MFS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturism (AIM) Climate Survey

All Parents Requested To Complete Survey

January 16, 2009

Dear Members of the MFS Community,

As Larry Van Meter announced at all of the Back to School Nights in September, this year MFS is participating in a comprehensive assessment process designed by the National Association of Independent Schools.  As part of that effort, during the fall, teams of MFS community members from various constituencies met in Discovery Committees to assess our progress in diversity and multiculturalism. Trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, parents and young alumni serving on these committees identified and recorded strengths of our program as well as areas for growth by answering a number of specific questions.  The Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) Steering Committee is pleased to invite you to participate now in the next phase of the project - the AIM Climate Survey. 

The entire school community will participate in the Climate Survey.  Students in grades 7 – 12 will take the survey on campus during the school day.  On behalf of the AIM Steering Committee, which includes Associate Head of School and Academic Dean Barbara Caldwell and Upper School Math Teacher Kim Greeley, I am asking each parent or guardian to participate and take the survey.  The survey is on-line and only takes about 12 minutes or so to complete.  To get started, simply click on the link in the box above. Please be sure to follow the steps below:

• Click on “Get Access Code”
• Click on “Generate Access Code”
• Write down your access code for future reference
• Return to the screen that said “Begin Survey,” type in the Access Code and continue from there.

The on-line survey opens on Friday, Jan. 16 and it will close on Friday, Jan. 30. 

It is important to understand why your participation is needed.  While the discovery phase of the process has fostered discussion of how inclusive / multicultural / diverse we are, it is your candid feedback that we will rely on as we move forward to do our best for the community in years to come.  We plan to compare the results of the self-study discovery phase with the results of the AIM Climate Survey to help us continue to make progress towards developing and sustaining an inclusive school community. 

I cannot stress enough that your answers are completely anonymous and confidential.  You will only be asked to identify to which constituency group you belong (parent, teacher, staff, etc.). 

It is also important to highlight that while the survey will do an excellent job at gathering valuable information about the culture of MFS, it was not designed exclusively for Moorestown Friends School.  The Climate Survey is a relatively new tool that has been used by NAIS member schools across the country.  Some are boarding schools, others are day.  Some are single-sex, others are co-ed.  Schools in our area that have completed this process include Westtown School, The Lawrenceville School and Princeton Day School.  The survey attempts to take into consideration varying school sizes, geographic location, religious affiliations, etc.  Keep that in mind when you stumble across a question that may not seem to fit MFS. 

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact me by e-mail or by phone at 856-914-4454.  If you would prefer to complete the survey on paper, please let me know and I can send you a paper survey and confidential reply envelope to send directly to the firm that is tabulating the results.

Thank you once again for taking part in this exciting and valuable process. 

Sincerely,

Karen E. Washington
Director of Multicultural Affairs

P.S. Remember, we would like each individual parent to be involved and complete the survey. If you happen to delete this e-mail, the AIM Climate Survey link can also be found on the home page of the MFS Intranet.

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