Magellan — Strategic Action Plan

1

HS-Specific Communications Cadence

Communication Zero Cost This Week High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

High school students feel invisible. They miss assemblies, don't receive emails, and learn about events after the fact. Parents want transparency about HS plans, DP authorization, and the leadership transition. This is the single fastest-acting lever available.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

19.7% of parents (44/223) flag teacher communication as a friction point
14.8% of parents (33/223) flag communication as a confidence concern
7 of 20 HS students mention communication gaps in open text
HS Teacher/Org Quality score: 57.1/100 (vs 68.8 for MS — an 11.7-point drop)

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“We never get to go to any assemblies/shows & we only find out about things at the very last second.”

— HS Student

“Actually representing the high school. We don't get any communications about new rules and clubs, we were promised some things in eighth grade that are not being fulfilled.”

— HS Student

“More communication from incoming head of school. More transparency of future plans.”

— Parent

COST

Zero — Staff time only — weekly email template, monthly update format

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

Every week without a dedicated HS communication channel deepens the feeling of being forgotten. This costs nothing and signals that the HS matters.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Communications / Head of School

2

Summative Calendar Coordination

Academic Zero Cost This Month High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Stress is the #1 student experience issue. HS stress load is 64.2/100. MS stress mentions appear in 9.8% of improvement suggestions. The root cause isn't any single teacher — it's uncoordinated deadlines stacking in the same week.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

HS Stress Load: 64.2/100
MS Stress Load: 57.1/100
9.8% of MS students mention stress/workload in improvement suggestions
HS students: 40% Struggling, 35% Mixed, only 25% Positive experience

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“Not letting summatives pile up for the last two weeks of the unit for all the classes at once.”

— HS Student

“Evening out the homework load during summative weeks (distribute in multiple weeks, not just one week).”

— HS Student

“Students across all three focus groups describe assessment calendars that create extreme crunch weeks where multiple formatives and summatives pile up simultaneously, followed by weeks with almost nothing. They're not complaining about the amount of work itself — several 8th graders explicitly said the workload has helped them develop self-discipline — but the unpredictable, uneven distribution creates unnecessary stress.”

— MS Focus Group

COST

Zero — One staff meeting + shared Google Sheet for cross-teacher deadline tracking

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

Students are experiencing summative pileups right now. Focus groups confirm: the problem isn't volume, it's distribution. A shared calendar for the remaining semester prevents the next crunch. This is a staff coordination problem, not a budget problem.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Academic Leadership / Division Heads

3

House System De-escalation

Culture Zero Cost This Month Medium Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Multiple MS students independently call out the house system as a source of stress and division. 5 students mention it by name in improvement suggestions. The intent is community-building, but the execution is generating resentment.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

5 MS students specifically name the house system in improvement requests
MS Belonging score: 63.5/100 — below the threshold for healthy culture

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“I wish Magellan would remove or really scale back involvement of the houses, it just adds more stress and separates the school a lot more than necessary. It also makes everything a lot more competitive.”

— MS Student

“Remove the house system.”

— MS Student

“Students like the idea of cross-grade community, but random assignment — especially when it separates friend groups or pairs siblings who didn't want to be together — frustrates people. The consensus: keep it, but let students have some input into placement.”

— MS Focus Group

COST

Zero — Policy decision — make competitions opt-in, reduce frequency, or reframe as collaborative

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

This is creating daily friction. Focus groups confirm the fix: keep the structure, but let students have input on placement and shift from competition to collaboration. Zero cost.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Student Life / MS Division Head

4

Student Agency Audit (MS/HS)

Culture Zero Cost This Month High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Both parents and students converge on this. HS students name 'freedom' and 'independence' as what Magellan does well (40.0% mention it). Parents describe the MS culture as 'very structured and restrictive.' The gap between what HS offers and what MS restricts is a retention barrier at the 8th→9th transition.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

40.0% of HS students cite freedom/independence as what Magellan does well
Parent verbatim describes 'tremendous need to control' students and 'threats around detention'
MS-to-HS intent score: 33.6/100 — students don't see the upside of staying

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“Magellan needs to give more freedom of responsibility and self-agency to MS/HS students. The culture at Magellan is very structured and restrictive. There seems to be a tremendous need to 'control' the students when they are decidedly smart, engaged, kind, and motivated. There should be fewer threats around detention.”

— Parent

“GoGuardian tracks keystrokes, camera access, browser tabs, and drains battery life. Students frame this as a privacy violation and a trust issue. The fact that settings are shared across all grade levels — so high schoolers are subject to the same restrictions as elementary students — was a specific broken promise.”

— MS Focus Group

“Detention policies came up as a source of frustration — students feel they're handed out too easily for trivial things while more serious infractions go unchecked. There's also a sense that 8th graders are handled more leniently because the school wants them to stay for high school, which younger students notice and resent.”

— MS Focus Group

“Students mention a student government that lacks real authority, concerns that are heard but not acted on, and promises from leadership that haven't been kept. The 6th/7th graders say: even if student government were on their side, anything they propose can just be vetoed.”

— MS Focus Group

COST

Zero — Review of disciplinary policies, dress code enforcement, and privilege structures

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

The 8th graders deciding about HS right now are in the most restrictive environment. Focus groups reveal three concrete fixes: (1) differentiate GoGuardian settings by grade level, (2) review detention triggers for consistency, (3) give student government one real, un-vetoable decision per semester.

SUGGESTED OWNER

MS & HS Division Heads

5

HS Identity Events

Experience ~$500 Cost This Semester High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

HS students explicitly ask for 'more of the high school experience.' They want homecoming, game nights, and inclusion in school-wide events. With only 20 students, these events also build the peer cohesion that drives retention. 6 students mention this in improvement requests. Focus groups reveal specific broken promises — dedicated HS space, tech access, dress code differentiation — that erode trust.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

6 of 20 HS students mention events/activities in improvement requests
HS Overall Experience: 56.0/100 — lowest score in the entire survey
Only 20 HS students — every social bond matters for retention
Focus groups cite broken promises: dedicated space, tech, dress code that never materialized

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“More of the highschool experience: homecoming, homecoming game (could be any game like archery or basketball, etc.).”

— HS Student

“Integration of the high schoolers, because middle schoolers have advisory and we don't, we miss out on most of the assemblies and activities.”

— HS Student

“Students recall specific things they were promised when they signed up for 9th grade — a dedicated HS space, different technology policies, a separate dress code — that haven't materialized. Each broken promise becomes evidence for the narrative that the HS program isn't real. Meanwhile, they're watching LASA and St. Stephen's offer exactly what they were promised.”

— MS Focus Group

COST

~$500 — Event supplies, food for socials — students can plan and organize most of it

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

These students are your proof-of-concept cohort. Focus groups reveal they're tracking broken promises — dedicated space, tech access, dress code. Each unfulfilled commitment becomes a recruitment tool for competitors. Deliver on even one of these (HS lounge, differentiated dress code) and the narrative shifts.

SUGGESTED OWNER

HS Division Head / Student Council

6

Elective Choice Mechanism

Academic Zero Cost Next Semester Medium Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Students want voice in what they study. 11.5% of MS students mention electives, clubs, or choice in improvement suggestions. The ask isn't more resources — it's more agency over existing options.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

11.5% of MS students mention electives/clubs/choice in improvements
MS Academic Confidence: 71.9/100 — decent but not inspiring engagement

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“Choosing your art not doing ones you don't want to do.”

— MS Student

“More electives/clubs.”

— MS Student

“Some teacher feedback and more elective opportunities.”

— MS Student

COST

Zero — Schedule adjustment — let students rank preferences instead of assigning

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

This is a process change for next semester's scheduling. The planning window is now. Even one 'choice block' per week signals that student voice matters.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Academic Leadership / Scheduler

7

Intramural Sports / Club Partnerships

Athletics Low Cost This Semester High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Athletics is the #1 parent-chosen improvement priority (43 of 223 parents). 18.0% of MS students mention sports. But families aren't asking for Westlake-level programs — they want 'something.' Intramural leagues and club partnerships fill the gap at minimal cost.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

43 parents chose 'Enhanced athletics' as their #1 improvement (highest of all options)
18.0% of MS students mention athletics/sports in improvements
23 MS students mention sports in 'excited to stay if...'
Competitive score for Athletics: 12.2/100 — biggest competitive weakness

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“We had a serious volleyball program.”

— MS Student (excited to stay if...)

“More collaboration with community partners to improve the level of sports offered.”

— Parent

“LASA and St. Stephen's are cited by name — not just for academics but specifically for performing arts programs and competitive sports. Students aren't asking for D1 facilities; they want something that exists, is organized, and they can tell friends about.”

— MS Focus Group

COST

Low — Partner with local clubs, purchase basic equipment, staff supervision stipend

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

Families are making HS decisions now based partly on athletics availability. Focus groups confirm: LASA and St. Stephen's are winning on sports AND performing arts. Even announcing a plan (intramural league starting fall, club partnerships forming) shifts the narrative from 'nothing' to 'something.'

SUGGESTED OWNER

Student Life / Athletics Coordinator

8

Academic Outcomes & STEM Storytelling

Communication Zero Cost This Month High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Parents benchmark against LASA and Kealing for academic rigor. 13.5% of parents mention rigor/STEM/academics in confidence factors. The Academic Trust score is 66.7/100. Much of this is a perception gap — the school may be rigorous, but families can't see it.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

13.5% of parents mention academics/rigor/STEM in confidence factors
Parent Academic Trust: 66.7/100
26 parents chose 'Additional STEM courses' as #1 improvement
Competitive score for Academic Rigor: 51.0/100 — essentially tied with alternatives

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“We are generally satisfied. Our main wishlist item is generally stronger math and science courses at middle and definitely high school level. In an ideal world Magellan feels as strong for STEM as Kealing.”

— Parent

“The main driver for us will be STEM academic offerings. We are generally benchmarking against LASA.”

— Parent

“Students don't seem to have been told much about the concrete post-secondary benefits of the IB — college credit, global recognition, the learner profile's value in applications. One parent with an MBA observed that their child couldn't articulate why IB matters for college. The school is sitting on a powerful story it isn't telling.”

— MS Focus Group

COST

Zero — Compile existing data into parent-facing materials — no new programs needed

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

Families are evaluating alternatives right now. Focus groups reveal students can't even articulate what IB does for them — the school is sitting on an untold story. Publishing IB outcomes, test score comparisons, and a 'How IB Prepares for College' explainer gives families evidence to counter the LASA/Kealing narrative. This is storytelling, not curriculum change.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Communications / Academic Leadership

9

Fundraising Messaging Tone Reset

Communication Zero Cost Immediately Medium Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

A longtime family wrote a devastating paragraph about feeling alienated by aggressive fundraising at the winter concert. This isn't one family's complaint — it represents a broader tension between growth-mode messaging and community-centered values. The fix is tonal, not financial.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

Parent confidence trajectory: 56.0/100 — families sense something shifting
Board confidence: 66.2/100 — moderate, not strong

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“The WAY the fundraising messaging has taken place — the aggressive call to high donors and name plaques and money appeals at the winter concert — has left us alienated as a longtime Magellan family. The messaging has made us feel that Magellan has lost a sense of the children and teachers and families at the center of its mission.”

— Parent

“We do not attend Magellan for its fancy buildings and sports courts. We attend for its unique education: global-mindedness, attention to the wholeness of our kids, Spanish immersion, and its community of diverse and committed families.”

— Parent (same family)

COST

Zero — Reframe existing fundraising around mission and community, not donor recognition

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

Every fundraising touchpoint between now and end-of-year is an opportunity to either reinforce or undermine family confidence. Lead with mission, not money.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Head of School / Development

10

Neurodivergent PD & Support Visibility

Support Low Cost This Semester High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Expanded Student Support Services was the #2 parent-chosen improvement priority (0 parents). Families ask for better neurodivergent training, affordable testing, and 504-equivalent plans. Step one isn't hiring — it's making existing support visible and training current staff.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

0 parents chose expanded SSR as #1 improvement (2nd highest after athletics)
This surpasses STEM courses (26), entrepreneurship (22), and arts (16) in priority ranking

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“Better trained staff in working with neurodivergent kids.”

— Parent

“Improved program for learning differences and social emotional needs. Affordable testing and 504 equivalent plans.”

— Parent

“Get serious about supporting a wider range of abilities. Students able to work beyond their grade level should be able to.”

— Parent

COST

Low — Use existing PD time for training, publish support resources, name a contact person

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

These families are already enrolled. They're not asking for a new program — they're asking to feel seen. A named SSR contact, published support resources, and one PD session on differentiated instruction changes the experience immediately.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Student Support / Academic Leadership

11

Family CRM / Profile System

Infrastructure Low Cost Next 4-6 Weeks High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

You have 18 At-Risk families, 50 Wavering, and 72 who've considered leaving. But the leadership team can't act on this because the data is anonymous and aggregated. A family profile system turns survey insights into personalized retention conversations — and at ~200 families, this is operationally feasible in a way big schools can't replicate.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

18 families classified At Risk
50 families classified Wavering
72 families (32.3%) have considered leaving
What to Track Per Family:
• Retention segment (At Risk / Wavering / Committed) — prioritizes who to call first
• Division & grade level — identifies flight-risk transition points (UP→MS, MS→HS)
• Friction points flagged (communication, schedule, academic expectations, afterschool, technology) — tells you what to fix for this family
• Confidence score (0-100) — tracks sentiment over time; a drop signals intervention needed
• Alternative schools considered — reveals who you're competing against (LASA, Anderson, Westlake, public schools)
• Improvement priority chosen (athletics, SSR, STEM, arts, etc.) — shows what this family values most
• Open-text verbatims — the specific words they used about what would make them stay or leave
• Outreach log (date, who called, notes, follow-up) — ensures no family falls through the cracks
• Re-enrollment status — tracks committed / undecided / declined with reason
Why Track This:
• Turns anonymous survey data into named, actionable family profiles
• Enables the Head of School to say “call the 18 At-Risk families this week — here's each family's top concern”
• Creates institutional memory that survives staff transitions
• Allows year-over-year comparison: did our actions move families from Wavering to Committed?

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“Each survey response includes: retention segment, friction points, alternative schools considered, open-text verbatims on what would change their mind. This is actionable intelligence sitting in a CSV.”

— Survey Data

“At Magellan's scale, every family relationship is a retention lever. Big schools can't do this — Magellan can.”

— Strategic Insight

“A simple Notion database or shared spreadsheet with one row per family, updated weekly by the enrollment team, is all that's needed. No expensive CRM software required.”

— Implementation Note

COST

Low — Built from existing survey data — dashboard tab or Notion database, no new software

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

Re-enrollment decisions happen in the next 2-3 months. Having a prioritized list of 'who to call this week and what to say' is the difference between data collection and data-driven action. Every week without this system is a week where At-Risk families drift further toward withdrawal.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Head of School / Enrollment

12

Student & Family Persona Playbook

Infrastructure Zero Cost Next 4-6 Weeks High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Your surveys are anonymous, so you can't build a traditional CRM with 'Smith Family → parent says X, child says Y.' But you can build something more powerful: archetype-based personas with recognition signals. At ~200 families, your leadership team reads a persona profile and says 'that's the Johnsons.' The MS dataset already has 5 student personas computed. Pair those with parent archetypes derived from retention × price × division, and every outreach conversation gets a script.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

5 MS Student Personas (already computed):
• Decided Leaver (62) — gone mentally, wants bigger school, sports, course variety
• Reluctant Stayer (28) — staying but unhappy, stress and house system friction
• Persuadable Leaver (15) — could go either way; the highest-ROI retention target
• Happy Lifer (11) — your proof-of-concept; what 'working' looks like
• Stressed Stayer (6) — staying despite high stress; at risk of quiet withdrawal
5 Proposed Parent Personas:
• Committed Champion — Stable/Committed + Premium Chooser; your ambassadors
• Value Questioner — Wavering + Value Conscious; they're doing the math on cost vs. alternatives
• HS Skeptic (38 parents) — MS/UP parent with low HS confidence; deciding about HS right now
• Flight Risk (18 parents) — At Risk + has an alternative school selected; may already be enrolling elsewhere
• Silent Drifter — Wavering with no strong friction signal; they won't tell you before they leave
What Each Persona Profile Contains:
• Demographic fingerprint — division, tenure, grade stage, price sensitivity
• Feature gaps — what they want more of (sports, arts, courses, STEM, etc.)
• Competitor threat — which specific schools they'd switch to
• Retention levers — what would make them stay, in their own words
• Outreach script — recommended talking points for enrollment conversations
• Recognition signals — 'You're probably talking to this persona if they mention ___'

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“The MS dataset already contains a derived_student_persona column with 5 validated clusters. 15 Persuadable Leavers represent the single highest-ROI retention target — they could go either way based on what Magellan does in the next 2 months.”

— Survey Data

“Pairing the 15 Persuadable Leaver students with the 50 Wavering parents creates a matched playbook: here's what the kids want (sports, autonomy, course choice), here's what their parents want (communication, value, HS certainty), here's what to say.”

— Strategic Insight

“At Magellan's scale, persona-based outreach is a competitive advantage. Anderson and LASA can't call every family. You can — and now you know what to say to each one.”

— Strategic Insight

COST

Zero — Built entirely from existing survey data — personas are already computed in the MS dataset; parent personas derived from retention × price × division cross-tabs

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

Re-enrollment conversations are happening NOW. Without persona profiles, every conversation is generic. With them, the enrollment team walks into a meeting knowing: this family is a Value Questioner considering Anderson, their kid is a Persuadable Leaver who wants more sports — lead with the intramural league announcement and the IB outcomes data.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Head of School / Enrollment / Data Team

13

Grading & Assessment Consistency Audit

Academic Zero Cost This Month High Impact

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WHY THIS ACTION

Grading inconsistency was the #1 complaint across all three MS focus groups — ahead of sports, houses, or workload. Students describe teachers applying rubrics inconsistently, showing personal bias, and changing standards when staff turns over. The Spanish teacher turnover story is the most concrete: students who'd been getting high marks suddenly received dramatically lower grades for the same quality of work under a new teacher. This isn't about grade inflation — it's about fairness and predictability.

EVIDENCE — NUMBERS

#1 complaint across all 3 MS focus groups — unprompted, consistent, cross-grade
Spanish teacher turnover: grades dropped sharply under new teacher for same-quality work
Students report rubric inconsistency — same work, different grades depending on teacher
Perception of personal bias in grading decisions erodes trust in academic system

EVIDENCE — IN THEIR WORDS

“Grading inconsistency is the single loudest complaint — ahead of sports, houses, or workload. Students describe teachers applying rubrics differently, showing personal bias in grading, and changing standards when new teachers come in. The Spanish teacher turnover was the most concrete example: students who'd been getting high marks suddenly received dramatically lower grades for identical quality of work.”

— MS Focus Group

“Students frame this as a fairness issue, not an 'easy grades' issue. They want to know that effort and quality will be evaluated consistently regardless of which teacher they get or when the teacher started.”

— MS Focus Group

“The issue cuts across all three grade levels (6th, 7th, 8th) and was raised independently in each focus group, suggesting it's a systemic pattern rather than an isolated teacher problem.”

— MS Focus Group

COST

Zero — Internal calibration sessions using existing PD time — no new hires or tools needed

WHY NOW, NOT LATER

This is the loudest student voice in the data. Unlike athletics (which requires budget) or curriculum changes (which require planning cycles), grading calibration can start with a single PD session this month. Three concrete steps: (1) cross-teacher rubric calibration workshop, (2) grade distribution review by department, (3) transparent rubric sharing with students before assessments.

SUGGESTED OWNER

Academic Leadership / Division Heads