Responding to "Reframing Enrollment"

Dr. Tim Uhl's newsletter this week highlights an approach to enrollment. The key section:

Enrollment in Catholic schools is not a technical problem. If it was, read an article like this one, apply the lessons, and off you go! Isn’t that what our stakeholders want? They imagine a new marketing plan, a new program, or the right presentation at Sunday Mass will transform enrollment. Instead, enrollment is an adaptive challenge.

How do we know that enrollment qualifies as an adaptive challenge? On page 60, he lists the characteristics of an adaptive challenges which include the need for people’s hearts and minds to change, the need for more learning, the persistence of conflict, and the presence of crisis. All of these exist.

There is no doubt that 3 million decline in enrollment since 1965 (while US Population grew by 134 million) is a crisis. However what is the problem we - as Catholics and Catholic school leaders - should be asking?

Is it:

1. How do we grow enrollment?

2. How we grow the Church?

3. How do we keep the people we currently have (i.e. not lose more)?

4. How do we make our schools more attractive?

I think we focus on 1 and believe that there is a magic bullet or a 10 step plan to success, we are deluding ourselves (I think Dr. Uhl would agree). This does not mean we shouldn't update our marketing, try out new open house ideas, reach out to the parishes in the area, etc. etc.

I think a lot of leaders are looking at 2, 3, and 4 more. Some on the right focus on 3 - making sure we stay true to the truth of faith and guide those within the Church to salvation. Some on the left focus on 2/4 - by being open and merciful, we can get people in the doors.

Regardless, if your deanery or archdiocesan meetings begin with a talk of enrollment growth or decline you are set up for failure. Why?

Enrollment is out of our hands (marketing, communication, openness, academics, culture are not; but enrollment is). We cannot control the economy, housing costs, public/charter school quality/quantity, sexual abuse crises, the loss of faith in millions of US Catholics, migration,

etc etc.

All that said, I can tell you the exact enrollment by week at my school.

This school looks nice. This is not my school though.