Baloney has a first name it’s….

I bet you can finish this song from beginning to end. Most of us do it smiling with flashbacks of childhood commercials and picnic sandwiches.

Does good education have a first name? What is it?

If you are a charter educator, school leader, or satisfied consumer—you probably answered this question with the name of your charter school.

Is your school the only gig in the K-12 education field of your town? Possible, but doubtful.

We live in a world where school choice is prominent. With roughly 4,900 unique charter schools across the nation, there is even choice among school choice. So how do you distinguish yourself?

Each charter school is designed with a specific flavor, or theme, if you will. With that in mind, who is your target demographic? Are you reaching your community effectively? Unlike some schools, charter schools can't assume that students will just automatically walk through the doors because they moved into the same zip code. Nope, we have to earn our enrollment.

If you sing to your community “Good education has a first name it’s…” would they answer your school’s name? One would hope. But without a marketing and communication strategy, you can’t be overly confident.

You might have a terrific academics program that is accomplished and caring of its students. But if enough people don’t know about it, your enrollment can suffer. And if your enrollment suffers…okay, we won’t even talk about that. It’s too depressing to think of good schools that are no more because not enough families signed up.

The point is; every charter school needs to have a marketing strategy and communication’s group.
It does not have to be expensive, nor extravagant. Just be sure of who you are, who your target base is, and how to reach them. The rest is a piece of cake.

More Information:

Education 101: What is a charter school?

Info 101: Directory of State and National Charter School Organizations

For information about seminars and presentations on topics related to charter schools and families, please contact Karin Piper directly Karin@charterschoolmom.com.

Karin Piper is the author and speaker of USA News Best Books 2009 finalist Charter Schools: The Ultimate Handbook for Parents (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing), which boasts more than 30 chapters of must-know information and a complete school research guide for parents seeking charter schools.

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