The difference between thriving schools and struggling ones often comes down to a simple question: Are you listening, or assuming?
Maggie Renken, Ph.D., ISM Consultant
Independent school leaders tend to trust their gut. After all, they know their communities better than anyone else. But instinct, anecdotes, or the voices of a few can only take you so far — and sometimes in the wrong direction.
The alternative? Conducting regular surveys — and acting on the results — grounds leadership decisions in evidence, not assumptions. Surveys reveal what truly matters: parent satisfaction, faculty culture, student and employee well-being — the concerns of the very people your school depends on.
What Happens When Schools Listen?
Consider three schools, each at a crossroads and weighing significant strategic investments.
1 - Why do parents choose your school?
ISM partnered with a school that surveyed parents while creating a strategic plan. The board was ready to spend millions on campus beautification, convinced that more attractive buildings and grounds would appeal to touring families and improve admission stats.
Survey Says: Facilities were not a significant factor in parents’ decisions. Instead, results revealed that the school’s website was almost as influential as word-of-mouth in attracting new families, and that on-campus experiences differed from how the school described itself in marketing materials.
Data-Driven Decision: The board redirected funds into a stronger marketing plan: updating the website, improving parent communication, and refining messaging. Enrollment rose, as did parents’ ratings of the school’s value proposition.
2 - What do students really need to flourish?
Another ISM school noticed a dip in AP course scores. School leaders considered reducing advisory and lunch breaks to add more academic periods, hoping to improve results.
Survey Says: Students reported that stress levels were extremely high, while well-being scores — particularly related to students’ sense of belonging and their engagement in the community — were dangerously low.
Data-Driven Decision: Instead of reducing unstructured time, the school expanded advisory programming. The outcome was improved student engagement and flourishing. It wasn’t a lack of rigor undermining performance, but undue stress.
3 - What’s causing staff turnover?
A third ISM school struggled with faculty burnout and high turnover. Teachers who left often cited salary as the key issue. School leaders assumed the morale concerns were isolated to only one division, but they were considering raises schoolwide.
Survey Says: The real issues were workload, inconsistent communication, and feeling undervalued. Salary ranked lower on the list.
Data-Driven Decision: The school implemented modest raises and prioritized cultural and workload changes. Faculty retention improved, turnover costs fell, and trust was restored.
In each case, leaders avoided costly missteps by choosing to listen before acting.
When and How to Conduct School Surveys
Annual surveys should be as routine as your budget cycle. They help track satisfaction and catch issues before they escalate. Timing matters: avoid exam weeks, holidays, and report card periods, and align surveys with natural decision points like re-enrollment or strategic planning.
Good v. Bad Surveys: Where the Value Lies
When to ask is important — but how you ask determines the value.
DIY surveys often fall short. Internally written questions may reflect bias, producing results that confirm what leaders already believe. Staff time required to draft questions, run surveys, and analyze results often outweighs any perceived savings. And without guaranteed anonymity, you can’t be sure you’re getting honest feedback. The result? Incomplete data and decisions built on shaky ground.
By contrast, ISM’s research-backed surveys — designed for parents, students, faculty, staff, and school leaders — deliver candid, actionable insights. Just as important, sharing findings and addressing concerns demonstrates accountability and builds trust.
The Cost of Flying Blind
Failing to survey isn’t neutral — it’s risky. Decisions made in the dark can alienate stakeholders and undermine mission. When students, parents, and employees feel unheard, loyalty fades.
Schools that consistently conduct surveys and act on results build transparency, make smarter investments, reduce attrition, and align resources with mission.
Essential Tools of Responsible Leadership
Surveys aren’t boxes to check at accreditation time. They are essential tools of responsible leadership. They ensure every decision — from programming to facilities to staffing — is informed by the voices of your community.
Ignoring those voices undermines trust and misdirects resources. Making surveys a regular practice signals accountability, transparency, and mission-driven leadership.
About the Author
Maggie Renken is an ISM consultant with deep expertise in the learning sciences and a passion for building meaningful, growth-centered school experiences. Her areas of specialty include AI lIteracy and integration; student well-being; faculty and staff culture; curriculum development; scheduling; and professional development.
Prior to joining ISM, Maggie led innovation initiatives and STEAM programming at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Georgia. She also was a tenured associate professor at Georgia State. Maggie holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and an M.S. in experimental psychology from the University of Wyoming; she earned a B.S. in psychology from Clemson University in South Carolina.
