{"id":1718,"date":"2024-08-12T15:00:45","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T19:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archangeladvancement.com\/?p=1718"},"modified":"2024-08-11T11:05:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-11T15:05:42","slug":"death-by-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archangeladvancement.com\/?p=1718","title":{"rendered":"Death By Survey"},"content":{"rendered":"

I travel a lot.<\/p>\n

In my job with FACTS, prior to the pandemic, I was on the road three or four days a week for usually three weeks out of the month.<\/p>\n

After every hotel stay, I received an email that said, “Please tell us about your stay,” and then proceeded to ask all kinds of questions, from how my check-in experience was to was the temperature of my breakfast food acceptable.\u00a0 The request to complete the survey said it would take only a few minutes to complete, but now surveys ask you write a review – and not only one review for their Web site, but for one that can be posted on other travel sites!<\/p>\n

I’m sure you receive lots of surveys too.\u00a0 If you’ve purchased a vehicle, if you’ve taken your vehicle in for service, if you’ve eaten at a restaurant, or have bought products or contracted for services, you can be sure you’ll be receiving a survey to communicate your experience to those that track this important data.<\/p>\n

One of the most recent one I received was titled, “How did you like the batteries you purchased?”\u00a0 \u00a0What am I going to say?<\/p>\n

But a 17-page survey that asks me to rate every minutia thinkable is a little ridiculous.\u00a0 This type of survey every once in a while is acceptable, but when companies continue to survey the same people with an extensive line of questioning and rating scales, it makes one want to simply fill in circles in a pattern rather than answering questions based on one’s actual experience.<\/p>\n

So does your school ask families in your school about their experience with your school?<\/p>\n

You should – but not with a 17 page survey.\u00a0 Not even an 17 question survey.\u00a0\u00a0 Simply ask 5 questions:<\/p>\n

1) On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate our school?<\/p>\n

2) If your answer is not a 10, what one thing could you suggest to make it rate a 10?<\/p>\n

3) What 3 things would you say are the most remarkable attributes of our school?<\/p>\n

4) What attracted you to our school?<\/p>\n

5) What continues to keep you engaged with our school?<\/p>\n

I used to counsel schools to ask 3 questions – the first 3.\u00a0 But, true to my theory of 3 leads to 4 leads to 5, some schools have provided feedback regarding question number 3, noting that the most frequent answers are “A focus on Gospel values, excellent academics and a safe and caring educational environment.”<\/p>\n

Those are great attributes, to be sure – but they’re not “remarkable.”\u00a0 They’re “expectations” of a quality faith-based school.<\/p>\n

Therefore, their expectations are being met.\u00a0 Questions 4 and 5 have been added since remarkable qualities are usually attributes that parents see as unique relative to their experience of your school, but your school may consider it to be something that you’ve “been doing for ages.”<\/p>\n

You may be saying, “See, what we’ve been doing is great, so that means we don’t have to change anything.”<\/p>\n

That would mean that, indeed, “everything” is great about your school, including:<\/p>\n