Parents’ Assessments Position Private K-12 Schools for Success

By: Nancy L. Chambers, Principal & Owner, Lassiter & Associates

Competition for private school tuition dollars is high, particularly in large metro areas such as Atlanta where there are numerous educational options.

The expectations of parents who voluntarily invest in a private school education for their children are equally high. They expect their school of choice to deliver value and an educational experience unmatched by any other school.

Therefore, private schools have to work hard at both recruiting and retaining students, and parent satisfaction with school performance is the key to doing both successfully. Happy parents will not only keep their children at the school, they become the school’s best advocates. Unsatisfied parents have the choice of moving their children, and tuition dollars, elsewhere, and often do so.

Administrators need a solid understanding of the school’s strengths, weakness and how it stacks up against the competition in order to grow and retain enrollment, increase awareness, or even raise money for a new building. Obtaining objective feedback from parents is the first step in developing a strategic plan to achieve these goals.

Whitefield Academy, a leading Christian preparatory K-12 school in Atlanta, partnered with Lassiter & Associates to help obtain anonymous feedback from its parents. The parents’ input provided a reading of how the school was performing in several areas as well as help position the school to grow enrollment.

Lassiter developed a comprehensive online survey that encouraged open and honest feedback from its school community. The study design was based on an understanding of the goals of Whitefield’s board and headmaster. “What I liked tremendously was that Lassiter sought to understand us first, and then designed the survey to accommodate some fairly rigorous needs that we had in communicating with our families,” said Whitefield Academy Board of Trustees Chairman John C. Horton.

It was Whitefield’s first survey of this type and its needs were extensive. The survey tool was designed so that it could be completed quickly by parents; yet provide plenty of opportunity for them to express opinions and suggestions. Lassiter also worked with Whitefield in identifying creative methods to encourage parent participation and explain the benefits of completing the survey.

The results were astounding and included a 69 percent response rate, and the excellent participation by parents yielded a 99 percent confidence level in survey findings.

In addition to families evaluating the performance of Whitefield’s academics, extra-curricular programs, faculty, administration, marketing, and faith-based programs, more than 3,100 unique comments from parents further supported the ratings and painted a clear picture of where Whitefield stands with parents. “The level of detail that Lassiter was able to provide was amazing,” said Whitefield Academy Headmaster John H. Lindsell, Ed.D. “It helped pinpoint why people are choosing our school and why they are staying so it will have all kinds of implications for our marketing, our branding, and positioning. It also helped us better understand what the parents see as our strengths, and that too will help us attract and retain students.”

Administrators who embrace the idea that the families and students are customers of the school are positioning their schools for continued success. “It is a voluntary relationship that we have,” said Dr. Lindsell. “We are not their school district; they choose to affiliate with us. If you can find out the things you are doing well and the things that need improvement, it is only going to strengthen your school in the long run; and doing a periodic survey is a very good tool to get that done.”

Additionally, the anonymous nature of the survey encouraged feedback from parents who otherwise might not have expressed their concerns or satisfaction. “Parents quite often are reluctant to share their opinions with school administrators because they think it will fall back on their children,” said Dr. Lindsell. “Nothing could be further from the truth, but by protecting parents anonymity they are able to express opinions they might not otherwise share and alert you to your strengths as well as your weaknesses.”

“The recent Parent Survey at Whitefield produced one of the most complete and professionally presented data sets I have ever seen,” said Mr. Horton. “Lassiter & Associates was not only great to work with, but their knowledge of the survey process and our situation was extraordinary. Their work is as innovative as it is complete and professional.”

A school assessment survey is an essential first step in the strategic planning process and enables private schools to base their strategy on a solid understanding of strengths, weaknesses, and their competitive standing. While some administrators think they have their finger on the pulse of their school community, Mr. Horton and Dr. Lindsell do. Whitefield Academy is poised for growth in part because they have listened to their most important customers – their families who pay tuition.

Nancy L. Chambers is Principal and Owner of Lassiter & Associates, a strategic market research firm serving the healthcare, technology and education industries. Ms. Chambers has more than 25 years of experience marketing technology related products and services, and her in‐depth understanding of technology markets enables her to provide expert services and clear, cost‐effective, timely advice that help companies nationwide increase their growth and profitability. Ms. Chambers can be reached at nchambers@lassiterassociates.com or 404.846.0401.