We are in the process of conducting a Self-Study as part of our Middle States Association (MSA) Re-accreditation and are committed to keeping you informed with periodic updates.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the June Middle States Stakeholder Survey. Your thoughtful feedback is an essential part of our Self-Study process and will help shape the future direction of Holy Names.
In the coming weeks, the Self-Study Planning Team will invite members of our community to serve on Standards Committees. Throughout the fall, these committees will review the survey findings, examine additional evidence, and evaluate our level of attainment of the Middle States Association Standards.
I would like to share a brief overview of the aggregate survey results from both the stakeholder and the student surveys, first the stakeholder survey.
The following themes emerged as the school’s greatest strengths based on the stakeholder survey results:
- Dedicated, effective teachers
- Strong support staff
- Clear mission and Catholic identity
- Student well-being is valued
- Positive perception of educational quality
The survey results highlight the following areas of greatest need:
- Strengthen discipline systems and classroom expectations.
- Increase academic rigor and opportunities for advanced learning.
- Improve communication and organizational alignment.
- Continue investing in student programs, facilities, and extracurricular experiences.
- Address long-term financial sustainability while supporting faculty compensation and affordability.
These themes align closely with our current strategic priorities. This is not surprising, as our Strategic Plan was itself developed through extensive surveys and conversations with stakeholders. Even so, the survey findings provide valuable confirmation of our direction while identifying opportunities for continued growth and improvement.
Throughout the fall, the Standards Committees will conduct a more in-depth review of the survey results alongside other sources of evidence. After considering the work of these committees, the Self-Study Planning Team will identify three to five major objectives that will guide Holy Names over the next seven years and serve as the foundation for our next Strategic Plan.
We also administered the Middle States Student Survey. As might be expected, students focused more on their day-to-day school experience than on broader strategic issues.
The responses identified the following strengths:
- Students feel safe.
- Students believe leadership values their well-being.
- Teachers are highly respected and appreciated.
- Strong sense of community and belonging.
- Positive relationships between students and faculty.
Areas of greatest need:
- Improve lunch and dining experience.
- Expand extracurricular opportunities and student activities.
- Strengthen academic support systems.
- Increase student voice and transparency in decision-making.
- Continue improving facilities and common spaces.
Taken together, the two surveys reveal several common strengths and shared opportunities for improvement.
Shared strengths
- Dedicated teachers
- Strong sense of community
- Mission-centered environment
- Student well-being
Shared improvement areas
- Student experience and programming
- Communication
- School climate
- Continued investment in facilities
When school resumes in the fall, the Standards Committees will review the complete survey results, along with other evidence gathered during the Self-Study process. Their work will celebrate the many strengths of Holy Names while identifying recommendations for continued improvement. The committees’ reports, which will be submitted to school leadership in November, will enable us to begin acting on many of these recommendations immediately.
Drawing on the major themes that emerge from the work of the Standards Committees, the Self-Study Planning Team will develop three to five major objectives to guide future strategic planning. A formal Self-Study report will then be submitted to the Middle States Association in mid-winter.