Picture this: you own a sleek car, the kind that turns heads on the highway. You decide to take it on a cross-country adventure, covering hundreds of miles, relishing every moment. The car, dependable and efficient, gives you 25 miles per gallon, effortlessly cruising along. But then, disaster strikes. After 3,000 miles, the engine starts smoking. Panic sets in as you pull over, worried it might explode. A tow truck whisks your prized possession to the nearest mechanic. The mechanic inspects it and asks, “When was the last time you put oil in the car?” You’re stunned. Oil? “I didn’t know I needed to do that,” you reply.
Now, let’s translate this into the world of enrollment management. Most schools get that the admissions office is the engine driving new students into the community. But here’s the kicker—just like a car needs oil, enrollment management needs more than just the admissions office. The educators, through their delivery of a high-quality educational program, play a pivotal role. Heads of school often recognize the importance of educational quality. After all, that’s the school’s product. But do they grasp its crucial role in enrollment success?
You might be thinking, “My head of school totally gets it.” Well, here’s a challenge for you—dig into your strategic or marketing plan. Look for any mention of how the quality of the educational program and customer satisfaction are essential to enrollment success. Chances are, you’ll find sections devoted to admissions activities, communication strategies, and maybe some nods to the advancement team’s efforts. But where’s the acknowledgment of the educational program’s responsibility to ensure that families want to come to your school?
This disconnect can be frustrating for enrollment management professionals. Seeing the link between enrollment success and educational quality in black and white is crucial. Yet, sometimes directors of marketing and communications or deans of enrollment may miss this point too. They’re usually fixated on the tangible outputs of their campaigns—digital and print media, snazzy brochures, catchy slogans or in the case of enrollment managers, unfocused strategies. A robust marketing plan, however, should integrate maintaining a top-notch educational program as a core element. Who is responsible for measuring the success in the minds of the families?
The head of enrollment needs to champion this cause relentlessly. They must remind the head of school, every step of the way, about the symbiotic relationship between the educational program and enrollment success. Without this understanding, the burden of enrollment management falls disproportionately on the admissions office. And while the admissions team can be stellar, their success is inherently linked to the strength of the educational program and customer satisfaction. That makes the co-champion, in my opinion, the head of school.
Bridging the Gap: What to Do When the Head Isn’t On Board
So, what if your head of school just doesn’t get it? Start with storytelling. Share anecdotes that illustrate the direct impact of the educational program on student and parent satisfaction. Highlight success stories where a robust program led to a surge in interest in a particular program – the acapella group, an athletic team, or model united nation. Use data to back your narrative—show trends, graphs, and figures that correlate program quality with enrollment numbers.
I regularly survey families about their admission experience. I ask questions like: How was the interview process? Did you get the attention you needed to learn about the program? Did a faculty member or coach connect with you? Was the website helpful? Because we are consumer-centric, we get great results.
I keep this information handy because when enrollment numbers decline or yield is lower, all eyes turn to the admissions team as the potential source of the problem. Having this data helps demonstrate to the board and the head that the admissions process is effective, thus preventing undue scrutiny on the admissions department. Then, I ask the leadership the question, “What are our current families saying about our program.” I also ask the question, when the survey is done, “What have we done to improve ourselves based on the information discovered.” Most of these surveys seem to get filed away or superficially addressed.
Finally, advocate for a strategic plan overhaul. Ensure that the quality of the educational program is prominently featured as a critical component of the enrollment strategy. This isn’t about adding more to anyone’s plate; it’s about aligning efforts to achieve the best outcomes.
Remember, a car needs both a well-tuned engine and the right oil to run smoothly across those thousands of miles. Similarly, successful enrollment management hinges on both the admissions office’s efforts and the excellence of the educational program. Get these in sync, and you’ll have a school that not only attracts students but retains them through exceptional educational experiences.
