And The Survey Says…

To help answer some of the questions posed by the Key School’s recent self-study—a process required by the Association of Independent Maryland Schools to obtain the renewal of the School’s ten-year accreditation—Key commissioned WB&A Market Research to conduct a survey of alumni, students in grades six through twelve, parents, and faculty and staff. The primary purpose of the survey was to gain a greater understanding of the perspectives of the School’s multiple constituents and to draw conclusions about that which is being done well and that which may require additional attention.

The principal categories of inquiry included:

The extent to which the School achieves the various goals of its Mission;
The characteristics that attracted people to the School;
The School’s greatest strengths and weaknesses;
The relationships between students and their teachers and the administration;
The expression of the School’s culture.

What follows is a synopsis of the findings from this study.

All respondents were asked to examine the School’s Mission statement and to agree or disagree with each aspect of that statement. Overall, the majority of respondents across all groups agree that Key School successfully achieves the goals of its Mission. Specifically, 98% of alumni, 93% of students, 98% of parents, and 100% of faculty and staff said that they agree that Key School successfully achieves the goals of its Mission.

According to respondents across all groups, the academics at Key School are one of its greatest strengths. All respondents were asked to identify five characteristics or qualities that attracted them to the School. The vast majority of respondents across all groups (90% alumni, 85% students, 97% parents, 93% faculty and staff) listed some aspect of the academics as an attraction to the School. Most often, these respondents cited the small class size, the low student/teacher ratio, the academic rigor, the high academic standards, the dedicated faculty, the good student and teacher interaction, the diverse curriculum, the outdoor education offerings, the fine and performing arts program, the creativity of the curriculum, and the emphasis on experiential learning.

In addition to the academics, many respondents said that they were attracted to the School because of the community feeling and/or the pleasant setting or beautiful campus. The next most frequently mentioned characteristics included support for individuality, the openness to ideas, the freedoms that students are afforded, the quality of the student body, the support for independent thinking, student assumption of responsibility, and the School’s reputation. Among student respondents, the absence of a school uniform was frequently mentioned as an attractive characteristic.

The most frequently cited weaknesses included lack of diversity (26% alumni, 9% students, 12% parents, and 20 % faculty and staff); concern about affordability (12% alumni, 9% students, 20% parents, 12% faculty and staff); and the loss of intimacy due to the School’s growth (14% alumni, 2% students, 3% parents, and 15% faculty and staff).

Some respondents did mention aspects of the academics as one of the School’s weaknesses. Alumni most commonly mentioned the School’s limited curriculum (10%) and/or that the School is not open to different learning styles (9%). Students most often said that they consider the overwhelming course load and/or too much homework to be one of the School’s weaknesses (19%). Interestingly, students responded at a significantly higher proportion to this assertion than respondents in the other groups (4% alumni, 5% parents, 2% faculty and staff).

The teachers at Key School are viewed very favorably by alumni, students, parents, and the faculty and staff. The vast majority of respondents that:

Students have positive relationships with their teachers (100% alumni, 92% students, 98% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree);
Teachers are approachable (100% alumni, 92% students, 96% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree);
Students feel supported by their teachers academically (99% alumni, 91% students, 97% parents, 98% faculty and staff agree); and
Students are able to exchange information and ideas with their teachers (99% alumni, 94% parents, 98% students, 100% faculty and agree).

The administration at Key School is also viewed very favorably by the constituents with the majority of alumni, students, parents, and faculty and staff agreeing that:

Students have positive relationships with the administration (93% alumni, 79% students, 93% parents, 98% faculty and staff agree); and
The administration is approachable (95% alumni, 73% students, 93% parents, 95% faculty and staff agree).

It was interesting to note that students were less likely than other respondents to agree with these statements.

Additionally, respondents feel that the students, parents, faculty and staff demonstrate reciprocal respect and/or concern for each other. The majority of alumni, students, parents, and faculty and staff agree that:

The faculty and staff demonstrate concern for students (99% alumni, 91% students, 99% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree);
The faculty and staff demonstrate regard for parents (95% alumni, 88% students, 94% parents, 98% faculty and staff agree);
The faculty and staff demonstrate collegiality with one another (98% alumni, 95% students, 98% parents, 98% faculty and staff agree);
The students demonstrate concern for each other (94% alumni, 86% students, 96% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree);
The parents demonstrate respect for the faculty and staff (90% alumni, 89% students, 98% parents, 95% faculty and staff agree);
Students respect their teachers (100% alumni, 87% students, 99% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree); and
Teachers respect their students (99% alumni, 87% students, 99% parents, 98% faculty and staff agree).

All respondents were asked to list characteristics that describe the culture of the School. Alumni most often described the culture of the School as intellectually stimulating/academically rigorous, having a strong sense of community, and being open to and encouraging open minds. Other characteristics frequently listed by alumni were caring and nurturing, encouraging and supportive, calm and relaxed, and welcoming and friendly.

Students most often described the culture of the School as welcoming and friendly, encouraging open minds, and calm and relaxed, followed by intellectually stimulating/academically rigorous, fun/happy, and positive/upbeat.

Parents most often said that the culture was caring/nurturing, intellectually rigorous, and welcoming and friendly. In addition many parents said that the School encourages open minds, is supportive, and appreciative of diversity.

Faculty and staff most often said the School’s culture is caring/nurturing, intellectually stimulating, followed by having a strong sense of community, open and encouraging open minds, encouraging/supportive, calm/relaxed, and or enthusiastic/excited about learning.

The majority of the respondents agree that:

The School fosters independent thinking (99% alumni, 91% students, 100% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree);
The School fosters self-expression (98% alumni, 89% students, 100% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree); and
The School fosters creativity (99% alumni, 92% students, 100% parents, 100% faculty and staff agree).

With regard to the School’s support of diversity, most respondents agree that:

The School is supportive of multicultural diversity (88% alumni, 84% students, 93% parents, 93% faculty and staff agree);
The School is supportive of socioeconomic diversity (64% alumni, 78% students, 84% parents, 84% faculty and staff agree); and
The overall tone of the campus is egalitarian (91% alumni, 87% students, 95% parents, 98% faculty and staff agree).

With nearly 700 responses tallied by the market research firm, the expressions of approval are heartening and the prompts for strengthening are meaningful. As stated by Head of School Marcella Yedid, “We are energized by the collective effort to ‘look within’ in search of the authentic and enduring and to confront that which may detract or undermine…. As work on the self-study continues, the multiple perspectives of the School’s constituents will find their voice so that mutual conclusions can be drawn and future directions can be set.”