Chicago Public Schools surveys receive more than 1,200 responses using Textizen

Textizen, the SMS-based civic engagement tool built by Philly’s 2012 Code for America fellows, helped the country’s third-largest school district, Chicago Public Schools, reach out to its constituency this spring.

Using Textizen for two surveys, Chicago Public Schools initially received more than 1,200 responses, GovTech reported in a story about platforms that are “redefining civic engagement.” Chicago Public Schools eventually received more than 2,000 responses by the time the survey finished, Textizen’s cofounders said.

Built by fellows Michelle Lee and Alex Yule, Textizen is arguably the only Philly Code for America project that has gained some traction. It’s also the only Philly Code for America project that raised funding after the fellowship ended in December: the team received $350,000 in funding from the Knight Foundation in January.

GovTech’s story also featured Community PlanIt, a city planning game that Philadelphia launched in January.