Avoiding Process for Process Sake

When working with schools that are facing particularly difficult enrollment challenges, I have found that an over abundance of “process,” or more specifically the utilization of misguided or outdated processes, is often one of the most significant hurdles to overcome. Of course an efficient and effective admissions office requires a clear set of protocols and guidelines that govern how applicants are attracted, vetted and enrolled. That said,  there are times when the adherence to a specific set of processes, especially those that have been in place for a long time, can become crippling. In short, when an admissions team focuses more on cherished processes than on the goal those processes were originally designed to address, it is time for them to take a hard look at what they do and why they do it. 

I worked with a K-8 school a few years back that at one time had been in high demand and had the luxury of being quite selective. As a result, they developed a set of protocols that made sense for that time and context. However, over the course of 20 years, market circumstances changed radically. The exodus of many large corporations from the area and subsequent demographic shifts, left the enrollment landscape considerably more difficult to navigate. The number of interested families that could afford the tuition plummeted and the nature of the applicant pool changed as well, as a large portion of the new applicants struggled with learning challenges and a range of moderate anxiety disorders.  Unfortunately, although conditions on the ground had changed significantly, the traditional processes and protocols that had been in place since the good old days, did not.

The school required interested students in all grades to have two shadow days in order to ensure that a child was the right fit for the school. This decision was made during a time when the majority of the potential families were single income households. However, as local economic circumstances changed and the majority of homes rapidly became dual income households, a two shadow day requirement became a logistical burden for interested families. Additionally, the school also required four essays from 5th through 8th grade applicants and insisted that all faculty sign off on every applicant. In short, the protocols of the bygone era persisted and acted as obstacles to effectively and efficiently enrolling students in the present day.

While these are fairly extreme examples, they speak to the broader importance of constantly revisiting existing processes to ensure that they are up to date and accomplishing what is intended. While some schools have the benefit of being located in relatively stable demographic and economic locations, many others must contend with continuously shifting market conditions that require more flexibility, creativity and oversight. Recognizing this reality and embracing change when needed, is a vital tool in ensuring a school’s long term viability.   

Written by Charlie Mugford
Managing Director



Response to Kane Atlantic Article

In his recent article in the Atlantic, Thomas Kane highlights what the research tells us about children’s learning loss over the course of the pandemic.  The news he shares is sobering and a clarion call for schools – and their communities – to develop clear, ambitious, and equitable plans to ensure that their students are able to catch up, or at the very least that the gap between where students are and where they ought to be is narrowed.

Independent Schools have not been immune from the challenges posed by the pandemic, and they would do well to assess their students, determine what gaps exist, and develop concrete plans to address them.  While some schools may want to soft-peddle the learning losses their students have experienced, they would do well to be highlighting the strategies that they plan to put into place to close the gap and ensure student progress (Kane suggests extending the school year, adding double periods in math and reading, and creating small tutoring cohorts, all of which have been shown in research to be effective in closing achievement gaps). 

Aggressive, thoughtful, research-validated strategies will appeal to many parents who wonder how their children will ever catch up.  Helping parents understand the challenges their children face and what their school proposes to do to address those challenges can serve as welcome transparency, help build trust, and support student retention.  On the recruitment side, families who feel their current schools are not responding quickly enough may be looking for alternatives. Independent Schools that actively promote the plans they have developed to close the pandemic gap will be better positioned to recruit new students from families who demonstrably care about their children’s future. 

One area that Kane does not address, but which has gotten tremendous press coverage, is the social and emotional toll that the pandemic has taken on young people, call it the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) gap.  Independent Schools are uniquely positioned to support students in the ongoing development of their social skills and emotional resilience as students are so well known by their teachers, advisors, and coaches.  Independent Schools would do well to highlight all that they do to support students in these critical areas of development that are so often neglected, both to assure current parents that their children are being cared for in all respects, and to help prospective parents understand one of the critical values of an Independent School education.

This is a rare opportunity for Independent Schools to demonstrate the value that they bring to the educational experience of their students.  It all begins with assessing where each school population is in terms of academic and SEL gaps and then committing the resources necessary to closing them.

Written by Kolia O’Connor
Managing Director

Westport, Connecticut