Promoting Independent Schools: Innovative Approaches

1. Can You Hear Me Now? New Approaches for Promoting Independent Schools By Myra McGovern Director of Public Information, NAIS mcgovern@nais.org

2. Part I Overview • Gauge public opinion • Define goals • Target audiences • Develop strategies • Craft messages that resonate

3. Gauge public opinion

5. What are the elements of a quality school? • Providing a safe environment • Employing high quality teachers • Maintaining discipline • Keeping students motivated/enthusiastic about learning • Climate that says it’s okay to study and excel • Preparing students academically for college • Encouraging parents’ participation Source: Public Opinion Poll, 2006

6. Top Ten Characteristics That Affect School Quality - General Public Opinion Providing a safe environment Employing high-quality teachers Maintaining discipline Keeping students motivated and enthusiastic about learning Supporting a climate that says it’s okay to study and excel Preparing students academically for college Encouraging parents to participate in their child's education Preventing drug and alcohol use Preparing students for life and career in a global economy Attending to the needs of students with learning disabilities Source: Public Opinion Poll, 2006

7. Top Ten Characteristics That Affect School Quality - High Income Families Opinions Providing a safe environment Employing high-quality teachers Supporting a climate that says it’s okay to study and excel Preparing students academically for college Keeping students motivated and enthusiastic about learning Maintaining discipline Encouraging parents to participate in their child's education Using computers and other technology to enhance learning Preventing drug and alcohol use Preparing students for life and career in a global economy Source: Public Opinion Poll, 2006

8. In what areas does the public think that independent schools excel? • Safe environment • Preparing students for college • Climate that says it’s okay to study and excel • Maintaining discipline • Encouraging parents’ participation • Small class sizes • Using computers/tech to enhance learning • High-quality teachers • Individualized attention • Offering opportunities to be leaders • Keeping students motivated about learning Source: Public Opinion Poll, 2006

9. In what areas does the public think that independent schools don’t meet expectations? • Preventing drug and alcohol use • Music and arts programs/curriculum • Having students involved in community service • Involving students in athletics and sports • Attending to the needs of students with learning disabilities • Having students drawn from a range of cultures/ races and income groups. Source: Public Opinion Poll, 2006

10. Gap Analysis Among Targeted Sample Note: “Extremely Important” represents those respondents answering an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale where 1 is Not At All Important and 10 is Extremely Important. Note: “Excellent” represents those respondents answering an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale where 1 is Very Poor and 10 is Excellent. *Indicates a significant difference from the characteristic ranked as important at the 95% confidence level Source: Public Opinion Poll, 2006

11. Parents Views, Given the Current Economic Situation • Study conducted Jan-Feb 2009 found… • Financing an i.s. education is increasingly difficult. • Current parents would “do anything” to keep their children in their schools. • Most sacrifice elements of their lifestyle. • Many will need financial aid to stay in the school. • Concern about funding K-12 AND college. • 83% of educational consultants reported that families were increasingly worried about their ability to finance. • 80% said that families are considering more options than in the past. Source: Parent Views on Independent Schools, Given the Current Economic Situation, NAIS, 009

12. What is public relations?

13. “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” -- PRSA definition The practice includes… • “Anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes and issues that might impact, for good or ill, the operations and plans of the organization.” • “Counseling management at all levels in the organization with regard to policy decisions, courses of action and communication, taking into account their public ramifications and the organization’s social or citizenship responsibilities.” Source: Public Relations Society of America-- http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/PublicRelationsDefined/

14. “Researching, conducting and evaluating, on a continuing basis, programs of action and communication to achieve the informed public understanding necessary to the success of an organization’s aims. These may include marketing; financial; fund raising; employee, community or government relations; and other programs.” • “Planning and implementing the organization’s efforts to influence or change public policy. Setting objectives, planning, budgeting, recruiting and training staff, developing facilities — in short, managing the resources needed to perform all of the above.” Source: Public Relations Society of America-- http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/PublicRelationsDefined/

15. Define goals

16. What does your school need? • Increase admission inquiries • Increase philanthropic giving • Improve climate for expansion • Fight legislation • Attract more mission-appropriate students • Improve retention • Rebuild image after a crisis

17. Develop strategies

18. What are you going to do? “A PR strategy is based on a theory on how and why things work, whereas a tactic is focused on the communication vehicles.” -- Mark Weiner, Unleashing the Power of PR: A Contrarian's Guide to Marketing and Communications. • Reach new audiences • Reach current audiences in new ways

19. Target audiences

20. Who are you aiming for?

21. Who are you aiming for? Survey current parents.

22. Craft messages that resonate

23. What are all parents looking for in schools? There are two principles that parents in our research indicate they most want to find in schools for their children: • Educating the whole child: nurturing critical thinking, intellectual and personal growth. • Attending to the child’s own particular needs. Source: Marketing Independent Schools to Generation X and Minority Parents, NAIS, 2006

24. Gen X parents with young children are most concerned about… • Development and opportunity: Emphasis on finding a school that offers a variety of activities and classes. They want school to engage their children and expose them to many things. • Safety concerns: need to see that schools will keep their children safe from accidents, bullies, or other dangers. • Too much selectivity and standardized testing: concerned that putting too much pressure on their children will teach them to dislike school. Source: Marketing Independent Schools to Generation X and Minority Parents, NAIS, 2006

25. Parents of older children are most concerned about… • Rigorous academics: look for schools that provide the necessary skills to prepare their children for college and career. • Safety concerns: concerned about safety, specifically social dangers such as drugs, gangs, and sex. Source: Marketing Independent Schools to Generation X and Minority Parents, NAIS, 2005

26. African-American parents are most concerned about… • Providing opportunity: want schools to open doors for their children and help them succeed in life. • Economic and racial diversity: have practical concerns that their children will be isolated in majority-Caucasian schools. • Before and after school care: single parents and dual-income families in all groups say that before and after school care is important, but the sentiment is most concentrated in the African-American groups. • Standardized testing: are wary of standardized testing. They feel that tests are not always accurate representations of children’s abilities. • Religious affiliations: would prefer some religious influence in their children’s education. Source: Marketing Independent Schools to Generation X and Minority Parents, NAIS, 2006

27. Hispanic parents are most concerned about… • Rigorous academics: see a challenging curriculum as a key to better prepare their children for later life. • Emphasis on moral values and community service: say that it is important for schools to support and supplement moral values taught at home. • Economic and racial diversity: would like their children to be in diverse schools, but not if it means lowering standards. • Standardized testing: Are also put off by an emphasis on standardized testing. Source: Marketing Independent Schools to Generation X and Minority Parents, NAIS, 2006

28. Asian-American parents are most concerned about… • Reputation of the school: think that a good reputation represents a composite of all the other factors they value such as rigorous academics, attentive teachers, etc. • Allowing one’s child to be him/herself: want a school that helps their children develop in their own fashion, however they do not want a school that lacks discipline or allows their children to “run wild.” Source: Marketing Independent Schools to Generation X and Minority Parents, NAIS, 2006

29. Sticky Messages • Simple • Unexpected • Concrete • Credible • Emotional • Story

30. Additional resources

31. “Marketing Independent Schools to Generation X and Minority Parents” http://www.nais.org/files/PDFs/MarketingIndependentSchoolstoGenXandMinorityParentsOct06.pdf • “NAIS National Public Opinion Poll 2006” http://www.nais.org/resources/article.cfm?ItemNumber=152040 • Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die at all booksellers • NAIS SurveyBuilder – www.nais.org/go/surveybuilder • NAIS Demographic Center (NAIS members only) – www.nais.org/go/demographics • “Parent Views on Independent Schools, Given the Current Economic Situation” (NAIS members only) - http://www.nais.org/sustainable/article.cfm?ItemNumber=151776