Enrollment leadership and management provides the primary source of revenue for most schools, and yet it's too often the most misunderstood role.

Admissions is influenced by a multitude of key factors, yet so often board members and administrators oversimplify the issues when facing enrollment challenges. Blaming the enrollment office seldom produces real gains because most of the contributing causes can be found elsewhere in the school. 

As long as enrollment is the primary source of revenue for the school, the school board will be very interested in how to improve and grow it. When the board and the administration work as a cohesive team, growth is more likely to happen. So, how can board members appropriately contribute to the enrollment goals?

This week I received a delightful email message from a School Growth client:

"How did you calculate the 'Best Guess' projected enrollment for our school back in March? You were EXACTLY right!"

Early this year we Optimized the Enrollment Office for this school that had recently hired a new enrollment director and experienced other changes. Communication and productivity weren't going as well as they wanted, and they were trying to learn from their enrollment data in order to find ways to improve the quality of services.

Does the School Growth innovation and design method really work? Can you transform a school with tactical planning and disciplined talent development? Here's one example from an early adopter that proves the answer is "Yes!" This school achieved 65% higher enrollment in 5 years by using the School Growth Method.

Three consecutive days this week we taught our BUILDING FACULTY ENGAGEMENT Workshop on three different campuses. Talented, energized, and engaged educators change the world, which is why we do what we do at School Growth and it's why we designed this unique professional development experience.

Gallup has conducted numerous research studies on the factors that influence school quality, and faculty engagement has consistently been the most reliable and important predictor. An engaged teacher is defined as one who is, "involved with, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work." That is, they are emotionally and energetically invested in the mission, culture, and strategies of the school. 

An unengaged teacher, on the other hand, is content with just working for a paycheck. In performing her/his duties, this person is less likely to seek out opportunities for professional growth and improving the team. She/he doesn't feel emotionally connected to the leadership and community of the school, which causes a loss of energy across the school culture rather than positively contributing to it. 

The burden of enrollment does not rest solely on the admissions office. However, without an effective admissions office, enrollment cannot reach its full potential in any school. Here are some tips to help you optimize your admissions office's processes in order to grow enrollment.

One of the most important factors that contribute to your school's enrollment is the quality of your enrollment strategy. Below are some tips to help you build a solid enrollment strategy for your school.

Engaging prospective families effectively is essential for increased enrollment. In order to engage prospective families, you must understand the characteristics of your target market so that you can adjust your marketing efforts accordingly. Follow the tips below to learn about your prospective families and optimize your marketing efforts.

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.

Just as the engagement of faculty is important to enrollment, the engagement of current families is essential as well. These families act as a walking advertisement for your school. If they are not engaged, they won't promote the institution. If they are engaged, however, they will increase interest and enrollment naturally.