I remember the first time I asked our clients for feedback with a formal survey. My stomach was tied in knots from the moment I clicked “send” and for the entire 6-week period I waited for responses. Our inner child can’t help but want to be liked, and I tried to emotionally prepare for some “constructive feedback. “ Little did I know how positive the experience would be!
This past June was the 7th season I have asked Pacific Learning Academy families to let us know how we are doing, and once again I happily and eagerly sifted through the responses with a smile on my face. It’s not just the great comments about tutors (“an excellent match for our daughter,” “a perfect fit,” “encouraging and positive”) but also the constructive feedback that comes with a window into every family’s experience.
Here are some of this year’s takeaways:
• At least 80% of our clients have recommended PLA’s services to someone and 100% are likely to recommend us in the future. Thank you – and we’d like to continue that trend!
• About 40% of you have seen us on Facebook – but I wonder how many of you took the Learning Styles pop quiz? The quiz is a conversation-starter but not the last word on your learning needs. It does show your preferences, though, and is a great thing to have your child take so you can share results with your tutor this fall.
• Although 80% of you login and read your bi-monthly progress reports, 20% of you have never done so. What does this tell me? That the “click click login click click” steps to reading a tutor report may be confusing or time-consuming enough that some parents just won’t/can’t do it! Since tutor reports are the tutor’s way of documenting their student’s challenges, progress and success, we hope every parent has a chance to read them. This year, Pacific Learning Academy will be reviewing educational software to make tutor/parent communication even easier, but that sort of development takes time. We hope to have our decisions made by January, and the roll-out will come soon after. Until then, please continue to “click click login click click!”
• About 17% of you didn’t know that Pacific Learning Academy is an approved, regionally accredited private high school that offers full high school courses in the comfort of your home or local library. Classes naturally move much faster than they do at school because you’re benefitting from the magic of one-on-one education with trained and talented instructors who make it their business to understand your child’s learning needs.
• The new SAT/ACT Diagnostics test we are offering is making a big difference for our students in choosing which test to take and how much to study for it. Parents reported high satisfaction with the 9-page report and felt it helped them focus in on the study/prep needs of their child. Rather than haphazardly prepping for both tests, students could not only zero in on the test they take best, but also the exact skills and content areas as outlined on their feedback report.
• About 69% of you didn’t know that Pacific Learning Academy now offers limited College Consulting! From advice about the timing of the SAT or ACT, to information about specific schools and their suitability for your child, to help with the hands-on process of the application, PLA can now help! For in-depth or longer-term consulting, PLA has relationships with some fantastic college planners in our local area and we are happy to let you know about them. Have you seen our Resources page at the PLA website?
• About 35% of you didn’t know that PLA lessons (tutoring or credit) can be shared with a sibling for FREE! Yes, that’s right, FREE.
For me, the overall sense of the survey is that you feel we’re dedicated, doing a great job with your kids, and that you’d tell your friends about us in the future. I did also hear that flexibility in scheduling is very important to you – and I’d like to know more about that. This year we will be asking parents for their specific input on that topic so that we can continue to offer the highest quality instruction with the highest degree of flexibility possible. I also heard that you usually read the progress reports, but that the process could be easier and we are already in development to fix that.
Every year we grow and improve based on the generous time and input of our families who respond to our survey. Thank you for joining us in making a difference, and for allowing us to be a part of your child’s life!
Kirsten O’Malley
Founder/Director
Pacific Learning Academy