Who are your most active enrollment ambassadors at your K-12 school? Parents, teachers, students, alumni? Hopefully, it’s a combination of many of your constituent groups.
Treating your teachers well, besides being the right thing to do, can be a goldmine of goodwill. Even something as simple as gift card drawings can boost morale and help create the happy “buzz” that you need.
Combine that with proper teacher pay and benefits, and meaningful dialogue that gives teachers a stake in shaping the future of your school and you have a winning combination. Yes, it requires a financial commitment but that’s the part about it being the right thing to do anyway.
When teachers receive reinforcement that their mission is to love and teach every child, every day, they begin each day with the right spirit. Students know if teachers really care and they tell their friends.
Incremental campus improvements are another way to generate excitement. Many things can be done at a reasonable cost and, when they are in high visibility areas, people start talking…in a good way.
Having the principals, school head and key administrators stand at the curb occasionally to wave and greet the morning arrival is a simple but sincere representation of a school’s heart to appreciate its families.
Ultimately your product in the classroom and your school culture determine your success, but many smaller things can help along the way.