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Selling the schools to parents

Saturday, February 3 at 12:01 AM

By Lesley Dahlkemper

In today’s competitive education environment, it’s more important than ever that every public school tell its story well and market itself aggressively.

Gone are the days of children walking a few blocks to their local neighborhood school. Now, parents don’t think twice about driving their children across town to their school of choice.

In Colorado, students may attend public schools outside their own neighborhood or in a different school district entirely. The federal law, No Child Left Behind, has also upped the ante. It requires public reporting of data and gives parents the option to send their children elsewhere after three years of repeatedly poor school performance.

Parents have more choices and are savvier about how they select a school for their children, placing even more pressure on principals and teachers to communicate why their school stands apart and how it will meet each child’s needs.

Many public school principals — short on resources, time and know-how — are struggling to keep up. Their plates are overflowing, and marketing was never part of their job description. But times have changed. Today’s school leaders must not only be instructional leaders — they also must be effective communicators and marketers.

The stakes are high. Increased enrollment brings more dollars in the door and keeps schools open. Denver Public Schools begins its school-of-choice enrollment period this month, and the traditionally monthlong period has been extended this year through the end of February.

Clear, consistent communication to customers — prospective parents and students — will determine, in part, schools’ success in attracting new students.

School Web sites must be easy to navigate and offer the information parents want. Open houses must be well thought-out and focused on student learning. Informational materials should highlight teacher qualifications, academic programs and special programs that enrich a child’s learning.

Successful schools are using these strategies and others to promote themselves. They understand their customer base and know how to tell their story well.

Consider one Denver public school. Lincoln Elementary’s enrollment had declined dramatically, and the school could have faced closure. Principal Daphne Hunter ramped up her efforts to communicate with parents, market the school to prospective parents, and build a chorus of community supporters. She aggressively promoted the school’s dual program offerings — traditional and Montessori academic programs. The results have been good. The school’s enrollment has grown from 136 in 2003 to 231 this school year.

While I work with schools and districts regularly to tell their stories, I am also a potential customer. As the parent of a soon-to-be kindergartner, I’ve spent late nights researching public and private schools online. My husband and I have toured more than a dozen schools, and I’ve returned to observe classroom teaching up close. Choosing a school for our daughter is one of the most important decisions we will make.

Private schools largely present themselves well. They are on message, focused and know their audience. The savvier public schools do the same. Both successful private and public schools also have vibrant word-of-mouth networks.

If we want local communities to support public schools, we need to be proactive about letting them know what our public schools are doing, both the successes and the challenges. Jettison spin and education jargon in favor of more timely and substantive information that is relevant to parents and the community.

Schools that do a good job communicating don’t shy away from talking about the tough issues, but instead explain what staff is doing to address them — whether it’s strengthening achievement, attracting qualified teachers or engaging more parents.

Of course, communications and marketing alone will not be enough. Every school must strive to provide a high-quality education to every child. Schools must have something to market. Still, open, honest and timely information is a critical part of the mix if today’s public schools are to turn around declining enrollment, boost public confidence, and build public understanding and support for schools.

Lesley Dahlkemper is the founder and president of Schoolhouse Communications (www.schoolhousecom.com), a firm specializing in helping schools, districts and organizations communicate about education issues, policies and programs. She is a former education reporter with Colorado Public Radio.

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