Survey Says: PCA's Spring Feedback & a Plan for Progress

PCA community, welcome back to Mondays with Mike.

In this episode Nathan Paul (PCA’s marketing director and chief storyteller) sits down with Head of School Mike Runey to unpack the results from the spring family, student, faculty, and alumni surveys. They explain why the school conducts regular surveys, how leadership interprets the voices of the community, and why broad participation matters for charting school priorities.

The conversation highlights the strengths the community affirmed: a Christ-centered culture, caring teachers and coaches, strong relationships, meaningful opportunities for students, and a sense that students are known and encouraged academically, spiritually, and relationally. Nate and Mike celebrate those wins while emphasizing the need to hold praise and critical feedback together.

They also review the main areas families asked the school to strengthen: academic consistency and confidence in teaching (with particular attention to math and STEM variability), clearer leadership oversight and follow-through when issues arise, and more consistent communication and expectations so parents understand what students are being asked to learn and how success is measured.

Mike outlines the school’s evidence and response: academic outcomes show both strengths and opportunities — AP results are strong (an average of 3.74), SATs are improving but below target, and internal reviews confirm year-to-year variability in some areas. Planned actions include a major vertical review of math, strengthening the upper school science sequence, a deliberate writing alignment (grades 6–12), PCA-aligned assessments for key courses, improved mentoring and professional development for teachers, and freeing principals to spend more time in classrooms as instructional leaders.

Throughout, the hosts stress that coherence and improvement won’t mean sameness or loss of teacher personality; the goal is to steward what is strong while addressing uneven areas. They close by thanking families for candid feedback, committing to continued listening and steady work, and previewing next week’s episode — practical expectations for the coming year and a deeper dive into academic evidence such as AP, PSAT/SAT, dual enrollment, and student showcases.

Listeners can expect transparency about next steps, a clear focus on sustaining PCA’s Christ-centered community, and concrete plans to make teaching and learning more consistent and dependable across the school.