Clearing campus blind spots - Fine Point Communications

When independent school campuses protested over tensions tied to Israel and Gaza and, previously, to the murder of George Floyd, the depth of frustration and resentment surprised many school leaders.

Yet discontent had been gathering among certain communities for years, waiting only for a catalyst. Both episodes are a reminder that a latent issue, overlooked for too long, eventually will boil over.

If only schools had a way to clear their blind spots — especially those involving groups that lack numbers and/or influence — and to identify emerging areas of concern early.

Good news! Such a tool exists: It’s called a campus climate survey.

This survey gathers experiences, behaviors and perceptions about a school from its entire community: students, faculty and staff, current parents, board members, alumni and more. It explores a wide range of topics, including by raising questions that are too sensitive or challenging to raise face-to-face.

Campus climate surveys are far more common at colleges and universities than at independent schools. But both kinds of institutions need to affirm a sense of belonging, value and safety, and these surveys contribute to that perception.

Their findings allow leaders to learn what various constituents prize, worry about and actively dislike about their school. Concerns below the surface come into the light, giving administrators a chance to address them before they prompt a backlash.

Involved, but not running the project

Communicators are more familiar than others in a school with the task of surveying audiences. Administrators may reflexively assume this kind of survey, too, should go to comms.

Ideally, though, an independent third party should administer a climate survey and receive submissions, rather than anyone on campus. This will earn additional reliability, trust and candor from respondents.

Strong academic credentials from this partner will also bring credibility to the study, as will wide distribution of the survey instrument and rigor in analyzing the responses.

Findings will reveal patterns for follow-up attention. From there, the institution needs the discipline to tackle these issues and to share with its community what has been learned — neither of which is easy.

Comms should contribute to the project through being on the risk management team, since a climate survey ultimately is a means of issues management. The risk team should be the ones to solicit RFPs and help create the survey.

Having communications at the table will enable sharper survey questions, more intelligence on cross-campus rumblings, better coordination on distributing the survey and care with how the school describes the project publicly.

Plus, once findings arrive in a final report, comms will have insight to offer on messaging, including steps that are better for the school to do than to announce.

Understanding a divided school

To be sure, a climate survey is an easy project to postpone indefinitely. It may feel like an unnecessary expense or distraction. Community frustration can metastasize for a long time without disrupting school operations. And sharing survey results with constituents can be a tricky step, one easily mishandled.

Nevertheless, schools need to gather such information from their constituents: Numerous studies find academic communities becoming ever more divided and entrenched. A 2023 NAIS survey found that nearly every head sees such polarization as one of the top challenges in leading a school.

It’s only a matter of time before community members once again speak out with pain and protests. So leaders better understand the relevant issues.

Early notice of unspoken concerns will greatly improve the ability to respond effectively, as a 2024 report on polarization, funded by the E.E. Ford Foundation, explained.

How often should a school conduct a climate survey? We suggest an annual cycle: Yearly surveys are infrequent enough to incorporate school changes and respondents’ adjusted opinions, but they’re not so far apart that administrators lose sight of their key commitments.

The latter is a problem with the one way K-12 schools do tend to use climate surveys: in their strategic planning process.

Strat plans run five years or so, and their long-term focus — and the tendency of boards to drive the planning process — often precludes schools from quickly addressing problem areas. The data end up siloed, and action items may fall out of sight.

Meanwhile, it’s hard to uphold trust within a community when its deep feedback is solicited only twice a decade. Campus concerns arise far more frequently than that.

How to get started

Schools may feel that they already commission community surveys — for instance, with NAIS’s Independent School Health Check. But such narrow surveys tend to be tactical and won’t provide the wide-ranging reality check of a good climate survey.

The ISHC, for instance, focuses on physical and mental health issues. Plus, it goes only to some students, not adults.

NAIS also offers a climate survey instrument: What was known as the Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) has been rebranded the NAIS Assessment of School Culture. But AIM is a standardized survey with limited flexibility, an approach that does not work for or fit every school.

Another option is to engage a trusted survey partner, and here is where Fine Point Communications can help: We know and highly recommend an experienced provider with decades in the field, serving dozens of universities.

Follow-up with constituents is another area where we can contribute, developing or fine-tuning a messaging plan about what your school has learned.

To discuss either of these options, get in touch.

Whether your school chooses NAIS’s AIM or your own survey consultant, we encourage the practice of annually asking questions of your community, even when the answers are hard to hear. This routine is a great way to restore trust and avoid backlash.

What’s new at Fine Point Communications

Fall is always a busy season, and already this season we have:

Provided the feature stories for the Columbus School for Girls’ next magazine;
Finalized the annual report for the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia; and
Produced an in-depth review of a school’s communications department.

What’s more, we just engaged with the Agnes Irwin School to provide interim department leadership.

Such variety of projects is one of the best things about our consulting practice!

Fine Point Off-Site update

There are only a few days to take advantage of the early-bird discount for the Fine Point Off-Site. The registration rate of $600 rises to $700 on Nov. 1, so act quick and show your good stewardship!

That’s only the first benefit — the Off-Site will also bring you terrific conversations with your peers, a program of all-star presentations, and networking that will keep paying dividends after the conference ends.

Visit our website to see our speaker list, our program and everything else you need to know about this day of valuable professional development. Make plans to join us in Seattle on Feb. 25!