Surveys & Research Services

Your community has a lot to say. Are you hearing it clearly?

Most school leaders have a general sense of how their community feels about the district. They hear from engaged parents at board meetings, get occasional feedback from staff, and pick up signals from social media and local coverage. But that informal picture is rarely complete—and it’s almost never objective. The families who don’t attend meetings, the staff members who don’t speak up, the community members without children in the district: their perspectives matter too, and they’re often the hardest to reach.

A well-designed survey changes that. It gives your district a structured, credible way to hear from the full range of people you serve—not just the most vocal—and turns that input into clear, actionable insights that can inform decisions, strengthen communication, and build the kind of community trust that’s difficult to develop any other way.

Donovan Group’s survey and data research services manage the full process—from strategy and design through hosting, analysis, and reporting—so your leadership team walks away with findings they can actually use.

What Sets Our Surveys Apart

Surveys are only as valuable as the questions they ask and the analysis behind the results. A poorly designed survey produces data that’s difficult to interpret and easy to dismiss. A well-designed one produces insights that can meaningfully guide district decisions.

A few things distinguish the way we approach this work:

Types of Surveys

We are committed to meeting federal ADA accessibility standards in the materials we create.

What's Included

Every survey engagement concludes with a comprehensive final report that presents findings in a clear, accessible format—designed to be shared with leadership teams, school boards, staff, and the broader community.

Deliverables include:

A professionally designed report with key findings, trends, and actionable insights.

Slide decks for board presentations and community sharing.

Infographics and data visualizations that make results easy to understand at a glance.

Interpretation support to help your team identify what the data means and what to do next.

We don’t hand over a spreadsheet and consider the work done. We help your leadership team understand what the findings reveal, where the most significant opportunities lie, and what meaningful next steps look like.

Who This Service Is Built For

This service is designed for superintendents who want to make decisions grounded in what their community actually thinks—not what they assume, hope, or fear.

It’s a strong fit for districts that:

Are starting or refreshing a strategic planning process and want genuine stakeholder input

Are preparing for a referendum or ballot measure and want to understand community sentiment

Want to evaluate the effectiveness of their communication with families, staff, or the community

Are focused on culture and retention and want a confidential way to hear from staff

Have collected feedback in the past but struggled to interpret it or turn it into action

Want to track community sentiment consistently over time rather than anecdotes

“The Donovan Group has been an outstanding partner in helping us collect meaningful, anonymous feedback from our families regarding open enrollment in and out, and staff satisfaction surveys. Their survey services provided us with clear, actionable insights that continue to guide our efforts to improve as a district. From start to finish, the team was prompt, professional, and exceptionally supportive—walking us through each step of the process and delivering well-organized, easy-to-understand data. I highly recommend the Donovan Group for any district seeking to strengthen communication and decision-making.”

Dr. Christopher G. Hibner, District Administrator

East Troy Community School District (WI)

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of surveys does Donovan Group conduct?

We design and facilitate surveys tailored to your goals and audience. Common projects include staff satisfaction surveys, communication surveys, annual community surveys, strategic planning surveys, and referendum or ballot measure surveys. If you have a specific research need that doesn’t fit neatly into one of those categories, we’ll work with you to determine the right approach.

Can you customize a survey for our district?
Who can you survey?
How do you help increase survey participation?
How long does a survey project take?
What will we receive at the end of the project?
Can you help us understand what the data means?
Can survey results be shared with our board and community?
What if we’re concerned about receiving negative feedback?
How do you ensure confidentiality?
What if we’ve run surveys before but didn’t know what to do with the results?
Why work with an outside partner rather than conducting a survey ourselves?

Case Studies

Southeast Delco School District (PA) Comprehensive Planning Surveys

The Opportunity Every three years, Pennsylvania school districts are required to submit a Comprehensive (Professional Education) Plan to the Pennsylvania ...

East Troy CSD (WI) Annual Staff Satisfaction Surveys

The Opportunity The East Troy Community School District (CSD) recognized a need for consistent, measurable insight into staff perceptions. District ...

WIAA Conducts Comprehensive Survey of High School Sports Officials

The Opportunity The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association wanted to better understand the perspectives and experiences of its high school officials. ...