Why Enrollment Management is Needed in Independent Schools

PRINCETON, N.J., June 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The work of admission in independent schools — that is, getting students through the door — is one key component of enrollment management, but is just the beginning. In today's increasingly complex educational market, independent schools must incorporate strategic and comprehensive enrollment management to ensure the sustainability of their schools.

That is the case The Enrollment Management Association makes in a new report called What Every Head Needs to Know about Enrollment Management. It is intended to provide independent school leaders with both a high-level overview of enrollment management and useful examples of specific enrollment management practices in schools.

"We expect this report will provoke dialogue and new thinking about the changing conditions of and expectations for enrollment management," Heather Hoerle, executive director of the association, explains. "This conversation must happen now because sustainable enrollment is — and will remain for the foreseeable future — the number one issue facing independent schools."

This report is geared toward heads of school and their leadership teams. It provides the following historical and research-based context and practical resources:

• Trends that present enrollment challenges to independent schools, including demographic changes, stagnating incomes, changing customer expectations, and new sources of educational competition, among others;
• The journey in higher education institutions from admission to enrollment management in the face of similar challenges;
• A clear explanation of enrollment management, a term used to describe a school-wide focus on all the functions necessary to attract and retain students, including market research and strategy, educational program and school brand, recruitment and selection of new students, tuition and financial aid strategy, school culture and community, retention of current students, and student educational outcomes;
• Sample organizational models that schools can consider;
• A discussion of skills needed in an enrollment management leader; and
• Case studies of independent schools that have successfully transitioned to a comprehensive enrollment management model. 

"We hope that this report will speak to independent school leaders and spur them to action," says Hoerle. "It is critical to have their advocacy in moving schools toward adopting policies, practices, processes, and structures that best support a more centralized view of enrollment management."

To download this report, visit enrollment.org/emheads.

About The Enrollment Management Association

The Enrollment Management Association provides unparalleled leadership and service in meeting the admission assessment and enrollment needs of schools, students, and families. For more information, please visit www.enrollment.org.

SOURCE The Enrollment Management Association

Related Links

http://www.enrollment.org/