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Survey Results I

From

Neil Mufson

Head of School

As you know, we recently conducted a survey of our parents as part of our 10 year accreditation self-study with the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS). This piece will be the first of a series that will share survey results. For background, know that we had 83 survey respondents (this out of 125 families). I am told that that is a very decent response rate.

      In this article, I wanted to give a general sense of the participants’ responses. In a future piece, I will focus on some of the comments – both positive and constructive – that parents offered. There were no negative ones. Finally, in a third posting, I plan to provide responses which can offer clarification to some comments people wrote.

      The survey was composed of 26 statements. For each, parents were asked to indicate their degree of agreement. One star indicated the respondents strongly disagreed; two indicated they somewhat disagreed; three that they neither agreed nor disagreed; 4 that they somewhat agreed; and 5 that they strongly agreed. Here are overall results:

  • The average response across the survey was 4.74 stars out of a possible 5 stars.
  • One of the very first respondents gave 1 star (strongly disagreed) to every item on the survey and offered no explanatory comments. Since this was the only “1” rating on almost all of the items (and there were no 2’s and very few 3’s), I wondered if this person filled the form out wrong, thinking 1, the first choice, was the highest score. In any case, all of the results I am reporting include those responses and another odd one that gave one star and no explanations to items for about the first half of the survey and then 5’s and very positive comments to every other item, many of which contradicted their “1” response. Again, these discordant responses were included in our tallies.
  • The following questions scored 4.9 out of 5 stars:
    • 1. PDS offers a high quality program.
    • 2. My child enjoys school.
    • 3. PDS provides a balanced program for young learners.
    • 5. PDS provides a nurturing environment.
    • 6. The School’s mission statement is reflected in its program.
    • 7. The School’s mission is reflected in the School’s day to day life.
    • 8. The PDS values program supports our child’s character development.
    • 15. I feel proud of being a part of the PDS community.
    • 16. My child’s teachers are responsive to our needs.
    • 18. The administration and staff are responsive to our needs.
    • 19. The administration and staff communicate proactively.
    • 20. The Primary Source gives us the information we need.
    • 22. The School appropriately prioritizes safety.
    • 23. I am pleased with the level of customer service Primary Day provides.
    • 25. I am satisfied with my decision to enroll our child(ren) at Primary Day.
    • 26. I would recommend Primary Day to families seeking a school for their children.
  • The following questions received 4.8 stars out of 5 stars:
    • 4. PDS provides an appropriately challenging program.
    • 9. The PDS community is welcoming.
    • 11. The PDS program promotes multiculturalism.
    • 12. An atmosphere of inclusiveness exists in the School.
    • 13. My child and family feel accepted for who we are at PDS.
    • 17. My child’s teachers communicate proactively.
    • 24. In this market Primary Day provides strong value for the tuition it charges.
  • The following questions received 4.7 stars out of 5 stars:
    • 10. PDS supports diversity.
    • 14. There are adequate parental opportunities for school involvement.
    • 21. Primary Day’s physical plant meets the needs of young learners.
  • No questions received a compilation score below 4.7 out of 5 stars

      While the difference between a 4.7 and a 4.9 rating is perhaps splitting hairs. I believe that differentiation points to relative strengths and opportunities for improvement. So although all the results are overwhelmingly positive, they show that we should be examining our efforts to support diversity, to provide parental involvement opportunities, and to ensure that the physical plant best meets the needs of young learners. Those of you who attended my March session on the strategic plan and campus master plan know that these items are already on our agenda for action. At the same time we will always be looking at ways we can maintain and enhance our performance in the other 23 areas around which there was agreement.

      I look forward to offering additional analysis of the data in the weeks ahead. Thank you for being part of the strong response rate to the survey.