Partnering with Parents to Unpack Our Community Survey

At WAB, three core philosophies have been part of our school since we were founded in 1994: educating the whole child, championing our staff, and partnering with parents.

As part of living these values, every year we have gathered feedback from students, parents, and employees through surveys that help us reflect, improve our programs, and plan for what’s next.

This year, we introduced a new approach, the YELLOW CAR Felt Experience Indicator. Two things stood out to us when selecting this tool:

• It captures insights from students, parents, and employees at the same time, using parallel questions.
• It allows us to benchmark our experiences alongside other peer schools globally.

By implementing this framework, we’ve gained a deeper, more connected view of the WAB experience, helping us better understand both what we share and what’s unique across our community.

Survey Responses

Our first year using the Felt Experience Indicator survey saw unprecedented community participation, with 1,458 survey responses:

• 77% of students from Grades 5–12
• 45% of parents
• 98% of employees

The survey asked participants to reflect on their experiences through both quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

Quantitative questions measured dimensions of Happiness, Connection, Belonging, Understanding, Confidence, and Gratitude, while open-ended qualitative questions invited feedback about highlights and challenges.

A summary of the survey findings was prepared by YELLOW CAR and shared with parents during a 'Conversation with School Leadership' session, where we reflected together on what the data revealed.

Reflections and Insights

During the parent session, participants engaged with the data using the protocol: What resonates? What surprises? What stands out? What actions could we take?

Parents' reflections included:

• Strong connections, friendships, and the multicultural community are major parts of the positive experience at WAB.
• Student happiness, friendships, and the supportive role of teachers and extracurricular life are highly valued.
• Teaching and learning were both praised as strengths and identified with opportunities for continued growth.
• There are opportunities to better balance academic expectations and transitions with student well-being.
• Clear, streamlined communication is seen as essential for maintaining and strengthening the partnership between home and school.
• Parents also expressed the wish to repeat this type of survey next year, recognizing the value of gathering comparative data over time and coming together as a community to reflect on it.

Next Steps

The insights gathered during the survey and parent session are now informing our next steps. Additional sessions will be held with WAB's Teaching Staff Association, Staff Association, and students to continue gathering perspectives from across the community.

Key actions underway include:

• The leadership team is carefully reviewing both the survey data and parent reflections.
• Short-term actions are already being explored, particularly around streamlining communication and further supporting student well-being.
• Longer-term planning will focus on sustaining and enhancing teaching and learning excellence while further strengthening connection, inclusion, and transparency across the school.

Thank You

WAB's Head of School, Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic shared: " Our community’s strength and willingness to reflect together is what makes us stand out. By truly listening to each other, we ensure that we are getting closer to a vision of WAB as a place where every learner, every family, and every staff member can thrive and feel the sense of belonging."

We are deeply grateful to every parent, student, and employee who took the time to share their experiences with us.