With choice, vouchers and charter options, among others, schools and school leaders are operating in an increasingly competitive environment. Why should families select your school? One potential answer to all of this is understanding, sharing and promoting your school’s value proposition. Doing this can help to recruit new students and families and to retain them after enrolling.
A value proposition is the specific benefits and unique qualities of your school in comparison to others from which to choose. Considerations may include some of the following:
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Safety
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Location
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Equity
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Programs [STEM, STEAM], AP, AVID, Dual Credit, Project Lead the Way
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Arts
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Athletics/Sports/Co-curriculars
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Religion/Spirituality
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Before/After School Programs
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Vocational training
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Guidance/Counseling/Post Graduation Placement
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High Performance Results
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Costs/Fees
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The school “knows” my child
However, none of the above really matter unless they positively differentiate your school from others in the minds of the customers aka families and their children.
Slogans and mission statements are not value propositions. Similarly, whatever school leaders and staff value is not, in itself, a value proposition. Lists and bullet points actually need to address why they make a difference and how they differentiate your school from others in the market.
The point of all of this is that all schools are in a competitive market and there is no easy or single best solution to attracting and retaining students and their families. Understanding the duality of “students and their families” is critical to effectiveness in all of this. Those who decry the reality of a market based environment for school selection miss the point that it already exists in the present and will on into the future. As leaders work to develop a communication strategy for their school, having clarity about the value proposition needs to be part of the strategy.
Undertaking a journey into the area of value proposition and school branding requires a willingness to take time to reflect and do research internally while doing the same with external stakeholders. Specifically, leaders first need to identify the core values of the school and how they manifest themselves in the day-to-day reality of the school for all children. This suggests designing an internal audit that can identify the concerns, interests and needs of those already teaching and learning within the school. This also means taking time to engage with and listen to those stakeholders who are outside of the operation of the school but have a connection to it. This can mean graduates, businesses, community groups, agencies and others with perceptions about the school.
In reality, the effectiveness of the value proposition depends upon the truths it contains. This transcends slick brochures, websites, and videos. Rather, it depends upon one-to-one communication, the opportunities to visit and see the school in action, and testimonials from existing stakeholders. Failure of the staff, including teachers, custodians, administrative assistants, and others to be aligned with the espoused value propositions undermines the entire effort. Therefore, leaders need to take time to utilize the opportunities within existing culture and context, including staff and one-on-one meetings, to actively engage and align on the value propositions. It means that principals and staff actually meet with other stakeholders such as PTA/PTO, advisories, boards, etc. to discuss the value propositions and align on message points. In this way, a school can effectively talk with multiple voices to families in ways that makes sense, has meaning, and influences them to take the step to enroll or re-enroll their children at your school.
If you would like help in the area developing a value proposition, contact Dr. Mike Dietz, Dir. Innovation and Global Outreach at
michael.dietz@cuw.edu
, 262-365-3947.
