It’s so seductive, so intuitive, so logical. It stands to reason that casting a wide net will result in more applications and more enrollments. And when the economy is “hot,” perhaps this strategy will work. But the reality is that “being all things to all people” is a bad marketing strategy. It oft...read more
In these difficult times new heads of school are often tasked with building enrollment in order to achieve financial sustainability. In the minds of many trustees, the Herculean task seems straight-forward. More articles in the local newspaper, an upgrade of the website, perhaps a stronger social me...read more
In lieu of a blog this month, we've got a great podcast to share. Despite the surge in enrollment some independent schools have experienced over the summer due to the pandemic, enrollment continues to be top of mind for many heads and boards. The problem is that potential solutions, more often than...read more
The ProblemA major culprit in the enrollment woes so many independent schools are facing today is the absence of clarity surrounding their identities. To be sure, there are other drivers conspiring to depress enrollment: demographics, charter school competition, and unaffordable tuitions to name a f...read more
In previous blogs I argued that many strategic plans lack strategic thinking. They are too often imitations of plans from other schools and thus, devoid of serious consideration about real opportunities, specific to the school, that can kick-start a virtuous cycle. We independent school people value...read more