In January, we sent an electronic survey (see survey questions below) to all of our parents. The goal was to find out how the parents and the students were feeling about their experience at the Yadkin Valley Community School.

The results were very positive. We were thrilled to find out that 100% of the respondents would recommend the school to others, and 100% of the respondents feel that their child is being loved and nurtured while at school. It was also nice to see that eight of the nine respondents rated their overall satisfaction a 10 out of 10!

However, we are by no means perfect. One of the lessons that we teach the kids (whether they are writing, working on a science experiment or building something in the outdoor classroom) is that part of the iterative process is continually working to improve. We must examine things that aren’t working as well as we would like and determine how to fix those. We must also examine things that are going well and try to make those even better.

Based on the survey results, one area that needed improvement was communication with parents. Because our parents do not receive a folder full of completed worksheets every week, some were left feeling like they weren’t sure what their child was working on at school. To improve communication, we are now sending out emails to parents every week that give them a general overview of the week’s academic focus and what the class has been doing. This is in addition to the Facebook posts which highlight some of the many special moments throughout the week. Parents will also learn more about what their child has been working on specifically by viewing his or her weekly work plan. Each child is now bringing home his or her work plan for a parent to sign. This is a great opportunity for discussion. We encourage our parents to ask questions like “How do you play the Snake Game?” or “What are Racks and Tubes?”.

This survey has been an excellent tool for us to evaluate areas of success and areas needing improvement. We are so grateful to our parents for taking the time to give us this feedback.

2016 Parent Survey Questions

1. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being the best), how satisfied are you with your overall experience with the Yadkin Valley Community School?

2. We want to make sure that we are communicating with parents on a regular basis and that parents feel well informed. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being the best), how satisfied are you with the level of communication that you receive from the school?

3. If you feel that you would like more communication, please indicate how you would like to receive that information. Which of these areas do you think needs improvement?
More Emails (to all parents with general information)
More Emails (to me about my child specifically)
More Phone Calls or In-Person Communication
More Blog Posts
More Newsletters
More Facebook Posts

4. It is almost time for our second parent/Mr. D conferences and we want to make them as beneficial as possible. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being the best), how satisfied were you overall with your last conference?

5. Please share any suggestions you have for improvement (length of time, content, tone, flow, work examples, etc.).

6. It is important that we provide each child with academic instruction that is appropriate for his or her learning style and abilities. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being the best), how satisfied are you that your child is receiving appropriate academic instruction.

7. Do you feel that, while at school, your child is being loved and nurtured in a way that is meeting his or her needs?
Always
Sometimes
Never

8. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being the best), how satisfied IS YOUR CHILD with his or her experience at school this year?

9. Would you recommend the Yadkin Valley Community School to others?
Yes
No

10. Please use the space below to give us any additional feedback that you think would be helpful as we work daily to make our school the best possible learning environment for your child.