 . |
The results of our Parent Campus Climate Survey are in, and I am most pleased to report the findings. We read through over 120 responses from our parents representing a range of grade levels throughout the school. Accounting for parents of multiple children, 21% of the respondents were parents of a preschooler, 69% were parents in Lower School, and 37% were Middle School parents. Many thanks to Trustee Jan Hyland and Director of Communications & Marketing Nicole Campbell for their efforts on this important project!
Big picture:
Overall, parents are very happy with Barnesville. This aligns well with the general feedback our faculty and administrators have received, that this year has been joyful and positive. Specifically:
- 92% of respondents said that they are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their School experience.
- 87% of respondents would recommend the School to a friend or colleague (rated 8-10 out of 10)
- 87% of respondents feel the school is upholding the values of the School’s mission (rated “well” or “very well”)
- 91% of respondents are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with communication between school and home
- 84% of respondents are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their communications with teachers and administrators. Not bad, but there’s room for improvement!
Points of interest:
When we asked you to rank the top five factors related to your child’s academic experience, and also rank how Barnesville did, we also saw positive alignment.
- Appropriate class size – 85% satisfied
- Individual attention from teachers in core subjects - 85% satisfied
- Challenging subjects in core curriculum - 80% satisfied
- Faculty caring & concern – 91% satisfied
- Faculty experience – 91% satisfied
Looking to the future:
When we asked you to identify the top three programmatic areas to be enhanced, the clear focus was on technology in classrooms, experiential learning, and science. When asked about investment in facilities and land use, the responses followed a similar pattern:
- Technology in the classrooms – the runaway winner with over 90 responses
- Middle School science lab
- Outdoor learning spaces
- The lunch room (“Hyatt”) – a surprise to me, as I thought this would rank higher
- Technology in the media center
Areas to address and improve:
Not everyone is happy with all things, nor should we expect them to be. Feedback on specific academic programs was mixed, with some of the concern reflecting difficulties from previous years. For school-wide programs, the faculty and I will be focusing our attention in our June in-service on three specific areas:
- Computer skills in all grades – many of you thought we were weaker here, especially in comparison to preparing children in public speaking, researching, and writing.
- Organizational skills and study habit development – this was the #1 ranked factor by parents regarding social and character development, yet only 57% indicated that you were satisfied with our efforts here.
- RenWeb (and online gradebooks and assignments) – while a fair number indicated satisfaction, this generated the majority of the written comments, with concerns about ease of use and our consistency of implementation
Finally, Spirit Day. 75% of respondents indicated “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with this new program, which is strong. Yet those who aren’t happy had much to say, with comments ranging from wanting spirit wear every day to wanting free choice for all. For the time being, we will continue to keep our Friday Spirit Days as-is, and I plan to do a short, targeted evaluation this coming school year.
If anyone wishes to learn more about the results of the survey, I welcome you to schedule a time to meet with me, and I’d be happy to discuss the details with you further.
John Huber
A sad postscript…recently I have been made aware that two members of the Barnesville community passed away last week. First is former teacher Nancy Bowen, who taught Kindergarten at Barnesville from 2003 to 2010. She had struggled with cancer during her final years here, and she had recently been in hospice care. Nancy’s service will take place on Saturday, May 7th at 10:00 AM at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac. There will not be a viewing. Also, Trustee Emeritus George Kephart died last week. He served as Board Chair during the 1970’s, and his efforts greatly helped to establish Barnesville during the school’s early days. There will be a viewing at the Kephart farm (Chiswell’s Inheritance) at the corner of Beallsville and Jerusalem Roads on Friday, May 6th, from 6:00-9:00 pm. The funeral will take place at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Poolesville on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 3:00 PM. Burial will follow immediately at Monocacy Cemetery, with a reception to follow at the Kephart Farm.