As our calendar year rapidly comes to a close, I’ve heard from a number of schools who are lamenting the fact that enrollment is down this year, but still “hope” that things will get better as they begin to prepare for the second half of the school year.<\/p>\n
It seems that when the calendar page turns to December, school administrators realize that the 3 “R”s of rest, re-connection and re-energizing experienced over Thanksgiving is over, and the 4th “R” – run – takes hold as holiday preparations take center stage, as well as making preparations for the coming school year’s registration processes (that could be the 5th “R”!).<\/p>\n
Also, as for “hope,” it’s one of the three things that last – but it’s not a strategy for success.<\/p>\n
So since you’ll have some time away from the school this month, this article takes inspiration from a great article originally published in November of 2003 by NCEA (and no longer available on their Web site) and authored by Albert J. “Skip” Shannon, PhD.\u00a0 Skip has over 40 years of experience in education as a teacher, administrator, Catholic college president, and headmaster, and has consulted with schools regarding issues surrounding governance, strategic planning, and advancement as a partner in the national consulting team with Partners in Mission.\u00a0 His article focused on 10 things, but since we struggle to hold FIVE things in mind at the same time, I’ve pared it down to five.<\/p>\n
And, make no mistake, you can’t just be aware of one or two of these things and apply them to the school you lead.\u00a0 They’re ALL important, especially if your competitors are doing ALL of them.<\/p>\n
Notice that the title of the article. as well as the previous sentence, talks about competitors.<\/em>\u00a0 Like it or not, you’re in the education business<\/em>.\u00a0 There are more and more educational environments today – faith-based school, private school, public school, cyber school, charter school, and home schooling –\u00a0and parents of young children are becoming more and more particular\u00a0about finding an environment\u00a0which they<\/em> believe is best suited for their child’s learning.\u00a0 While I’ve always “heard” this is the case, now that I have grandchildren, this is precisely what my daughter and son-in-law did when they were searching for a school for our grandchildren!!<\/p>\n Also, please note that in today’s marketplace, it really doesn’t matter what you<\/strong><\/em> believe, since it’s your customers who build your brand.<\/p>\n If this is a revelation to you, now you know you’re really in the education business…and it’s not just about educating children.<\/p>\n If you think this isn’t true, you also now realize how difficult is it to get people to accept the truth.<\/p>\n While it’s important to pay attention to the faith identity or founder’s heritage of your school, along with the activities, curriculum, technology and surroundings that define your school and make it a remarkable place to be, it’s also important to be mindful of asset management, retention, marketing, enrollment, and development activities (note how the first letters of those five elements spell ARMED – since your school needs to be prepared for the challenges it faces in the coming weeks, months and years).\u00a0 This list will let you do a quick evaluation of how your school stacks up against what competitors to your educational environment may already be doing.<\/p>\n And as a “bonus” practice, does your school continually explore \u201cbest practices\u201d in education?\u00a0 I’m sure you expect your doctors, financial advisors and personal attorneys to educate themselves on a continuing basis?\u00a0 Do you look beyond what is best for today and champion “next” practices – discovering and projecting where are the trends leading, and what are you doing to make sure your school is there before your competitors beat you to it?<\/p>\n Speaking of “best,” is what you do in salary the best you can do?\u00a0 How about benefits?\u00a0 How about technology?\u00a0 Does any school do anything better than you do? If the answer is YES, then, as a faith-based school, you must ask yourself, “Doesn’t God deserve our best?”<\/p>\n\n