Why should parents want their children to attend your school? What is your compelling value proposition? 

That's the challenge EVERY school leadership has to solve: Deeply understanding the needs and wants of their target market of families and then creating a combination of services and experiences that progressively build engagement. 

Today I attended NY Edtech Week held at NYU in the heart of Lower Manhattan. Despite being scheduled so close to Christmas, the turnout was large with a high degree of engagement. Through the various "Shark Tank" presentations before potential investors and peers, coupled with several Think Tank sessions that featured some interesting dialogue, this event provided insight into important trends of how technology is and isn't impacting education. 

Last Friday (Dec. 3, 2016) In Greenville, Mississippi, the superintendent was fired. The problems began with how he managed communication regarding a teacher who was accused of abusing a student. Because of a lack of trust and effective leadership habits, the poor relationship between the board and the superintendent has created a mess!

The first strategy in improving the marketing results for your school is defining and understanding your target markets. (Yes, you have more than one) Market knowledge and research is essential for any school that wants to grow.

Click Here to view the webinar series on the Top 10 Marketing Strategies. Your three target markets in order of priority are:

1. Faculty (i.e., All employees of the school)
2. Families (Parents, students, grandparents, etc.)
3. Funders (Individual, corporate, government, foundation, etc.) 

Most of the donations to your school will be made because someone asked for them, and if you get personal with your fundraising messages you will raise more money. Schools who customize their communications are more likely to:

1. Retain donors for longer periods of time
2. Generate more loyalty
3. Create higher levels of donor satisfaction. 

Last Thursday I led our “Building Board Engagement” workshop for administrators and board leaders from schools that are members of the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS). Barbara Kraus-Blackney, Jennifer Braxton, and the rest of the ADVIS team provided a wonderful professional development venue at The Haverford School. 

The Florida Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists enthusiastically celebrated the groundbreaking of a new school in Greater Tampa, serving the Wesley Chapel community and beyond. The early childhood through 12th grade school, which will be ready to open for the 2018-2019 school year, will be one of the most advanced schools in the United States.

Last weekend we had the privilege of hosting a private Innovation Workshop for Steve Druggan, Frank Aloise, and the leadership of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH). 

This nationally-recognized school has many valuable distinctives, with a long history of excellence in single-sex education on a beautiful sprawling campus in Philadelphia. Having persevered through leadership changes over the last two years, SCH is well-prepared for a new season of growth. 

In 2015-16 School Growth has delivered training and services to 809 school in 15 countries--and that impact continues to grow. They span the full spectrum of K-12 programs: private, public, charter, not-for-profit, for-profit, special needs, old, new, urban, rural, and so on.

Schools that learn have a competitive advantage.

In light of the best practices of governance, what are the boundaries of the board's knowledge? Are there limitations to what should be shared with the board?

In order for the school(s) to advance as a learning organization, the board has the opportunity to set the pace. I previously shared ten key areas of knowledge that should be incorporated into the professional development and assessments for board members. As a follow up, the question must also be considered as to whether there should be intentional limits on the data/information to which the board should be granted access.