SUCCESS

Park’s Measures of Success

BY JERROLD I. KATZ, Head of School

Periodically, I am asked (more often by prospective parents than by current ones) how an independent school like Park measures its performance against other schools. After all, we do not participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).

Opportunities to benchmark are important, not only to “make the case ” for Park, but also to inform ongoing efforts at school improvement. The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), which includes about 1,400 schools from Pre-K to high school, collects data annually around 10 “Markers of Success.” Here are some comparative data for 2009-10 within the world of independent schools:

Measure NAIS Day School Mean Park School

1) Market Demand 1.4 (applications per acceptances) 4.0

2) Student Attrition 9.1 % 4.0 % (departure before completing Grade VIII; lower scores reflect stability and satisfaction)

3) Generous Giving 65 % Average gift size $839 (commitment and support by parents) 95 % $2,213

4) Competitive Salaries $50,465 $71,490 Mean annual salary (attract and retain best teachers)

5) Moderate Tuition Increases 5.7 % Mean annual increase (affordability) 6.0 %

6) Financial Aid

20.7 % Students receiving FA (socio-economic diversity) 23.1 %

7) Students/Faculty Ratio 9:1 (productivity and efficiency) 8:1

8) Professional Development 1 % Percent of expenses (innovation and improvement) 4 %

9) Endowment (long-term financial security) $4 million $23 million

10) Student Outcomes ...and here’s the rub! NAIS has no current data proxies to measure this most critical area of school performance. Approximately five years ago, The Park School helped initiate a national consortium of leading independent elementary/middle schools to dig more deeply into this challenge. Along with several other area schools (Shady Hill, Shore, and Pike), we now share academic program data (breadth of curriculum, class size, length of school year, use of technology) with schools including Greenwich Country Day (Conn.), Lake Forest Country Day (Ill.), Graland Country Day (Colo.), and Marin Country Day (Calif.). Each year, the Park School Administration and the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of Trustees review this data, along with the following indicators: n School-wide scores on standardized tests (ERBs – given annually in Grades III-VIII) n Rates of student acceptances by “next schools” n Feedback from alumni surveys (administered annually to high-school seniors) n Feedback from exit interviews with departing students (Grade IX only) n Feedback from exit interviews with departing parents n Feedback from next schools about the preparedness and character of our students

When all of these indicators are combined, I believe that one can get a clear and compelling picture of the “value added” by a Park School education.

Yet, for all the attention we pay to data and to formal feedback, three less-tangible indicators have made membership in this school community meaningful to me over the past 17 years: extraordinarily purposeful and skilled teachers; happy, engaged kids; and alumni who as leaders in their next schools and workplaces are making a difference in this world.

The future of education, even for the 1 percent of students in the United States who attend independent schools, is likely to be more and more data-driven. We must remember that school, especially elementary/middle school, is not just a means to an end. I truly hope that Park School never loses sight of the daily quality of life for children here as a key measure of our success.