CASE STUDIES
Hilltop Montessori School
THE CHALLENGE
How to help a New England Montessori school remain affordable, increase diversity, and balance competing needs regarding teaching second languages?
THE STORY
We designed and administered surveys to parents, and parents of families who had left the school, facilitated a feedback session with parents, interviewed all staff and key stakeholders, synthesized the data, and led a day-long retreat to set the future direction of the school.
Survey analysis showed that there was no correlation between parents’ satisfaction with cost and their likelihood to recommend the school. Therefore, we concluded that while the board needed to monitor cost, it was not at or near a “breaking point” for current parents.
THE OUTCOME
The planning process resulted in:
- A commitment to increase the school’s diversity moving forward
- A plan to raise a $5-million endowment to provide more aid to current students and increase student socio-economic diversity
- A decision to use art, physical education, and after-school care to expose students to more languages without adding or dedicating classroom time to second languages.
