Measuring What Matters: A Closer Look at Institutional Research at St. Margaret’s
As Director of Institutional Research, Dr. Stephanie Capen (middle) frequently collaborates with the school community, including Lower School Principal Jennifer Blount (right) and assistant principal Maile Bellosi (left). Photo: Marites Olano
By Ryan Wood
Envisioning the work around institutional research at a school can conjure up visions of standardized test scores, academic data in reading comprehension, or benchmarks in mathematics -- all documented meticulously on tab after tab in a library of spreadsheets.
At St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, institutional research is seen as much more than just academic data. It’s conversations. Relationships. Connections.
“The work we do at St. Margaret’s is human work, and institutional research at St. Margaret’s should have a human-centered approach,” said Dr. Stephanie Capen, Director of Institutional Research at St. Margaret’s. “The work we do in education is both beautiful and complex, and should never be reduced to cells on a spreadsheet. It’s so much more than that.”
An administrative position dedicated to institutional research is uncommon in independent schools, and Dr. Capen’s collaborative and community-facing approach makes her role even more extraordinary. She meets with school leaders and teachers most days, interviews students individually and in focus groups to learn more about their experiences, and frequently shares research internally and externally—including a thorough and engaging State of the School presentation each year to the parent community, where she spotlights the strength of St. Margaret’s in academics, student life, athletics, arts, equity and belonging, and health and well-being.
At this year’s State of the School, Dr. Capen was in command of the Hurlbut Theater stage, and her extensive preparation was obvious—she had pages of notes internalized, enhanced by a beautiful and thorough PowerPoint presentation showcasing a variety of student outcomes in combination with stories, imagery, and community member voices; all of which, together, tell the story of St. Margaret’s and its upward trajectory.
Her presentation that morning began by highlighting the philosophy of institutional research that guides the work she oversees.
“At St. Margaret’s,” Dr. Capen said, “we collect data to measure our institutional effectiveness on the delivery of the school’s mission; to track institutional growth over time; to inform decision-making that fosters the continuous evolution of our programs; and to ensure our students thrive.”
“It’s important that we take time to stop and ask ourselves: How do we know we are successful?”
Dr. Capen stepped into this newly created position in 2023, though institutional research has long been prioritized at St. Margaret’s. Head of School Dr. Jeneen Graham was the school’s leading practitioner of data-driven decision making when she served as the school’s Academic Dean and later as Upper School Principal. Her commitment to educational research followed her into the Head of School office, where one of her first moves was to create an administrative role overseeing research and data collection at St. Margaret’s.
“While this position is common at the university level, a director of institutional research is rare in independent schools,” Dr. Graham said. “We felt it was important to have a school leader dedicated to this work. Dr. Capen has done an outstanding job not only overseeing our extensive amounts of data but also making research a collaborative pursuit that informs and empowers our teachers and students.
“Ultimately, Dr. Capen’s work is enhancing the educational experience for St. Margaret’s students, now and into the future. It has been everything we could have hoped for.”
As Dr. Capen spoke at the State of the School, explaining outcomes, identifying opportunities and outlining next steps, each point she made served to answer a simple question that defines the importance of institutional research at St. Margaret’s.
“We can’t assume success—we want to be sure,” Dr. Capen said. “It’s important that we take time to stop and ask ourselves: How do we know we are successful?”
Institutional research at St. Margaret’s is a collaborative pursuit that informs and empowers teachers and students. Photo: Tyler Gaines
Asking the Right Questions
There is an endless amount of data waiting to be collected. Almost every aspect of the school experience can be measured in some way, so it’s imperative, Dr. Graham says, “to be thoughtful about the questions we ask.”
The most pressing choices around institutional research regard what data is needed to gauge the school’s effectiveness and target needed change.
That means referencing the guiding words reflected in everything St. Margaret’s does. The school’s mission is to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service. The core values and Episcopal identity at St. Margaret’s also serve as treasured guideposts that shape the school’s culture and thinking.
“When we are successful, we prepare students now and in the future for lives of learning, leadership and service,” Dr. Capen said. “To help us know we are successful, it’s important that the data we collect is mission- and core values-aligned.”
It can be as simple as an annual springtime survey to the parent community, asking if St. Margaret’s has delivered on its mission with the opportunity to add open-ended feedback. “Our parents are invaluable partners in this journey, as they share with us our hope to see St. Margaret’s students thrive,” Dr. Capen said.
This can also mean using ERB assessment data to pinpoint curriculum gaps, tracking student participation in leadership groups from grade 5 all the way through Upper School, or researching outcomes related to each of St. Margaret’s core values: balance and breadth, character, community, equity and inclusion, and high expectations.
St. Margaret’s also ensures the reliability of the data by triangulating what is collected across multiple data sources, including assessment data, survey data, interview or focus group data, anecdotal data from multiple perspectives, and participation and enrollment data.
Taken in context and viewed with an expert’s eye, data can paint a picture, raise meaningful questions and spark valuable discussions.
“In order to know we are successful, we need to investigate and probe, and we need to listen to the outcomes of that investigation to effectively reflect on what we learned,” Dr. Capen said. “And then we need to respond.”
Collaborating With the Tartan Community
Institutional research is collaborative work at St. Margaret’s, which means Dr. Capen is always on the go.
In a typical week, Dr. Capen is in every corner of campus. On a recent school day, she was in the Early School observing classrooms as part of an exploratory study on literacy development. The day before that, she was in the Lower School offices discussing the rollout of a student perception survey with Principal Jennifer Blount and Assistant Principal Maile Bellosi.
Dr. Capen meets with teachers to develop student feedback surveys for a new course, presents findings on student check-in surveys to division leaders, and coordinates survey administration, analysis and reports throughout the year. She leads a committee on St. Margaret’s equity team devoted to measurement and data for equity, manages a centralized location of the school’s data, and oversees professional development for St. Margaret’s teachers.
Dr. Capen observing an Early School classroom as part of a literacy study. St. Margaret’s views institutional research as human-centered work. Photo: Marites Olano
Most of all, she is a resource for faculty and staff from Early School through Upper School looking to make decisions with the best possible evidence available.
“From analyzing potential opportunities in a new curriculum, to quantifying each student’s social and emotional well-being, Dr. Capen has transformed the way we use data to analyze the work we do,” Mrs. Blount said. “It has been a game-changer.”
For Dr. Capen, the work is a perfect fit. She has long embraced the potential of education when a school links great teaching with great research. She started her career at the University Laboratory School in Honolulu, across the street from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Education. The school served as an educational research and development community, and it enlightened Dr. Capen on the power of research in transforming teaching and learning.
She followed that path to future stops. She worked as an education architect for the Janus Group, as academic dean at Maryknoll High School, as a university lecturer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and as a curriculum development and outreach specialist at the Island Pacific Academy, an independent school in Hawaii.
She first came to St. Margaret’s in 2020 as an Upper School science teacher, before becoming Director of Institutional Research in 2023.
“Dr. Capen asks great questions, shows a strong capacity for analysis, and has a passion for St. Margaret’s that is reflected in the work she does. She is the perfect blend of heart and mind,” Dr. Graham said. “She has been a great resource for the entire school community, as we all have the same hope in seeing our students thrive in the classroom and in all aspects of their lives.”
Institutional Research in Action
St. Margaret’s closely monitors academic data, and the trends around those numbers can affirm previous curriculum decisions, spark valuable discussions among teachers and administrators, and lead to innovation that improves student understanding and outcomes.
For example, observational data and student work in the Early School is analyzed to assess key qualitative benchmarks along the developmental continuum for St. Margaret’s youngest learners. In the Lower School and Middle School, ERB data can spark curriculum updates in the short-term, yet is also tracked year-over-year to provide a meaningful long-term analysis of St. Margaret’s compared to similar schools nationwide. In the Upper School, St. Margaret’s closely monitors Advanced Placement assessments and standardized testing, as examples, comparing the school’s data with a 177-school INDEX norm group of similar high-performing independent schools across the United States.
Yet data collection and research at St. Margaret’s advances far beyond test scores and academic benchmarks. As Dr. Capen says, “this work requires a mixed-methods approach, one where we collect and triangulate data to gain insight in aggregate, while also better understanding the experiences of different groups on our campus.”
One way St. Margaret’s does this is through research-based student perceptions surveys, which allows teachers to gain meaningful and actionable insights into the classroom experience of their students.
Twice each school year, St. Margaret’s administers the Tripod 7Cs Framework for Effective Teaching Survey to students in grades 2-12. The summary of this survey shares student perspective on their experience, as they respond to statements like “my teacher wants us to share our thoughts” or “I like the way we’re learning things in class.”
The survey’s framework consists of seven constructs that start with the letter C – care, confer, captivate, clarify, consolidate, challenge and classroom management. In the Upper School, the “captivate” construct has been particularly studied. It surveys students on how stimulated and engaged they are, and how much the learning at St. Margaret’s cultivates curiosity and inquiry by making lessons interesting, relevant and enjoyable.
Student surveys like the Tripod 7C survey provide actionable feedback in areas that define good teaching. “Listening to our students matters,” says Dr. Capen. Photo: Marites Olano
The results of the survey have informed the Upper School professional community as it evolves towards more experiential education under the leadership of Principal Amy Roberts and Director of Experiential Education Dr. Ryan Carey, both of whom have extensive experience in this method of teaching and learning.
“The 7Cs survey data is a tremendous resource for faculty members, as it provides timely, relevant, and actionable feedback in areas that define good teaching, shape classroom culture, and impact student learning,” Mrs. Roberts said. “This data also helps the division identify larger trends and focus professional growth and development on specific constructs.”
All across campus, the Tripod 7C survey is instrumental in professional community goal-setting, not only individually but collectively at the department or division level.
It is just one of many examples of St. Margaret’s institutional research and outreach to students, and the capacity it has to compel meaningful change.
Another survey, the Tripod Diversity, Equity and Inclusion survey, is given to Middle School and Upper School students annually. This survey asks students to respond to statements like “I can be myself at school” to gauge a student’s sense of comfort and belonging. St. Margaret’s has thoroughly investigated the results of this survey, introducing mentorship programming and other important student-led initiatives as a result of the feedback.
“Listening to our students matters,” Dr. Capen said. “We learn so much through this work, and surveys like these are a great example of how we use data to ensure our students thrive. The most meaningful outcomes occur when we draw on perspectives to identify needed changes and build an actionable and measurable plan.”
The Future of Data at St. Margaret’s
Currently, Dr. Capen is working with St. Margaret’s Office of Alumni Relations to develop a survey for Tartan alumni to provide feedback about their St. Margaret’s experience. The school’s 3,000 alumni offer a unique perspective that is meaningful as St. Margaret’s works to strengthen programming and improve student learning.
Dr. Capen views institutional research as a mirror—a reflection of St. Margaret’s and its outcomes. Photo: Marites Olano
The continued development and outreach shows how institutional research is an ongoing pursuit. While St. Margaret’s continues to explore the data it collects and continues to analyze the questions it asks, Dr. Capen has a long-term vision for this work. She hopes to continue uplifting a culture of data-driven decision making, and supporting the further development of data literacy among the St. Margaret’s professional community—empowering teachers and school leaders to utilize research to inform decisions and promote positive growth.
Dr. Capen views institutional research as a mirror—a reflection of the school and its outcomes that should always be looked at. In that regard, the future of institutional research at St. Margaret’s is a lot like the present—continuing to gather data, assessing and reassessing what is collected, and viewing the data through a short-term and long-term lens.
It also means keeping the hearts and minds of students front and center, in every decision St. Margaret’s makes.
“The magic and beauty of this work is never just the end result—it’s the process,” Dr. Capen said. “It’s the moments you sit across from a student and let them know they matter, their story matters, their experience matters, and we want to understand that experience better so that we can make St. Margaret’s better.
“It’s in the moments where teachers sit down together to collaborate and develop a new meaningful activity or engaging project. It’s the celebration of growth that we make together every day. It’s the conversations the data prompts, and the relationships that develop.
“It’s about knowing, not assuming. We do this work to get better at what we do every day. That is what guides us.
“That is how we know we are successful.”