NAF Thanks Our Academy Leaders for Sharing Feedback in Our Survey –  Your Voices Are Heard and Valued!

At the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, in partnership with The American Institutes for Research^® (AIR), NAF developed an academy survey to gain feedback from our network on their satisfaction with and perception of service delivery in key areas. The process was organized by NAF’s Network Development Implementation (NDI) team, with a cross-functional group of NAF staff reviewing the survey items and providing multiple rounds of feedback. 

With a response rate that captured nearly 400 voices of our academy leaders from 31 states, read on to learn more about the key findings, value-adds, and opportunity areas. Of those, seventy-five percent of respondents have worked with NAF for 3 years or more, with almost a fifth working with NAF for 7–10 years. Top representation of states included: Florida; North Carolina; California; District of Columbia; Michigan; and New York.

Below is a breakdown of academy pathways represented: 

NAF Value-Adds:

• Overall, there is high satisfaction with the communication that comes directly from NAF contacts and portfolio managers. Respondents’ comments in these sections revealed that NAF contacts and portfolio managers provide great support and timely communications.
• Other communication areas, including support tickets and customized, individual support, rated high satisfaction, with comments showing very positive feedback.
• NAF respondents also noted several aspects as valuable and contributing to their schools. For example, curriculum, particularly its structure, flexibility, and easy-to-navigate nature, was one of the more highly noted values.
• NAF’s approach to Work-Based Learning (WBL) was also mentioned as a significant value, especially the options to connect the curriculum to future readiness and keep students engaged. Some respondents also noted that the structure that NAF provides contributes positively to their school and cultures.
• Other items of note include satisfaction with a variety of NAF tools and supports; data/accountability/improvement; being part of a national network/organization; and a contribution to positive school culture.

Opportunity Areas:

• One opportunity for NAF action may be to assist academies with communication with their alumni and informing them of all the opportunities available.
• While Advisory Board and WBL Resources and Trainings are rated highly, a few respondents noted that improvements could include: raising more awareness of the opportunities, especially the trainings; offering support in building partnerships; simplification of documents and resources; and more flexible timing of trainings (i.e., in the evening or afternoon).
• Our educator partners value curriculum and resources from NAF and additional resources around career data would prove to be helpful for our academy leaders.
• More support with local partner engagement to amplify students’ work-based learning experiences.
• Some academy leaders also noted that, amid the changing landscape of recruiting students into an academy, additional resources and content for students and families would be helpful.
• To improve staff and teacher professional learning options, academies emphasized more training, more regional or virtual professional development opportunities, and more support generally for WBL.
• Other suggested supports include a national student conference; reducing the amount of required data entry; more NAF staff interaction with district CTE staff; and a database of alumni to connect with.

Again, NAF would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to our survey respondents for your participation that allows us to gain deeper insight into your perspectives and the impact of the NAF design, as we partner together to prepare students for college, career and future success. Your voices are truly valued and we look forward to continuing to dive into the feedback. This plays a crucial role in helping us enhance our support for the network.