EDUCATION
AR&D has all the capabilities to help you create, build and implement a successful engagement and retention plan. We also have the flexibility to enhance and augment your existing strategy. Simply put, our solutions can be delivered individually or in any combination that suits the particular needs and challenges of your district.
ANALYZE
In the era of “school choice,” districts must adopt the “customer-centric” attitudes, systems and processes inherent in traditional businesses. They must endeavor to understand the parent (customer) journey in relation to their schools and then identify moments of friction to fix, or moments of delight to build upon. Data is essential to identifying these opportunities.
Our platform tracks all sources of student mobility – incoming, outgoing and intradistrict – through a system of intake and exit surveys conducted as part of the enrollment/disenrollment process. Results from the surveys instantly populate to our cloud-based dashboard where data for all schools in the District is aggregated and graphed. Robust filtering capabilities allow administrators to gain deeper insight into the current student/parent experiences; quickly identify problem areas, both at the District and campus level; and monitor trends over time.
1. DISTRICT ANALYSIS & PROFILING
Understand the District – what makes it unique, including the current inclination toward school choice. Look at which school experiences parents value most. The higher value areas will eventually become our brand priorities (versus being “all things to all people”) and will be critical to engagement and retention efforts.
3. SCHOOL CHOICE
Dive deeply into school choice. Profile the parent segments most likely to be considering a school change. Identify the driving factors behind student mobility – is it dissatisfaction with your district’s schools or interest in the opportunities/offerings of other schools?
2. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Explore satisfaction ratings of the district, both overall and with particular school experiences. Make direct comparisons to how former parents (i.e., those who have moved students to neighboring districts or charter schools) feel about their current schools.
4. RETENTION OPPORTUNITIES
Explore tangible things the district can offer that would increase engagement or retain/lure parents. Check awareness and perceived value of key curriculum and facility features. Hear from parents who have made the switch but then opted to return to the district – their perspective is invaluable to understanding and reducing student churn.
AR&D is not the typical partner for your bond election. We conduct the voter research. We devise the campaign strategic plan and we help guide the execution of the plan, including counsel on the most effective and most economical methods for reaching the persuable voters.
The persuadable voter is not every voter. The persuadable voter is the campaign target because the persuadable voter is the person who has yet to decide to vote yes or no. Our research can identify the persuadable voter. We can tell you their gender, age, education, religion, zip code, favorite TV newscast or radio station, their most frequently used social media platforms and the specific arguments that will convince the persuadables to support your bond proposal(s).
Almost as important, our research can inform the campaign on what arguments your opponents may attempt and which of those can be ignored because they have no impact on the persuadable voter, thus saving campaign time and resouces.
We also help organize your voter ID and GOTV efforts since identifying your supporters and Getting Out The Vote is often the single most important tactic used by any campaign.
Our personnel have had experience in campaigns for school bonds, sales tax elections, anti-smoking ordinances, state legislatures, US Congress, and races for mayor. Our success in issue elections is more than 80%.
UNDERSTAND
A brand exists in the minds of the consumer, not in what the organization thinks of itself. While organizations may offer an array of services, the most successful among them craft a narrowly focused brand or persona that advances the attributes that are highly-valued by customers AND distinct from the competition.
Our brand development process helps clients define a clear, cohesive brand strategy based on valued attributes and student experiences, initiatives currently woven into the district’s strategic plan, and the current opportunities and challenges facing the district. It is comprised of three critical phases:
PHASE ONE
A brand research study to fully ascertain current stakeholder (parent) beliefs and behavior.PHASE TWO
Development of a penetrating “value proposition” that best serves the future interest of the district.PHASE THREE
Formulation of a brand message, tactical messaging concepts and creative treatments to drive the district's brand forward.
The study will define, in detail, the period of time required for each employee to conduct key tasks during a normal workday. And, our analysis will provide the actual cost of those tasks to the District so school administrators can fully understand the financial implications of each activity in light of the expectations and responsibilities of the Department. As a result, the District will have pertinent facts to begin transforming and re-aligning departmental resources.
DEVELOP
But frequently, a school district’s approach to external communications resembles that of internal communications – putting the information out there to be understood and, hopefully, considered.
AR&D trains America’s great storytellers and news reporters. Although our techniques and approach to storytelling have evolved through the decades, the goal has remained the same: make people “feel” something.
Our Brand Storytelling service is an extensive, skills-based training program for content creators, videographers, multimedia marketers and designated employees. With limited resources available for Communications and Marketing activities, the program is designed to create a district-wide team of talented storytellers, greatly enhancing your district’s ability to consistently share its story.
AR&D helps your team keep pace by working to seamlessly and quickly incorporate these changes and new tools into your overall communications strategy. Our proven techniques are designed to increase content engagement on key communications channels, thus furthering the reach of your well-crafted, branded stories.
We help you build a robust yet adaptable annual digital media strategic plan for your district. It is tailored to the district’s brand priorities and includes specific monthly tactics for engaging key audiences, ensuring your stories break through the message clutter and reach the families, students and key partners you serve.
AR&D’s Brand Ambassador Program helps you leverage those critical voices to communicate the district’s brand mission, showcase your student experience and maintain strong ties to parents, students and the community.
Key features of the program include:
• Follow a clearly defined, strategic six-step process.
• Implement a robust training program.
• Collect key data on the ambassadors and their efforts.
• Assess ongoing impact and program results.
• Implement proven tactics to reinforce achievements and reward high performers.
• Utilize the exclusive AR&D program lifecycle for continuous program improvement.
EDUCATION
AR&D has all the capabilities to help you create, build and implement a successful engagement and retention plan. We also have the flexibility to enhance and augment your existing strategy.
ANALYZE
AR&D’s Enrollment Analytics is a sophisticated, real-time data collection platform for gathering, aggregating and analyzing data on student churn.
Learn More
In the era of “school choice,” districts must adopt the “customer-centric” attitudes, systems and processes inherent in traditional businesses. They must endeavor to understand the parent (customer) journey in relation to their schools and then identify moments of friction to fix, or moments of delight to build upon. Data is essential to identifying these opportunities. Our platform tracks all sources of student mobility – incoming, outgoing and intradistrict – through a system of intake and exit surveys conducted as part of the enrollment/disenrollment process.
Results from the surveys instantly populate to our cloud-based dashboard where data for all schools in the District is aggregated and graphed. Robust filtering capabilities allow administrators to gain deeper insight into the current student/parent experiences; quickly identify problem areas, both at the District and campus level; and monitor trends over time.
AR&D’s Engagement & Retention Survey is a comprehensive, 360-degree survey focused exclusively on parent engagement and student retention. It encompasses the following four (4) key areas of focus:
1. DISTRICT ANALYSIS & PROFILING
Understand the District – what makes it unique, including the current inclination toward school choice. Look at which school experiences parents value most. The higher value areas will eventually become our brand priorities (versus being “all things to all people”) and will be critical to engagement and retention efforts.
2. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Explore satisfaction ratings of the district, both overall and with particular school experiences. Make direct comparisons to how former parents (i.e., those who have moved students to neighboring districts or charter schools) feel about their current schools.
3. SCHOOL CHOICE
Dive deeply into school choice. Profile the parent segments most likely to be considering a school change. Identify the driving factors behind student mobility – is it dissatisfaction with your district’s schools or interest in the opportunities/offerings of other schools?
4. RETENTION OPPORTUNITIES
Explore tangible things the district can offer that would increase engagement or retain/lure parents. Check awareness and perceived value of key curriculum and facility features. Hear from parents who have made the switch but then opted to return to the district – their perspective is invaluable to understanding and reducing student churn.
Typically, bond election assistance involves separate companies and organizations: one for voter research and one for strategic campaign planning and execution.
AR&D is not the typical partner for your bond election. We conduct the voter research. We devise the campaign strategic plan and we help guide the execution of the plan, including counsel on the most effective and most economical methods for reaching the persuable voters.
Learn More
The persuadable voter is not every voter. The persuadable voter is the campaign target because the persuadable voter is the person who has yet to decide to vote yes or no. Our research can identify the persuadable voter. We can tell you their gender, age, education, religion, zip code, favorite TV newscast or radio station, their most frequently used social media platforms and the specific arguments that will convince the persuadables to support your bond proposal(s).
Almost as important, our research can inform the campaign on what arguments your opponents may attempt and which of those can be ignored because they have no impact on the persuadable voter, thus saving campaign time and resouces.
We also help organize your voter ID and GOTV efforts since identifying your supporters and Getting Out The Vote is often the single most important tactic used by any campaign.
Our personnel have had experience in campaigns for school bonds, sales tax elections, anti-smoking ordinances, state legislatures, US Congress, and races for mayor. Our success in issue elections is more than 80%.
UNDERSTAND
A brand is the sum total of all the emotional connections a consumer feels for a company or an organization. A brand exists in the minds of the consumer, not in what the organization thinks of itself. While organizations may offer an array of services, the most successful among them craft a narrowly focused brand or persona that advances the attributes that are highly-valued by customers AND distinct from the competition.
Our brand development process helps clients define a clear, cohesive brand strategy based on valued attributes and student experiences, initiatives currently woven into the district’s strategic plan, and the current opportunities and challenges facing the district. It is comprised of three critical phases:
PHASE ONE
A brand research study to fully ascertain current stakeholder (parent) beliefs and behavior.
PHASE TWO
Development of a penetrating “value proposition” that best serves the future interest of the district.
PHASE THREE
Formulation of a brand message, tactical messaging concepts and creative treatments to drive the district's brand forward.
AR&D’s Workflow Analysis Study is designed to better align Communication Department resources with the District’s changing operational imperatives (i.e., student retention, parent engagement and satisfaction).
Learn More
The study will define, in detail, the period of time required for each employee to conduct key tasks during a normal workday. And, our analysis will provide the actual cost of those tasks to the District so school administrators can fully understand the financial implications of each activity in light of the expectations and responsibilities of the Department. As a result, the District will have pertinent facts to begin transforming and re-aligning departmental resources.
DEVELOP
Stories with a powerful emotional component are remembered and shared. But frequently, a school district’s approach to external communications resembles that of internal communications – putting the information out there to be understood and, hopefully, considered.
AR&D trains America’s great storytellers and news reporters. Although our techniques and approach to storytelling have evolved through the decades, the goal has remained the same: make people “feel” something.
Learn More
Our Brand Storytelling service is an extensive, skills-based training program for content creators, videographers, multimedia marketers and designated employees. With limited resources available for Communications and Marketing activities, the program is designed to create a district-wide team of talented storytellers, greatly enhancing your district’s ability to consistently share its story.
The world of social media is ceaselessly evolving as platforms like Facebook change their algorithms and deploy new “tools” for content creators who are trying to reach targeted audiences. This makes innovation in the digital space a persistent and daunting challenge.
Learn More
AR&D helps your team keep pace by working to seamlessly and quickly incorporate these changes and new tools into your overall communications strategy. Our proven techniques are designed to increase content engagement on key communications channels, thus furthering the reach of your well-crafted, branded stories.
We help you build a robust yet adaptable annual digital media strategic plan for your district. It is tailored to the district’s brand priorities and includes specific monthly tactics for engaging key audiences, ensuring your stories break through the message clutter and reach the families, students and key partners you serve.
From teachers to administrators, from parents to community partners; all of these supporters have the ability to be strong advocates for your district.
AR&D’s Brand Ambassador Program helps you leverage those critical voices to communicate the district’s brand mission, showcase your student experience and maintain strong ties to parents, students and the community.
Key features of the program include:
• Follow a clearly defined, strategic six-step process.
• Implement a robust training program.
• Collect key data on the ambassadors and their efforts.
• Assess ongoing impact and program results.
• Implement proven tactics to reinforce achievements and reward high performers.
• Utilize the exclusive AR&D program lifecycle for continuous program improvement.
THE AR&D WAY
