With wide-open school choice, marketing becomes name of the game

Alan Borsuk

In a steady trickle, the come-on's for schools arrive in our mail. Usually in large-postcard format, they offer a photo of cute kids, stylish designs, and upbeat messages about the great program our child needs. They come from individual Milwaukee Public Schools, religious schools, charter schools, even Headstart programs. Some of the schools are at hefty distances from our neighborhood.

Our youngest child graduated from high school eight years ago and none of our kids were ever candidates to go to the schools we hear from. I understand mass mailings are done from broad lists, but are these people serious?

The answer is yes, when it comes to marketing. Selling your school to potential parents has become an imperative in Milwaukee. Mass mail, billboards, tables at community events, door-to-door recruitment, print and electronic advertising, brochures, sidewalk solicitations -- they're all used by many schools. Use of computer-based social media is on the rise, of course.

Children and parents hold the power to make or break schools by deciding where to enroll, and unlike, oh, say, when I grew up, there is little presumption that people will choose the public school nearest to them just because that's what they're supposed to do.

You may associate school choice with private schools in the voucher program, charter schools and the thousands of City of Milwaukee kids who enroll in suburban public schools. You're right -- every enrollment decision in those situations is a product of choice, and frequently involves marketing.

But choosing what school you go to is pervasive among MPS parents, as well. There's a reason the main pillar of MPS enrollment is called the "three-choice" process. In the broad sense of the term, MPS is a powerful example of school choice in action. Again, marketing is a big part of this.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at August 4, 2013 12:31 AM
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