Key Performance Indicators: Insight Instrument

$49      CSM Member

$79 Non-member

If you wish to become a member, please click through below. Membership provides preferred pricing and free access to the CSM Library of articles across 9 domains of Christian school management and leadership. You also receive the member Wednesday letter with updates, special offers, the occasional gift, and opportunities to participate in primary research. Membership fees never increase as you long as you remain a member. What you pay now is what you pay later. Current cost is $8.37 month. 

Become a member

If you wish to add 3 hours of consulting conversation, the costs are below. Once your school has participated in the survey, it is often helpful to have a CSM Consultant come alongside and partner with you in interpreting the ‘numbers’, talking about possible follow-up options with your participants, and understand how it might inform your ongoing decision-making. The CSM Consultant would preview your results, look at your strategic plan and enrollment over the last 10 years and then dive into a conversation with you.

$449 CSM Member

$749 Non-member

Note: this Instrument was designed for Christian schools with tuition that is half or far less that of elite private independent schools ($5,000-$12,00 at time of writing). Our research and study was directed specifically to this educational group. If your tuition is $25,000 or more, use the Instrument with more caution as we do not guarantee that CSM insights are necessarily applicable to your circumstances. 

Once you have paid the Key Performance Indicators: Insight Instrument fee, you will receive access to the Instrument within 72 hours. You don’t have to fill it in right away. Once you start, you must finish. 

You will need information about:

• Your financial situation (tuition, total income, compensation, reserves, debt, financial aid)
• Your philanthropy/development situation (amount raised, how)
• Your enrollment situation (retention, recruitment numbers)
• Your academic situation (professional development funding)
• Your Board and governance situation

Ensure you have all the information available to you and probably a person responsible for each area (finances, philanthropy, enrollment, academics, Board). 

It does not take long to fill in at all – with the information, it may take you less than 10 minutes. Once you close the Instrument, you will immediately be able to download the PDF summary and analysis for your use. 

Key Performance Indicators are based on deep study in Christian schools, being moved through Biblical teaching/example, and examination of the research and from experience in hundreds of schools in the field. The notes provided in the Instrument will provide insight where there is no noted research per se but where the data is nonetheless persuasive for other reasons. 

The financial metrics have a long-proven record of success and are based on:

• Economic theory and practice
• CSM’s understanding of ratios (relationships) that exist within the school’s finances
• The relationship between the school’s tuition point and financial metrics

The development metrics are based on a Biblical teaching of relationship fund-raising. Examples come throughout Scripture including:

• Jesus c.f. Luke 8.3
• Paul c.f. 2 Corinthians 8: 1-24
• Moses Exodus 25: 2-7

Development metrics can also be more specific as CSM aligns its Christian Relationship Model to the new research that speaks to the habits, beliefs, and desires of the different generations in North America. 

The enrollment metrics are focused on the two metrics that are observable, comparable, and can be clearly and strategically linked to a school’s success. The metrics do not identify ways to improve them – that is a more complex question. Knowing and being able to predict 5-10 years into the future is a powerful tool to have. 

The academic metrics are centered on educational research that has been shown to be successful in schools across a wide spectrum of philosophy and practice i.e. not a fad that has only shown viability under peculiar circumstances. 

Governance metrics are a reflection of CSM teaching and best/emerging practice that is very particular to our own Christian school communities. We have examined a number of different models and seen them in practice including predominantly the Carve Model, the church owned model, and the parent owned model. All serve important purposes and can be vital at particular times in the school’s journey. It is clear, however, that the CSM Governance Model has a better experiential track record, predictive power, and sustainability over generational time. 

1. Finance KPIs
2. Philanthropy KPIs
3. Family Relationships KPIs
4. Mission Delivery KPIs
5. Governance KPIs

The final report is in PDF format. You can expect to see:

• Strategic Summary with percentage scores for each category together with an overall score
• An analysis of each category with individual outcomes for each question asked
• Explanation for each set of scores – what the target is, what the background to the question is, key research points, items of emphasis