Results described as “mixed” usually follow one of two patterns:

• Most families in the middle. Families feel lukewarm or unsure. The item may need attention, but no single group is having a very different experience.
• Families split between the two ends. Two groups are having very different experiences. This pattern calls for a closer look.

When you see a split, check whether it follows a group. At the sample center, the survey asked what time families usually pick up. Among families who pick up before 4:30 p.m., 89% agree that pickup works well. Among families who pick up after 5:30 p.m., 9 of 10 disagree. The problem is not pickup in general; it is late-day pickup. That is a much more specific, and more solvable, finding.