The power of choice in education

Virtual schools spend millions in an annual attempt to have families choose to go to their schools.

However, once families have chosen them, they tend to forget they are schools of choice and families can also choose to leave them -- which an alarming rate of them do each year.

Choice can go both ways and too many virtual schools focus on bringing people in the front door while thousands exit the back door.

Imagine a virtual school obsessed with serving its existing families instead of constantly looking for the next one to enroll.

houston@figment-consulting.com

rigorous virtual schools and spaghettification

A quick Google search of rigorous virtual schools will supply you with the following:

1. It is the RVS mission to provide a rigorous, college-preparatory online school . . .

2. Our mission at Temecula Advantage Virtual School is to . . . by providing a rigorous virtual . . .

3. TEC Connections Academy will . . . promote DESE's mission by providing a rigorous, effective virtual . .

4. Lake County Virtual School provides a rigorous curriculum . . .

Now, look up the definition of rigor and it aligns itself with words such as: strict, inflexible, severe, uncomfortable, and even cruel.

Why do virtual schools like to use the word rigorous when it carries with it such negative terms? What they will tell you is in the realm of education, rigorous means challenging. And, that is fine as long as they are speaking to their peers. The question is -- how many parents understand that? What about the students? Or, do they associate the word more with its Merriam-Webster definition?

In astrophysics the word spaghettification is the vertical stretching and horizontal compression of objects into long thin shapes but has nothing to do with the pasta (other than it looks like a noodle). Other scientists will naturally understand this which is fine as long as the astrophysicist speaks only to her peers. However, what if she were speaking to an audience of parents? Would they understand her talk? Or, would they simply envision a pasta noodle and wonder what spaghetti has to do with astrophysics?

I wonder what parents envision when they continually hear the word rigorous?

houston@figment-consulting.com

Tuition-free, online public school

It's a conundrum for virtual schools. They know the word "free" will attract interest and bring in more leads. Nothing wrong with that, especially if you believe any lead is a good lead.

However, when virtual schools are losing 30-40% of their students each year, one has to wonder if the problem begins with the students being attracted to the school?

"Tuition-free" is a lead-capture phrase, and last time I checked all online public schools are "tuition-free" so I am not sure how that sets one apart from the others. It would be similar to the colas touting themselves as liquids.

However, virtual schools are stuck on features and benefits -- and "tuition-free" is one they just can't get away from because the word free supposedly drives leads.

The question then becomes, is it driving the right kind of lead? Do you want a student to enroll in your virtual school primarily because you are free?

houston@figment-consulting.com

Ruts and tire tracks

The ruts that are most difficult to spot are those that appear to be tire tracks.

It may seem smooth but eventually you find out you are still stuck.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Mission Statements of Virtual Schools

Peruse many Mission Statements from companies and organizations, and it does not take long to understand why morale is low, turnover is high and results are tepid.

At K¹², our mission has remained steadfast: To provide any child access to exceptional curriculum and tools that enable him or her to maximize his or her success in life, regardless of geographic, financial, or demographic circumstance.

The mission of Connections Academy is to help each student maximize his or her potential and meet the highest performance standards through a uniquely individualized learning program. 

According to an article from Entrepreneur.com, a Mission Statement is the "essence of your business's goals and the philosophies underlying them." The article (from 2003) provides some nice tips on developing a Mission Statement for your company, organization, or even school. It does so by providing some questions for you to answer to help identify key aspects to share within the statement.

One question missing though is "Does your Mission Statement inspire anyone?" If it does not inspire those who work for you, how do you expect your employees to do inspirational work? And, if your employees are not inspired, how do you expect them to inspire your customers?

Employees want to know that the work they are doing is making a difference, that they are part of something larger than themselves. If they are there only for the paycheck, then perhaps you need to look for other employees. But, before you do, make sure it is their lack of inspiration rather than you not giving them something to be inspired by.

Virtual schools carry with them the promise of so much more than "providing any child access" or "maximizing potential" (whatever that means). Virtual schools have the opportunity to change the world of education. Why not make that your mission?

Why not be a school "dedicated, even obsessed with nurturing the passion within each child to never stop learning, growing, and developing a life of significance."

Inspire us with your mission and support it by your actions. Then, watch it spread.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The dance of the investment call.

I spend part of my time listening to investment calls and pouring over call transcripts to glean information, tidbits, insight, and overall direction as it relates primarily to education providers, virtual school providers, and eLearning providers.

What amazes me is the almost choreographed dance that occurs between company representatives and investment firms on the calls I listen to. The surface-level harmony that exists between the statements, questions and answers causes me to question the purpose behind the calls, other than a simple formality.

I wonder if investors would be better served if the calls were more like investigative journalism instead of public relations positioning?

houston@figment-consulting.com

STEM and Leonardo da Vinci

While I understand the motives behind the push for greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in school, I wonder if it means we may push aside those who have the potential to create the next Mona Lisa?

By raising the importance of STEM, what are we telling the artists, the creatives, the writers?

And now we not only have STEM, we also have eSTEM, STEAM (applied math), and MINT (math, information sciences, natural sciences, and technology).

What if we focused instead on the acronym CHILD, as in individual student? Perhaps we would learn quickly it is not an acronym after all, and each one is unique -- some are artists, some are scientists, some are business-minded, some are writers, some are engineers.

"Leonardo, what are you doing?"

"It is a sketch of a painting I want to work on."

"Painting? No, no, no, Leonardo. Put that away and get to work on your math. There will be no more drawing in my class."

houston@figment-consulting.com

Comments from Management

A technology-based education company and leading provider of proprietor of curriculum recently posted their quarterly earnings, and conducted their quarterly investor call. As part of the release, the company issued the highlights for the quarter. Within those highlights was the section titled "Comments from Management."

"Improving academic outcomes remains our number one priority," said the CEO of the company. "To support this goal, we will continue to invest in new content, systems and tools for our students and teachers while driving further enhancements across the schools we serve."

Their schools across the country are struggling to meet AYP targets, and they recently released new AP test prep apps. AP tests are not part of AYP requirements. So, new content is not the answer.

New systems and tools might be helpful but they are not the solutions either. If they were, the existing systems and tools should suffice.

Perhaps the company would do well to align their stated number one priority with the solutions that could make a real difference. Until they do, academic performance will remain a pain point, and the next quarterly report will sound much like this one.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Why virtual schools will succeed . . .

. . . is the obligation I owe to you after my last blog, even though I touched on it there too.

The virtual schools that succeed are the ones that embrace the new paradigm. They will move away from the old mindset of marketing to the masses and serve the outliers, the weird. They will stop watching the daily enrollment numbers. And, they will understand that retention is not a program that launches every March.

What will they do instead? Three main things that all other activities revolve around.

1. Make retention a culture

Virtual schools that comprehend there really is no such thing as an "Enrollment Department" will begin to understand the positive impact that can have on their culture. Remember, retention begins at the point someone pays attention to what you are saying, not each March.

It then extends to each and every thing you do as a school -- in reality, even the next two items revolve around this one.

2. Be in the connection business

Successful virtual schools will be the ones who are in the connection business as much as the academic. The internet has transformed our world into a connection economy -- the old way of doing business is either over already, or quickly coming to an end. Virtual schools, by their very nature, have the ability to take advantage of this new paradigm and be an environment of connection.

3. Speak clearly and fulfill your promises

Not talking about annunciation here. No, this has more to do with communicating the expectations, responsibilities, commitments, and challenges clearly, succinctly, and authentically. Stay away from "marketing" terms, and speak with clarity.

And, when you make a promise, make sure you fulfill it. If you want to inspire loyalty, then fulfill it in an unexpected, delightful way to the student/family.

Understand though, knowing what to do is different than knowing how to do it. Implementing these three items (and all the other ones that wrap around these) will not be of help to you unless you do it the right way -- and that takes authenticity more than a strategy.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Why virtual schools will fail . . .

. . . has everything to do with trying to be all things to all people. It rarely works. Companies that try to serve the masses end up offering mediocre products (Proctor & Gamble comes to mind). And, virtual schools that attempt to serve every kind of student end up offering a mediocre experience, wrapped in a mediocre education.

One of the reasons virtual schools came into existence was due to the fact that many traditional public schools were not effective. And yet over the past decade so many of these same virtual schools have begun to mirror their ineffective brick-and-mortar counterparts.

Companies that excel, that stand out, are ones that know who they want to serve, and they center their attention on them - these people are the outliers (as Malcolm Gladwell calls them), the weird (as Seth Godin calls them), those that live on the edge, not in the middle. The days of successful companies catering to the masses are over. The same is true for virtual schools.

A virtual school that takes the time to identify who will benefit the most from their educational offerings, and cater to them will be the school that stands out, that grabs attention, and the one who leads the next wave of online learning.

Where you look for these students matters. Why? Most of them are not in the mass, they are on the edge. Is a school willing to go there in order to serve them? For many, the answer is "no." However, for those who are, the opportunity to be excellent awaits.

Rather than be a mediocre school for all kinds of students, be an excellent school for a select group of students, and serve them well.

Note: "Select" does not equal "Less"

houston@figment-consulting.com

We offer a "rigorous" curriculum . . .

Below is the definition of "rigorous" from Dictionary.com.

rig·or·ous

  [rig-er-uhs]  Show IPA

adjective

1.

characterized by rigor; rigidly severe or harsh, as people, rules, or discipline: rigorous laws.

2.

severely exact or accurate; precise: rigorous research.

3.

(of weather or climate) uncomfortably severe or harsh; extremely inclement.

4.

Logic, Mathematics . logically valid.

Not sure the words "harsh," "severe," and "extreme" are the ones I would want to associate with my curriculum.

Words matter, so choose them carefully.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Celebrating failure . . .

. . . may be exactly what you need to do.

If everything has to be done perfectly, then new ideas and innovation will suffer.

On the other hand, if failure (with good intent) is viewed equally with success, then you might just change the world.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The human connection

Technology is not the answer.

Technology gives you a shot at reaching students, and technology gives students a shot at learning.

Rather than build your virtual school around the technology, build it instead around the student. Remember, you are in the "human connection" business, not the online learning business.

www.figment-consulting.com

The school of possibility

Is it possible to inspire students to learn instead of teaching them how to memorize a base of common knowledge?

Is it possible to embrace the curiosity inherent within children and guide the learning process instead of mastering dates, times, and events for a test?

Is it possible to develop the individual child instead of teaching to the middle?

Is it possible to foster the skills of finding solutions instead of seeking correct answers?

Is it possible to measure the growth of each child individually instead of comparatively?

Is it possible to celebrate failure as part of the learning process instead of only rewarding correctness?

Is it possible to pursue individual dreams instead of group compliance?

Is it possible to learn the child instead of teach to the test?

Is it possible to place value on the question instead of just the answer?

Is it possible to have learning environments instead of classrooms?

Is it possible to stimulate the mind instead of numbing the senses?

Is it possible?

The uniqueness of virtual schools . . .

. . . is meeting the headwinds of comparability. In the beginning virtual schools were an alternative to traditional public schools where students sit in a desk with a teacher at the front of the classroom. It was easy to differentiate the two, and thereby they drew attention.

Now, after more than a decade, comparisons are not happening with their brick and mortar counterparts, no, potential customers are comparing one virtual school to another. So, what was once a purple cow, as author and blogger Seth Godin would call it, is now merely another cow on the side of the road -- going unnoticed.

Today, there is a Wikipedia page that lists virtual schools across the nation (not exhaustive mind you because I found two omissions with a cursory glance). Are they different from one another? Is there a purple cow among them? Or, are they all starting to look alike?

The one who understands how to be a purple cow in today's virtual, educational landscape will be the one that draws attention. It will be the one that leads us into the next decade.

It does not have to cost a lot of money, but it will take courage. Being purple always does.

www.figment-consulting.com

High attrition rates at virtual schools are caused by . . .

. . . several things really. Fortunately, most of the causes can be addressed.

Last week I wrote a blog discussing the buzzwords of virtual schools and received several emails asking me my opinion regarding the attrition rates in virtual schools. As I shared with those who reached out to me, there are a myriad of reasons why families choose to leave virtual schools. The question is, "Which ones can you impact positively to reduce the attrition rate?" Those are the ones you really want to focus your attention on.

With that in mind let me offer three reasons why families are leaving virtual schools, sometimes at alarming rates.

1) Expectations not being met.

I alluded to this in my buzzword blog, and will expound upon it here. Virtual schools typically position themselves as offering programs that are individualized, personalized, and flexible for families. My contention is the definitions placed upon these words by virtual schools do not mirror the definitions that families place upon them. And, what matters the most is the what the families expect when they hear these words.

If a virtual school states that they offer an "individualized program where a student can progress at his/her own pace," as a prospective family, I expect that to mean my child can move at the pace best suited for him. Unfortunately the reality is far different.

Personalized? Surely that means specific to me. Again, the reality is quite different. And, then there is flexible. Flexible is one that can fit here where expectations are not being met, but it can also stand alone as a reason even when expectations are understood. (See #3 below)

2) Too much work

Right or wrong, like it or not, state tests are the measuring rods of public schools, including virtual public schools. Has this stymied the promise of virtual schools? That is the subject for another blog. What it has created though is a workload for families that is difficult to sustain.

Imagine being in the eighth grade, taking 5-6 courses each day with multiple quizzes and projects to turn in weekly, then having to participate in mandatory class connects with teachers, spend time each day working on test prep lessons, teacher office hours, find time for club activity, and even do some additional testing so the schools can show academic progress throughout the school year.

Exhausting yes? Now, imagine you are the parent of the eighth grader, having to help your child stay on top of all of those responsibilities, and, oh by the way, you also have a fourth grader and second grader enrolled too.

Parents leave virtual schools complaining about the rigor and the virtual schools believe it to mean the rigor of the academic content. In reality, it is the ongoing workload that is causing the problem with too much of it simply to prepare students to exceed on state tests.

3) Lack of flexibility

This is really an addendum to the first point but warrants more explanation because it too can be a stand-alone reason for families leaving - even when the expectations are clearly communicated and understood. Virtual schools are 'choice' schools meaning families choose to attend them, and they can choose to leave them.

A primary reason families decide to enroll in virtual schools is the promise of flexibility. In comparison to brick and mortar public schools, virtual school do offer more flexibility, but is it enough. Families hear flexibility and they tend to believe they can "do school when we want to," "take December off," "take a vacation when we want to," etc.

Families have the perception that virtual schooling is similar to home school, it is just free. In reality though, virtual schools mirror their brick and mortar counterparts more than home school when it comes to flexibility.

When families being to feel the pressure and burden of meeting all of the responsibilities outlined in the second point, and then realize they do not have the level of flexibility they desired, they tend to bolt.

I have not even mentioned how students/families are treated, communication issues, and training for administrators/teachers. Perhaps I will save these for a future blog.

However, a virtual school that is willing to go to the edge and cause a ruckus, can counteract these reasons for leaving. It takes courage, it takes the willingness to carve a new path, but the end result can be a virtual school that stands out from the competition - one that has students lining up to enter rather than exit.

But, you say, if I were to do something like this, how could I be sure test scores would improve? You can't. But, what is certain is that existing efforts are not doing much to improve these scores either.

So, why not try something completely unique?

Feel free to share your thoughts below.

www.figment-consulting.com

Top 3 Virtual School Buzzwords

Search the word phrase "virtual schools" and link to any of the results that Google provides for you. Pull up the top three, or four, or five, or ten schools/companies. Then, take a look at what each one is saying about themselves and you will quickly notice several words that are repeated over and over again.

For the sake of brevity though, I will focus on the top three buzzwords that are popular with virtual schools:

1) Individualized

School A: Each student receives individualized instruction. (Bold intended)
School B: . . ., we deliver individualized instruction for each and every student.
School C: . . . utilizing highly trained and committed staff to individualize educational strategies . . .

Merriam-Webster definition of Individualize

to change (something) so that it fits each person's needs

2) Customized/Personalized

School A: Customized Learning Programs (heading)
School B: Individualized learning plan, customized to each student (double use here)
School C: . . . our students enjoy a customized education that is second to none.

Merriam-Webster definition of Customize

to change (something) in order to fit the needs of a person or business

Merriam-Webster definition of Personalize

to change or design (something) for a particular person

3) Flexibility

School A: Meet some of our students to see what they accomplish when given the flexibility . . .
School B: Learn how our flexible approach . . .
School C: For each student who needs greater flexibility . . .

Merriam-Webster definition of Flexible

easily changed

So, what is the point of all of this? The point is -- do their actions (and others not mentioned here) match their words? The attrition rates at virtual schools causes me to wonder if these are merely words without actions to support them.

And yet, new virtual schools will launch this year, and produce marketing speak on "individualize", "customize/personalize," and "flexibility." Then they will hope for different results than their predecessors.

If you are launching a virtual school and want to have a "purple cow" as Seth Godin describes it, I encourage you, even implore you to carve a new path. Try building a program that authentically meets the definition of each of these buzzwords, then avoid using them in your marketing language.

If your school truly offers students an individualized, customized, personalized, and flexible learning experience, your customers will let others know about it. You won't have to.

www.figment-consulting.com

Virtual students?

The district superintendent said it several times during the course of our conversation the other day.

"We have over 1,000 virtual students around the state."

"Our virtual students come from all over the state."

"Most of our virtual students reside in these counties."

He even emailed me a .pdf showing the data points of where his virtual students reside.

And most of them are struggling, not happy with the school, with the exodus rate continuing to grow annually. His question to me was "why?" "Why are they leaving us at such a high rate?"

There were a myriad of reasons really but I focused on the one that was glaring.

"My first suggestion is that you take a step back and understand that you have a virtual school, but your students who attend it are real kids, not virtual."

I then went on to share with him four additional suggestions:

1) Rather than data points on a state map, display their faces where all of your administrators can see them. That way they will grasp the fact that these are real kids.

2) Use the word "virtual" sparingly, and only when referring to the school. In all oral and written communication, refer to them as "real students" and not virtual.

3) Develop a plan, a course of action, even a culture where you are able to learn: what they believe? what are their aspirations? what are their dreams? what are their goals? why are they here? And, how can you serve them more effectively?

4) Understand that retention efforts begin the same day a family commits to your school. It is wrapped up in the teacher/student relationship; the communication from the school (what is said and how it is said); the ability for the student/family to find answers; the perception that they are being heard; and whether or not your actions match or exceed your words.

If you want to put a dent in the attrition rate, give students plenty of reasons to stay.

The problem with Khan Academy

There is none really. Sure it has flaws and there is always room for improvement but overall there is no problem with it.

It is up to the virtual schools, the online providers, and even the regular brick and mortar schools (and charter schools) to learn how to exist with Khan Academy. And, in doing so, their offerings can become better - both academically and experiential.

There will even be some who incorporate Khan into the mix by embracing what it has to offer rather than try to simply overcome it. This is called cooperation.

Author and blogger Seth Godin says it much better than I could, "The problem with competition is that it takes away the requirement to set your own path, to invent your own method, to find a new way."

The real problem therefore is not with Khan Academy, rather it is that too many see it as competition instead of opportunity. Change your perception and a world of potential is opened up to you.