Finding a unique description for our school

Mommy F.

Mon, Oct 31 2011, 6:29 pm

Hello Ladies,

I am associated with 2 different schools in my community, and both are always looking
for new students and ways to attract new students.

I was hoping some of you can help me. We have been told that it would help if the school
had some sort of specific identity. For example instead of just advertising as: a Jewish school or a Jewish afternoon school. To choose some sort of category of school and then become that school.

For example:
We are the - Jewish Montessori school
or we are the - Jewish Waldorf school
or we are the - Jewish school of the arts
or we are the - Jewish school of music . . .

Anymore ideas would be really appreciated.
We are specifically looking to attract the more secular/ modern Orthodox type of Jew.

Thanks so much!

zaq

Tue, Nov 01 2011, 10:47 pm

Mommy F. wrote:

We have been told that it would help if the school
had some sort of specific identity. For example instead of just advertising as: a Jewish school or a Jewish afternoon school. To choose some sort of category of school and then become that school.

!

This sounds to me totally wrong from every perspective. Choose some sort of school and become that school? Didn't your school have some sort of mission, hashkafa, vision, call it what you will, when it was established? Don't you have one now? I can see revising your mission over time if it becomes outmoded, but to stam pick a "type of school" that you think will appeal to people and "become it"? Sounds like a desperate husband-hunter saying "tell me what kind of woman you want and I'll be that woman". Like that's going to work, right?

First figure out what kind of school you are and then figure out a way to market it. Or, if you really want to completely overhaul the whole thing, figure out what's missing in your area and decide to fill that need. Are there gifted or physically- or learning-challenged children going to public school because the Jewish schools don't accommodate them? Are people sending their kids to nonJewish schools because the academic standards are higher, the college acceptance rates better, the uniforms more stylish, the neighborhoods better, the transportation more accommodating, the vacations and afterschool arrangements more convenient for working parents? IOW, survey the people who are not sending their kids to your schools and find out why. Ask them what factors, if changed or added, would persuade them to enroll their kids.

Inasmuch as we don't know where you live or what kinds of schools are there, we're hardly in a good position to suggest what your school ought to be hawking. To stam pick a topic-any topic-out of the air and decide you'll do that because it sounds good or cutting-edge doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I wouldn't want to send my kids to a school that operated that way.

BTW you can't ethically call yourself a Montessori school if you don't teach by the Montessori method, even though the term "Montessori" is not copyrighted.