Although the admissions office, teachers and current families play an important role in increasing enrollment, they won't reach their full potential without the guidance and support of the administrative team and board. Members of administration and board already know that enrollment is essential to the school's future, but they don't always realize how much influence they have over admissions. Follow the tips below to engage members of the board and the administrative team so that they will do their part to improve enrollment.
Help them understand their role.
Administrators are responsible for overseeing all of the school's operations, including enrollment, admissions and other related processes. To grow enrollment and increase retention, these individuals must be able to lead, inspire and encourage all of the other people who are working toward this goal.
Teach them how enrollment works.
Many administrators and board members
mistakenly believe that enrollment is a product of the admissions office only.
Likewise, some of these individuals may also believe that the best way to grow enrollment is to spend more money on external advertising. Unfortunately, both of these views are misguided. Enrollment is multi-faceted, relying on the involvement of the admissions office, the administration, the board, the faculty, the current student body and their families. Without the support of all of these people, the school won't be as successful as it could be.
Teach them about the importance of faculty.
Faculty may be one of the most important components of your school's enrollment process. Essentially, faculty members are the "product" parents purchase when they enroll their children in the school. Without engaged, committed faculty members, the school cannot hope to grow or succeed. Administrators and board members must understand the role of faculty so that they can choose the right professionals, motivate them and ensure that they are serving the school well.
Encourage them to be proactive.
In order to improve enrollment, admissions personnel and board members must be actively involved in all aspects of the process. They must be in continuous communication with faculty members, engaging them and encouraging them to embrace their role as one of the school's greatest selling points. They must also be willing to sell the school themselves wherever they may be, both at school functions and outside the school. Furthermore, administrators and board members should always be on the lookout for marketing opportunities within the community.
Show them how to monitor progress.
Enrollment is heavily dependent upon the satisfaction and success of current students. Happy families will promote the school, while unhappy families will not. Administrators should be taught about the importance of monitoring retention and attrition, both for the school as a whole and for individual classes. When these numbers fall, administrators should be ready to deal with the issue directly. Depending on this situation, this may involve working with individual teachers to increase engagement and efficacy, changing certain school policies or seeking out different educators to replace those who are burnt out and/or uncommitted.
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