A Word from Dr. Satterly—March 14, 2024

14 Mar A Word from Dr. Satterly—March 14, 2024

​​Dear WA Community,

I’ve always liked the game show Family Feud. Hopefully, that affinity is not due to some Hatfield and McCoy Kentucky heritage thing but rather a passing curiosity about the most common responses to cultural prompts. If you’ve watched that show, then you are familiar with its most poignant quip, “And the survey says…”

Not a week goes past without the opportunity to participate in a survey. Sadly, I’ve never been asked by Family Feud for my input. Just this past week, however, an airline asked me to respond to a customer service survey, which was timely given the four-and-a-half-hour delay I just recently experienced. This morning I completed one about best leadership practices in a school setting for a doctoral student at Columbia International University.

Sometimes, I wonder just how much attention is given to all the data collected from surveys. I am certain that the CIU doctoral student will, but given the performance of some companies, I am less sure. Used properly, survey data is very useful and can readily inform decision-making and help refine practice.

Westminster Academy also uses surveys. We employ a third-party vendor to administer them and provide data analysis across our industry. The main reason we use them is that we are very serious about continual school improvement, and input from our stakeholders—parents, staff, and students—is incredibly valuable. We also share them with Christian Schools of Florida and CESA as part of our accreditation and membership.

For us, this week is survey week. The final drafts have been approved and our next round of parent surveys should be hitting your inbox. Please take a few minutes and provide us with your feedback. We want to continue our course of improvement. We take the data seriously. School senior leadership uses the information to set priorities and goals. The data pushes us toward specific actions. Take safety and security, for example. Typically, among parents’ top three priorities, according to the survey data, has resulted in a new Director of Security, Steve Feeley, who has already strengthened operations in this area and continues to lead improvements. Two of our current annual goals—strengthening academics and improving school culture were developed based on survey data, and staff teams are working to implement changes in these areas.

Thanks in advance for spending a few minutes providing your input. Our team looks forward to the results later this spring as we assess our progress and set new goals and priorities. Your feedback matters and helps make us better.