Planes, Trains & Automobiles

All three are exactly alike really. They are merely different modes of transportation, designed to take people and/or products from one place to another -- from Point A to Point B.

Yet, they each have a niche and those who serve their niche well thrive.

Done properly they can complement each other and the overall economy is the better for it.

The same is true in education. Virtual, blended and traditional. Public, private and charter. Choose any three you like. Alternative, home-based, homeschool. The words are interchangeable. Each is merely a different mode of educating the young. Each has a niche to serve.

Those who understand their niche, cater to it, design for it, market to it, and serve it properly will thrive. Imagine though if each mode of education complemented each other rather than competed against one another.

What would learning look like then?

houston@figment-consulting.com

Ten things homeschoolers want virtual schools to know

1. Virtual schooling is not homeschooling though both are done primarily in the home, so don't tell us it is.

2. True flexibility is found in homeschooling, so find another word when we talk

3. Individualized learning, real individualized learning, is what homeschooling is all about

4. There are close to 2 million of us homeschoolers and no we don't all think alike

5. The small, yet sometimes loud minority of those homeschoolers who speak up don't speak for all of us

6. Don't talk to us about the free tuition because we know there is a cost

7. Freedom matters a great deal to us, and we won't give it up easily, even for something free

8. There are close to 2 million different reasons why us homeschoolers have chosen to homeschool

9. We are real people at the end of your data point, don't forget that

10. When we say "no" to your virtual school, what we are really saying is we don't trust what you are telling us

houston@figment-consulting.com

The edge

The edge can be a scary place.

It's lonely out there.

You feel exposed out there.

You are just not sure it can support you out there.

But, the edge is also the place where remarkable happens.

The edge is also the place where real change occurs.

The edge is also the place where virtual schools need to go.

Embrace the edge and you can impact the world.


houston@figment-consulting.com

The perfect teacher-student ratio in virtual schools

Is it 1:50?

Or, 1:25?

Or, 1:30?

My belief is the perfect teacher-student ratio is not a number but rather a person.

For one teacher, 30 students may be enough. For another, it may be 50 or 60.

Perhaps if we looked at it differently we could determine the best number of students for each teacher instead of trying to arbitrarily assign some average number across the board. Assign the number of students based on the ability of the teacher to build relationships with them instead of defining a number based on the industry.

Less students does not mean less of a teacher. More students does not mean a better teacher. If we are going to work to find the right-fit students, we need also to work to find the right-fit number for each teacher to shine, to excel, to prosper. and to impact the students under his/her care.

Sure, it would require additional thought related to compensation. But, it would be worth the investment.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Socialization in virtual schools

The "lack of socialization" ranks as one of the top three answers given by parents who remove their kids from virtual schools.

Virtual schools scratch their heads because they point to all of the field trips (virtual and in-person), clubs, and activities they offer as evidence of plenty of opportunities to socialize.

And yet "socialization" continues to be a problem for virtual schools. In response, virtual schools typically offer more field trips, more clubs, and more activities to try to solve this dilemma.

Socialization is defined as "learning the customs, attitudes, and values of a social group, or community."

What if the parents say "socialization" but have a different definition in mind?

In my Virtual School Manifesto: Nine Essential Ingredients for a Successful Virtual School, I make the argument that students (and parents) are not seeking socialization. Rather, they are searching for what I term connectionalization.

One of my Essential Ingredients is for virtual schools to become Human Connection schools. Rather than focus on socializing, focus on connecting students.

Connecting is intimate, personal.

Socialization occurs in the all-class meetings. Connecting occurs in the hallways. It's organic, viral, and student-crafted.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat -- they all succeed because they help people connect. Virtual schools can and should do the same thing -- help students (and families) make connections.

Students want a place to belong. Belonging occurs when connections are made.

Don't add another field trip. Instead turn your field trips into connecting opportunities.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Virtual school PRESENCE

Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy's new book "Presence" reveals the two areas people use to judge you within seconds. They quickly answer two questions:

Can I trust this person?
Can I respect this person?

She refers to them as warmth and competence respectively. And guess what? The one that is vital is not the competence but the warmth. People want to trust. Sure, competence is necessary but it is not the emotional driver that trust is.

This book is on my reading list because it supports a strong tenet of mine when it comes to virtual schools.

Parents enrolling in your school want to trust you. I refer to it as the emotional side of the aisle. Competence is the logical side, and warmth is the emotional.

Tuition-free, rigorous, accredited, parent satisfaction, and all the other current methods of outreach to families by virtual schools place far too much emphasis on the competence (on the logical) -- thinking that this will sway families to select their school.

It is time virtual schools tapped into the emotional side, the warmth side, and work hard to give families something to trust in.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Bounded rationality

Our ability to make rational decisions is actually limited by the information we have, the limitations of our mind, and the time constraints that surround the decision we are making.

Behavioral economists refer to this as bounded rationality -- a term attributed to Herbert A. Simon, a leading economist, political scientist and thinker of his time.

Whether small decisions or large ones, we are limited in our decision making though we tend to see ourselves as rational thinkers. Even when it comes to the education of our children, clearly one of the most critical decisions we will make each year, bounded rationality plays an integral role.

As virtual schools we have the potential to use this in order to manipulate families into making decisions that are best for our school. We also have the potential to help them make as rational of a decision as possible through the information we give them, the way in which we share it, and our willingness to put their interests first.

When we fail to do the latter it more often has to do with our fears of enrollment numbers than anything else. But, what if the reverse were true? What if, by being authentic we actually could better our enrollments, and increase our numbers? It's happening now.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Who is your competition?

For most virtual schools they first look to other virtual programs as their competition. Then, they look to traditional schools (charter, regular public). Finally, they may even look at other forms of education as their competition (blended, flipped, homeschool).

To become great though, a virtual school must expand their definition of competitor. They must go beyond the traditional ones and realize everyone is their competitors in some form or fashion.

Just prior to calling you, a family spent time with a Disney vacation representative planning out their long-awaited vacation to the Magic Kingdom. Then, they call you. If you think for a moment they don't compare the calls and the experience, then that is where you must begin.

You must begin to analyze each and every touch point (or times when you come into contact with a customer), broaden your understanding of competition, and then adapt and improve your overall customer experience based on your new understanding, not your old one.

What would your enrollment experience look like if you did this? Would it change? In what ways would you improve it?

houston@figment-consulting.com

What parents want from a virtual school

Give me something worth enrolling in instead of trying to sell me something

Give me information so I can make a decision that is best for my family, not for your school

Speak to me in my language

Explain to me what you are trying to say

Listen to my story, hear what I am telling you

Make it personal for me

Show me you care for me

Only promise what you will put forth in effort to try and fulfill

Be real with me

houston@figment-consulting.com

Authenticity, transparency, and vulnernability

Authenticity is a difficult ask because it means we admit to our flaws.

Transparency though is tougher because it means our flaws are shared.

And that leads us to vulnerability - which is what we are most afraid of.

When we feel vulnerable we are exposed.

Before you can be authentic and even transparent with your students, you must first be willing to be vulnerable, to be exposed for what you are not.

Know who you are, accept who you are, be who you are, and you have the potential to develop a meaningful relationship with your students and families that is built on trust.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Virtual School Enrollment Call Centers

If you pay your Enrollment team, or enrollment call center, based on enrollments, you do not and cannot have a retention culture.

So, you can unleash all of the "retention programs" you want but they will not have the impact you desire. And, your marketing efforts will fall flat, no matter how brilliant they may appear.

Attrition rates (in-year departures) and retention rates are what they are in virtual schools because we merely want to talk the talk while avoiding walking the talk.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Merry Christmas

While I have no analytical data to prove it, I sense that the term "Merry Christmas" is being used more this year than prior years.

Perhaps it is the circles I run in, yet I spent over a month at Disney World, and noticed it there as well. I also noticed it at Target, at Publix, at Celebration, FL, and a multitude of other places this year.

To me, it seems "Happy Holidays" has taken a back seat to "Merry Christmas."

Have you noticed it too?

Merry Christmas.

houston@figment-consulting.com

"Hi, I'm Olaf. And I like warm hugs."

If you concentrate only on the needs of your students, you miss the point.

Take time to figure out what your students like.

When you begin to meet those, you then have the opportunity of building something remarkable.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Imagination

One little spark, of inspiration
Is at the heart, of all creation.
Right at the start, of everything that's new.
One little spark, lights up for you.

Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow.
Horn of a steer, but a lovable fellow.
From head to tail, he's royal purple pigment.
And there, voila!, you've got a Figment.

We all have sparks, imaginations.
That's how our minds, create creations.
For they can make, our wildest dreams come true.
Those magic sparks, in me and you.

Imagination, imagination.
A dream, can be a dream come true.
With just that spark, in me and you.

The Sherman Brothers
Journey into Imagination with Figment

houston@figment-consulting.com

Being authentic

Below is an image of the Nativity scene, and it is similar to one we probably have all grown up with.

It's a beautiful scene, filled with warmth.

However, I happen to believe it was probably more like the version below from Gari Melchers.

To me, this one is just as beautiful.

In today's world it is much easier for customers to "go behind the scenes" to see who you really are. The potential of it all is that many times a more authentic version of you is even more beautiful than the one you try to paint over in hopes that others will believe it.

Virtual schools have spent far too long trying to paint an unreal picture. All the while parents have been asking for them to be authentic yet for some reason they remain afraid to be who they are. I believe beauty lies within authenticity and those virtual schools who are willing to be who they are will lead us into the next generation of virtual schooling.

First though, that requires knowing who you are.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Once upon a time . . .

It's not the stories we tell others but the stories we tell ourselves that matter most.

"I can try" is far different than "I can't."

"Yes, if" opens more doors than "No, because."

It's not about positive thinking as much as it is about thinking positively. We tend to find that which we look for most and we see the world the way we expect to see it.

The beauty is we can begin a new story today, just as soon as we decide to turn the page.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Be a dreamer

The realists said Disneyland would never work.

The realists returned when Walt Disney wanted to build something bigger in Florida -- again, they said it would never work.

Dreamers tend to make things happen in spite of realists.

Oh sure, realism should be part of the dream. But it is far different to have realism in your dreams than it is to be a realist.

The past is in the past. It is the future that can be changed, starting with the one day we have -- today.

Decide today to be a dreamer, and dream big. We need your dreams.

houston@figment-consulting.com

"How can we get our students to engage?"

That was the question presented to me by a Superintendent the other day.

It's a question often asked of me -- whether it pertains to students, current families, or prospective families.

It's a typical question. I just happen to believe it is the wrong question to ask.

So often, we all spend our time and energy seeking to find, provide, or offer solutions.

Yet, how many times do we take a step back and make sure we are asking the best questions, even the right questions.

Wrong questions typically lead to wrong answers.

houston@figment-consulting.com

One is a lonely number

When parents tell you they are leaving your school due to lack of socialization, they are not asking for more field trips.

Nor are they seeking more clubs to join.

What they are looking for, what they are asking for is connections, not socialization.

Become a human connection virtual school and you create the potential to be a place where families want to belong.

To JP: Know who you are, accept who you are, and be who you are. The world needs what you have to offer.

To AK: Be as committed to your art when no one is watching just as much as you are when on stage. Success is found in the work done off stage, it is merely appreciated when on stage.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Homeschool company for sale?

Do you have a company dedicated to serving the homeschool community and you are ready to sell it? Or, do you know of someone who does?

If so, let's talk.

houston@figment-consulting.com