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Now, on to today's topic!
The most requested item my school clients ask for help with is STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
- Charter schools that are getting off the ground spend a lot of time developing their curriculum, but without enough students, they won't have the budget they need to fully implement their unique approach. Often times, the new charter school is seen as a threat to the existing public schools, so being strategic is very important. In addition, the whole concept of a charter school is confusing and sometimes carries a lot of negative baggage. When my clients hire me, I can pretty much guarantee that if they use my approach, they will not only achieve their enrollment goal; they will achieve it ahead of schedule.
- Public schools that are losing students to other districts or voucher schools are not used to having to promote their schools and woo families. There was a time when students just showed up to the local public school for kindergarten and didn't leave until they graduated from high school. Student enrollment can be very competitive, especially in urban areas where there is a lot of expertimentation happening with different types of schools
- Private and Religious schools have been losing students over the past decade or so due to changing demographics and economics. Some religious and private schools have tried to fill in the gap by participating in the school choice program, which means low-income families are allowed to attend their school and a portion of the money that the public school recieves to educate that child goes to the private or religious school. While this is a good option for some families, these schools have had to redefine who they are and how they will meet the needs of a more diverse student population. They struggle with communicating their mission and approach to the wider community.
Key to Achieving Enrollment Goals - Two-Part Formula
The key to achieving your enrollment goal is two-fold.
The FIRST STEP is actually alinea's formula for effective community engagement = STORY + DIRECTION = RELATIONSHIPS. You must NOT panic and use the "spray and pray" approach. The more you are clear on which students are most likely to succeed at your school, the more effective you will be in attracting those students. It doesn't feel intuitive, but the smaller and more defined your niche, the more prospects you will attract, because you are speaking directly to them instead of to everybody. Hopefully, you've developed a professional case statement so you're clear on how to communicate your story.
The SECOND STEP is to understand the formula for an effective student enrollment strategy = OUTREACH + CONSTANT FOLLOWUP UNTIL YOU GET A YES OR NO + RELATIONSHIP CULTIVATION.
While it's tempting to want to spend what little resources you have on things like billboards, advertising, fancy videos and other expensive marketing items (you will actually be encouraged to do so), you will not get as big of return as with good old fashioned grassroots organizing - connecting with people on a personal basis.
I know this personally. I was the first founding board member of a charter school in urban Milwaukee. When we developed our enrollment plan, we assumed we'd have to GO TO WHERE THE PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS ARE. It's kind of arrogant to assume that when you're opening a new school students will just find you. Those families don't know you. We held block parties and offered food, beverages, kids' games. The founder and a group of volunteers stood outside gas stations and grocery stores. We even borrowed an ice cream truck, and gave away popsicles just to get attention. We'd talk to the kids, tell them about the school and why we thought it was cool and then we asked where they lived. Then the enrollment team (lots of volunteers and our early family enrollees) went door to door, asking to talk with parents about the new school. It was really hard work, but that's what it took. IT WILL ALWAYS REQUIRE MORE OUTREACH THAN YOU THINK!
I've helped all kinds of schools (public, charter, choice, private, religious) in all kinds of settings (urban, suburban, rural) with enrollment. The formula is ALWAYS THE SAME.
Step #1 - Set a Goal and Determine Activities Needed to Achieve Goal
Before you put my formula to work, you must have a goal. Attracting and enrolling students is an activity-driven task. You cannot control whether people say YES or No to coming to your school. So you need to focus on what you can control - # OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND # OF FOLLOWUP ACTIVITIES.
Let's use a real example. My client Tomorrow River Community School is a charter school in Amherst, WI. They are in the middle of their first year and currently have 52 students. Their goal is to recruit 25 new students, mostly in the kindergarten class, add an additional kindergarten class and expand their 1st grade by another class.
They give preference to the siblings of current students, and they have identified that probably 8 new students will come from siblings of current students. They are reaching out to those families right now. That leaves 17 new students. The director of the school does about one tour per week with interested families that have learned about the school and pretty much 100% of those families enroll a student. With their enrollment period ending at the end of April, that means that probably about 10 new students will come from tours (they have done a great job of spreading the word - see my blog on creating ambassadors). That leaves about 7 additional students they need to recruit. They should plan on doing enough outreach to get at least three times that number interested in the school. This school's strategy is holding monthly information meetings targeted toward current and prospective parents.
My other client Granton School District has a goal of recruiting 75 new students for next fall. When I started working with them two years ago, they said they'd be thrilled to add 10 new families. With my guidance, they did that. As I continued to work with them and build their confidence and skills in outreach, they recruited in excess of 25 new families during this current year. Having a specific goal will allow you to determine how many prospects you need and how many outreach activities are needed to generate those prospects.
How did they do it? The answer lies in Step #2.
Step #2 - Outreach Activities that Generate Prospective Students
This is the hard work. Well, it's not really hard, it's just where my clients get nervous because they're a little shy when it comes to doing outreach. Outreach activities are any activity that can lead to connecting with prospective families and students.
Here's another real example. My current client, Nova Tech, the 5th school to be opened by TransCenter for Youth in Milwaukee, needs 100 students by this fall. Their #1 outreach opportunity is students at one of their current schools who are interested in an education that focuses on technical and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. We estimate that there may be 20 students from that one source. So, that's where we're focusing our efforts first. And because one of our goals is to have at least one-third of the students be girls, we have different outreach plans for girls and boys. Because we also know that girls have a hard time seeing themselves in this type of career because they lack role models, we've recruited about seven young, primarly women of color who work in technical and STEM careers. We just held our first information session just for girls at TransCenter's other school and it was a wild success.
So, the first thing is to strategize who your prospects are and where the biggest number of them hang out. Here are the top two outreach strategies in my experience:
- Information sessions - These are sessions for prospective families and/or students who might be a good match for your school. You want to hold the sessions at locations where your prospects hang out or at your school. For example, if you're trying to recruit students for a high school, then holding information sessions at middle schools would be a good strategy. Start with the middle schools where you have a good relationship with the principal or guidance counselor. Ask them if you can hold a session there. They might say yes or they might say no - remember I said you can't control who says yes or no. Some will definitely say YES. Another good venue for information sessions are organizations that serve kids like Boys and Girls Clubs or the YMCA or community centers. Often, these organizations are proud to offer another resource to their own constiuents.
- Tabling at events - Tabling is one of those old-fashioned grassroots strategies. When you go to a neighborhood block party or community festival or county fair, you will see "tables" with volunteers trying to connect with potential customers or asking for signatures on referendums, etc. This is tabling. Many of my rural school clients have volunteers working at "tables" at these types of events. I provide them with the training, scripts and materials to maximize the number of interactions they have with folks who could be or lead to prospective families and students. Anywhere there is a gathering of people who might be your prospects is a tabling opportunity.
Step #3 - Put EVERY PROSPECT into a tracking document and follow up immediately and consistently until you get a YES or NO.
Just because you made a good impression on someone and they expressed interest, doesn't mean they'll take the next step. Rarely does that happen. People are busy. But if you were lucky enough to connect with someone who expessed an interest in your school, your job has just began. You must follow up with your prospects and offer them whatever they need to make a decision YES or NO. Here are possible next steps:
- Tour of the school - You ideally want your prospect to come to your school so they can touch and feel the magic of what their child will experience. If I haven't written a blog about how to conduct a compelling tour, then go to my website and sign up to receive my handout on Developing a Compelling Tour. Don't let them just walk out the door after the tour. Sit down and ask them what they think and what they need to know or do in order to come to a decision. Then let their feedback guide your next steps.
- Packet of Information - For some people, a personal tour feels too risky; they're not ready to be pressed for a decision. They might just want to start with more information. You should be ready to send a packet that includes your case statement, a school calendar, a newsletter if you have one, and some references if your're an existing school. You will also want to offer educational pieces about your unique approach, like project based learning, Waldorf or Montessori philosophy, how awesome your athletic program is, your internship program - anything that helps them touch and feel your unique approach.
- Application or Enrollment Paperwork - If you get a YES, don't look at it as a done deal. This is an opportunity to really cultivate a relationship with a new family that might become a new active ambassador for your school. In addition, think carefully about what information you could gather in the application that will enlighten you about the family and their child. If you're a project based learning school, finding out about the new student's interests could help you determine what kinds of community partnerships you need. If you get a NO, do not waste that opportunity either. Ask the prospects who end up saying NO why they made that decision so you can use it as a learning opportunity. Ask them if they know others who might be a match - this could result in new prospects.
If you use this approach, I guarantee you will achieve your enrollment goal. Personal outreach is a great way to get current families involved in your school or to put volunteers to work. You'll need to do a little training and provide them with tools, but volunteers are your most effective ambassadors.
My caution though is not to take your families and students for granted once you've enrolled them. See this as only the beginning of relationship cultivation.
Good luck this enrollment season! Feel free to respond to my blog with a question or share a success story. You'll inspire others and build awarness of your school and community.
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Deb
