Implementation Description
From the moment More is Now Achievable (MINA) Charter School of Lee County learned they had received a charter and with an understanding that “education is a people based industry, placing emphasis on relationships” (Altemeyer, 2017), the school implemented a grassroots approach to student recruitment that involved door-to-door efforts in targeted neighborhoods with a high number of educationally disadvantaged (ED) students and families. School leaders were intentionally present at community activities where potential students and families congregated; including soccer games, a local flea market, churches, and other gatherings. With a dedicated focus to reach Spanish-speaking families in these communities and knowing that hiring community liaisons has been shown as an effective way to “cultivate trust and meaningful connections between school staff, students and families”(Reform Support Network, 2014), the school made two critical hires. Through the opportunity afforded by NC ACCESS grant funding, MINA was able to procure a Spanish-fluent Community Liaison and a Parent Liaison, both at 20 hours per week, during the school’s planning year. The Spanish-fluent Community Liaison is a bilingual, long-time resident of the community working directly with the Spanish-speaking population to share the mission of the school, explain opportunities for students at the school, translate all materials and conversations into Spanish, and assist with completion of the application process. Based on research showing that disadvantaged students learn better from teachers who represent the diversity they see in their daily lives (Miller, 2018), one of the school’s goals was to hire a staff that mirrors the demographics of the student population. Hiring the Spanish-fluent Community Liaison was a first step and demonstrated their commitment to inclusion, provided credibility in the community, and made it easier to recruit a diverse school faculty with at least three bilingual Hispanic teachers. Reaching the Hispanic population, which makes up 19.6% percent of the county’s population (United States Census Bureau), is a priority as evidenced by the inclusion of a Hispanic Board member to advocate and participate in the school decision-making process as well as the intentional decision to invest in a Spanish-fluent Community Liaison. The Spanish-fluent Community Liaison in conjunction with the Parent Liaison acted as community-based advocates managing the day-to-day outreach, meeting with parents in various housing communities, and making contacts leading to an increase in enrollment (see Results).
Further utilizing the NC ACCESS grant funding opportunity to expand marketing and recruitment, MINA was able to hire a professional marketing company, Media Integrations LLC, to support the school with the development of their general branding and image in the community at-large. This support has helped introduce MINA to community stakeholders, such as the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, and others invested in the community that needed to understand the value MINA adds to the community. When the pandemic closed surrounding schools and canceled planned community information sessions and events, this team of liaisons worked with the school’s marketing firm, Media Integrations LLC, to ensure that all messaging was available to families in both Spanish and English.
Results
252 students enrolled during the first project year with a waiting list of 130 students. At least 40% of those enrolled identify as Hispanic.
Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic quickly put an end to all face-to-face activities that were taking place in the community. However, the recruitment effort continued through social media. The Spanish-fluent Community Liaison began working with Media Integrations, LLC to translate all content and messages, shared twice daily, into Spanish. MINA felt that this approach was a better choice than using a web-based translator that may not provide an accurate translation that would resonate with an authentic speaker.
Future Modifications
MINA will focus on increasing recruitment of more ED students by having events at each of the public housing communities in Lee County. These events allow families to learn about the opportunities for their children while engaged in social activities or simple conversations with school leaders and staff.
In addition, the school plans to establish a Parent Ambassador Team that will inform school-based decisions on marketing and recruitment, as well as other academic and operational efforts. This team will provide a channel through which parents will have a voice and will promote effective and ongoing communication between parents, teachers and the broader school community.
The availability of NC ACCESS grant funds will allow the Spanish-fluent Community Liaison to transition to a front office position while continuing to engage in recruitment activities. Likewise, the Parent Liaison will transition to a full-time substitute position at the school.
Critical Components
Getting Started
Per the school’s leadership team, the financial ability to hire three positions during the planning year, a Head Administrator, a Spanish-fluent Community Liaison at 20 hours/week and a Parent Liaison at 20 hours/week was critical to the successful recruitment of their first class of students. This leadership team was able to dedicate the requisite time to planning, and recruitment strategies and activities. This was made possible because of NC ACCESS funding.
Hiring a professional marketing company to develop a branding plan and manage the school’s web presence was critical to their ability to effectively recruit students prior to the opening of the school. Utilizing web site analytics, they were able to ensure that the school’s social presence was constantly being pushed and seen by social media users.
Ongoing Supports
As mentioned in Getting Started, the Spanish-fluent Community Liaison will transition to a front office position and continue to assist with recruitment while the Parent Liaison will transition to a full-time substitute role.
Research
1. Altemeyer, Dana M. (December 2017). Public and Private School Marketing Initiatives in Central Indiana: An Exploratory Study. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/21865/Altemeyer%20Dissertation.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
2. Reform Support Network (March 2014) Strategies for Community Engagement in School Turnaround. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/implementation-support-unit/tech-assist/strategies-for-community-engagement-in-school-turnaround.pdf
3. Miller, C. (September 10, 2018) The New York Time. The Upshot. Does Teacher Diversity Matter in Student Learning? Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/10/upshot/teacher-diversity-effect-students-learning.html
4. 1. United States Census Bureau, Quick Facts North Carolina, Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/facts/table/NC/PST045219
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