In my prior blog, “School Buses, Lord of the Flies, and The Right People”, I received comments and questions about my own experience riding school buses, how to develop exciting non-bus orientated analogies, and what dispositions I look for in candidates; however, the most significant interest and conversation revolved around the following comment: Recruit Talent: No offense to those that … Read More
Marketing Research, Part 3 : Message Testing
Do you know what’s important to your current and potential school families? It’s different from what you may call key distinctives or core values (why we do what we do and the words that best describe our deliverable). Key distinctives and core values may be important ways of talking and thinking about your school, but they aren’t necessarily important to … Read More
Do you have “PEP” as a School Leader?
As I have thought recently about effective leadership at the principal, superintendent, and head of school level in Christian schools, it occurs to me that there are at least three areas of focus that are critical to do the job effectively. I have identified these areas with the acronym PEP – Priorities, Entrepreneurialism, and People Centeredness. Priorities: The leader of … Read More
School Buses, Lord of the Flies, and “The Right People”
In his blog from April “The Right People in the Right Seats” Tim Van Soelen encourages Christian schools to attract talent into their school through the lens of Collins’ research on Good to Great businesses. This sparked a question from a number of friends who were in the midst of hiring for next school year, which was: How do we … Read More
Christian Schools Are Good News for Society at Large
**Richard Edlin, in his book, “The Cause of Christian Education” explores the reasons for and the distinctives of Christian education at the school and higher education levels. Edlin highlights foundational belief perspectives and shows how these apply in curriculum and related areas such as vision and mission, the place of the Bible, evaluation and assessment, the teacher as mentor, and … Read More
Independent School Marketers: 3 Steps to Maximize Your Marketing
Independent School marketers are always looking for the best way to attract and engage target markets to content. As a graduate student in the Northwestern Medill Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program with expertise in independent school marketing, I have found two articles you will find interesting and insightful. In “The Importance of Visual Storytelling to Marketing Strategy” by Kasey Larsen on VerticalRailCreative.com, the … Read More
Learning More About Deeper Learning
In my recent posts, I have mentioned the term Deeper Learning. This term was actually coined by the Hewlett Foundation to describe the practice of a network of schools who are “doing school differently.” In this post I would like to describe the aspects of Deeper Learning and give resources for further exploration. The Deeper Learning Network consists of individual … Read More
Marketing Research, Part 2: Satisfaction in a Changing Market
This is the second blog in a 5 part series on the types of marketing research that prove to be the most effective for Christian schools and how to think strategically about research. My goal is to provide a small toolbox of articles that can be used by Christian school leaders to assess their overall approach, and supplement, where possible, … Read More
Rethinking Recess
Some of my clearest memories of elementary school are the all-out sprints from the door to be the first to the basketball court, baseball diamond or the merry-go-round at recess. I remember, like it was yesterday, how hard it was to stay in the single file line from the classroom to the exit door, frustrated by how slowly the line had to … Read More
Support and Experiences: The College Advantage
As a college counselor at a highly regarded academic institution, my students are consistently seeking for the best in collegiate education. However, the cultural pressure to attend a highly selective university often outweighs the benefits students may gain from other less notable possibilities. Frank Bruni has written recently in an Op-Ed about what is happening near me in Palo Alto … Read More