eden Prairie Schools? And if so, were you prepared for life after graduation?” And to hear 99% of the people answering that question said yes, that really proves that the Inspired Journey is working. And even bigger than that, our mission is working.
Our mission includes lifelong learning and contributing to community, and we know that our alumni are doing that. They're going out and having success in college and career, and they're also living and working in our community, giving back. What that has shown us is students really do have those chances to discover, explore and pursue in our schools. And that sets them up for huge success after graduation. I have to include a shout-out here for our first-ever Inspire magazine, coming to your mailboxes in just a few weeks, where you can read stories of some of our most notable alumni making huge impacts as athletes, parents, doctors, educators, CEOs and changemakers! There are some super impressive stories.
Looking forward, the district has set a high bar for itself. Eden Prairie Schools is currently creating its roadmap for the future with Flight Plan 2035. How will the district use the statistics in these surveys and other feedback it receives from the community to build on its successes and continue inspiring each every day?
A high bar is right! I always say that, as superintendent, it's somewhat scary to show these numbers because it means we have a very high bar to meet or exceed. But we keep seeing those pretty remarkable numbers year over year.
It’s a particularly exciting time to think about the future, because we just capped off 100 years of educational excellence. Now we're looking to the next 100, and specifically to the next 10 years. That's what Flight Plan 2035 is really designed to do: bring our community together and gather their ideas for what they think the worlds of work and education are going to look like 10 years from now. We're going to use feedback and input from more than 40 sessions with staff members, students, families, community members, and experts in several fields to determine the experiences our students should have 10 years from now.
What I think these survey results do as we go into that process is tell us we're on the right track. We're doing a lot of things really well now. The pieces that are driving us, like the mission, the core values, are keeping us in line with what the community wants to see. I’m confident that if that focus on the mission continues over the next 10 years, as I know it will, then we’ll keep hearing positive things from our community.
- Cedar Ridge Elementary
- Central Middle School
- EP Online
- Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion
- Eden Lake Elementary
- Eden Prairie High School
- Forest Hills Elementary
- Oak Point Elementary
- Prairie View Elementary