Challenges give way to new approaches and new success for Catholic Schools

The challenges facing Catholic schools all across the country are well known. The shift away from former population centers, demographic changes (including families with fewer children), and a marked decline in religious practice-from 75 percent Mass attendance five decades ago to less than 25 percent today-has meant that there are often far fewer Catholics with school aged children in pews on a given Sunday.

This has meant not only a diminished pool of potential students, but also fewer families providing financial support to the parishes that sponsor the schools. Five decades ago, parishes could largely subsidize Catholic education for parishioners-often without any tuition cost at all-because of parish income. This is no longer the case.

Also, five decades ago, the faculties and school administrations were comprised mostly of women religious and clergy. In 1960, just 23 percent of teachers in the Diocese of Camden were lay men and women. Today, 93% are lay people, who must be paid a fair and just wage with good benefits.

Naturally, this change in the economic model for Catholic schools now requires that tuition be the primary source of revenue, supplemented by the generous support provided from parish subsidies and fundraising. While tuition is set at a level well-below the actual cost of educating a child, and represents a strong value, according to school officials, it has made the task of maintaining healthy enrollments a far greater challenge than it was five decades ago.

“The basic business model that existed 40 or 50 years ago-which was marked by low labor costs because of the commitment of religious, low per pupil cost because of full classrooms, full funding from sponsoring parishes-is still in place in many dioceses, even though the model no longer works,” said Gregory J. Geruson, director of the Catholic School Development Program (CSDP). CSDP is a Mount Laurel-based program of the International Education Foundation (IEF) founded by philanthropist Robert T. Healey, a 1947 Camden Catholic graduate, that provides consulting services to individual schools and diocesan leadership – at no charge to the schools or diocese.

“We know there are challenges,” said Christine Healey de Vaull, executive director of IEF, “But this does not mean that we must resign ourselves to inexorable decline. If we focus on the challenges and develop a new model that has at its core a strong sense of mission that is centered on excellence, values and the needs of school families, Catholic schools will thrive well into the future,” she said.

A competitive market

According to Geruson, Catholic schools appreciate now more than ever that they operate in a different climate and therefore cannot expect students to come to them automatically. “Catholic schools today operate in a competitive marketplace. Catholic education is a great product with great value, but it has to be marketed effectively.”

This marketing effort is taking root now throughout the diocese. Two years ago, CSDP, in a strategic partnership with the diocese and its schools, provided grant monies to elementary schools so they could each hire full-time advancement directors. There are now more than two dozen advancement directors working in the schools.

“The CSDP approach is to help schools help themselves. We provide guidance and support so that schools locally can carry out the strategies used so successfully by universities and independent schools, such as focusing on enrollment management, development, and communications, while increasing the involvement of the laity.

CSDP has provided each school with a two year grant totaling $37,500 to help launch the advancement initiative. CSDP consultants then visit with advancement directors every two weeks to share best practices and to assess progress.

“The presence of the advancement directors ensures that marketing has the focus it needs. The directors are finding fresh opportunities to target market the school, to demonstrate value to parents, to give prominence to the schools’ Catholic identity, academic quality, discipline, and the impact on students’ lifelong relationships and the likelihood of success in higher education and beyond,” said Geruson.

Geruson also stressed the importance of leadership in the schools and in the wider community. “In addition to the advancement director, the schools must have strong leadership with the pastor and principal. The core mission of the schools-religious values and academic excellence-must be evident and support obtained for it by engaging leaders in the community and by encouraging greater lay involvement on boards of governance. All of this is possible and already happening in many schools in the diocese.

Efforts bring positive return

Geruson said the efforts undertaken by the schools already are yielding results. “Over the last two years’ we’ve been working with schools to help create environments where schools can be sustained and flourish. Now we’re starting to see successes. There’s energy, enthusiasm and an excitement about the future.”

In addition to the hiring of full-time advancement directors, the schools are reconstituting school boards in order to provide for greater lay involvement by moving from an advisory capacity to having limited jurisdiction. Working with pastoral leadership, they will be a policy-making body focusing on financial oversight, fundraising, marketing, strategic planning, and board development. Boards already are in place in 11 schools and a dozen more are expected over the next few months.

Customer-centered focus

With many options before school families, they’re taking the time to shop, consider and evaluate the choices before them as they contemplate such a major decision. This requires an appropriate response, according to school officials.

“We have must have a parent-centered, customer-centered approach,” said Beth Alfonsi, senior advancement consultant for CSDP. “We want families to know that our schools have so much to offer. We want the customer experience to be engaging and inviting, with opportunities for follow-up, not only so that parents get the answers they need, but so that they have a positive experience when they evaluate the school.”

With CSDP’s guidance, schools have been encouraged to conduct visual audits to ensure that facilities are welcoming and make a strong, positive impression. Marketing materials are reviewed, updated and targeted for specific audiences. Exit interviews are now being conducted to ascertain why parents may choose to leave a Catholic school. “Once you understand the factors competing against retention, then you can do something about it,” said Geruson.

School personnel also have been coached to improve the quality of phone interactions and to ensure that callers are directed to those who can respond most effectively to their questions and to their specific needs. In conjunction with this effort, a “Secret Shopper” program has been implemented to monitor the quality of phone and recruitment interactions on a scale of one to five. 21 schools were evaluated this fall and as many as 31 will participate this spring. From the first evaluation in 2008 to the second in fall 2009, 14 schools improved their scores and seven schools scored 4 or 5.

“The schools are taking the secret shopper program seriously. It’s really seen as a positive, since it’s being used to improve parent satisfaction and to develop specific ways to make the parent centered environment as best as it can be,” said Alfonsi.

Well worth the investment

Most of all, says Geruson, schools are making great progress in showing the value of a Catholic education. “It’s not just a question of price, but of demonstrating the value of what the schools offer. Look at how much a family is getting for the price of tuition. No one can deliver this quality of education for this price. It’s well worth the investment now and t
he benefits will last a lifetime.”

 

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