2 thoughts on “Policy Options Brief on School Enrollment and Retention”
Maureen very clearly states the problem. She breaks it into sections that are easy to identify by the reader and uses language that is easily understood by all. It is evident that she is highly invested in making policy changes and suggestions to help the school she works at succeeds and that she is fully invested in the mission. Maureen clearly lists every aspect of options she identifies and even lays out costs. I think a combination of policy option 1 (advertising and marketing outreach) and policy 5 (increasing financial aid and outside financial support) would be the best options. Making sure that the school is in the public eye and noticed by potential families is key for recruitment efforts. This will ensure that families in other boroughs that can afford the tuition would have access to information about the school and programs. Additionally, the suggestions made about applying for grants in technology, science, and gardening is a great avenue to explore. If parents are qualified to research and write grants, that would be ideal. Are the parents qualified to do this? Could a consultant be hired if money was raised for one at a fundraising event or a private donor gave funds?
Maureen, I think you did a great job in addressing the seriousness of this problem. With the Brooklyn School being a new school and having a distinct growth pattern (based on a cooperative perspective) than many other schools, it becomes hard to retain enrollment while countering the costs at the same time. You explained the causes of these issues, as well as, gave a thorough background of the distinction between the school and where the problem stems from. More importantly, you did a thorough assessment of the resources need to implement each policy option
I think the best policy option would be policy option # 5: retain current families by increasing financial aid and outside financial support to reduce costs. This policy option is the one that overlaps the most. By increasing financial support from outside sources, you can allow for more financial aid, and also use this monetary support for increased marketing and advertising, which in effect will attract new families. One option that can be included in this policy option is to research whether there are other schools that have been through the same process as the Brooklyn School. By doing so, you can determine what their challenges were and how they relate to the current challenges. Therefore, you might be able to take some pointers from their experiences.
Maureen very clearly states the problem. She breaks it into sections that are easy to identify by the reader and uses language that is easily understood by all. It is evident that she is highly invested in making policy changes and suggestions to help the school she works at succeeds and that she is fully invested in the mission. Maureen clearly lists every aspect of options she identifies and even lays out costs. I think a combination of policy option 1 (advertising and marketing outreach) and policy 5 (increasing financial aid and outside financial support) would be the best options. Making sure that the school is in the public eye and noticed by potential families is key for recruitment efforts. This will ensure that families in other boroughs that can afford the tuition would have access to information about the school and programs. Additionally, the suggestions made about applying for grants in technology, science, and gardening is a great avenue to explore. If parents are qualified to research and write grants, that would be ideal. Are the parents qualified to do this? Could a consultant be hired if money was raised for one at a fundraising event or a private donor gave funds?
Maureen, I think you did a great job in addressing the seriousness of this problem. With the Brooklyn School being a new school and having a distinct growth pattern (based on a cooperative perspective) than many other schools, it becomes hard to retain enrollment while countering the costs at the same time. You explained the causes of these issues, as well as, gave a thorough background of the distinction between the school and where the problem stems from. More importantly, you did a thorough assessment of the resources need to implement each policy option
I think the best policy option would be policy option # 5: retain current families by increasing financial aid and outside financial support to reduce costs. This policy option is the one that overlaps the most. By increasing financial support from outside sources, you can allow for more financial aid, and also use this monetary support for increased marketing and advertising, which in effect will attract new families. One option that can be included in this policy option is to research whether there are other schools that have been through the same process as the Brooklyn School. By doing so, you can determine what their challenges were and how they relate to the current challenges. Therefore, you might be able to take some pointers from their experiences.