An emotionally gripping story like the one in this article plus compelling, quantified evidence will increase enrollment, donations, and referrals as well as staff commitment, board engagement, and long-term sustainability.
Can your favorite Christian school or parochial school prove its claims of success?
One parochial school is proud of its discipleship development. When asked they will tell you about a young man who stepped between a gun and a friend who was being threatened. The friend lived because the young man gave his life. It is a great example of being a good disciple and taking our love for others to the highest level.
I wish I had confidence that my love of others would be as strong as that young man’s. This posting is about evidence-based claims of success. Nothing that I say is intended to take anything away from that young man. In many ways, he is a hero to me.
After applauding that example of discipleship, ask for a second example. Ask how many examples there are from each graduating class. Ask how they measure the increase in discipleship of each student at graduation. Ask what the curriculum is that creates the discipleship.
Without evidence how do we know whether the discipleship was develop by the school, a pastor, a parent, a mentor, a neighbor, being inspired by the Bible, or all of those and more? While we hope the school played a part, it is impossible to know. Remember there are stories of soldiers making the same sacrifice who never attended that school or any Christian or parochial school.
At a practical level without evidence, should a parent who places value on discipleship enroll a child in that school or keep looking? Is that one story sufficient to justify the tuition?
Are your school’s claims evidence-based or are they anecdotal? If you make a claim without evidence, how does that affect the credibility of the school? If the discipleship claim seems hard to support, is the prospective parent going to trust claims about graduation rates, academic success, and other claims that can be proven? Is a prospective parent going to be patient enough to listen to the proof?
Is a wall of honor a better way to tell similar stories?
It is possible to measure anything. How do you envision quantifying success?
An emotionally gripping story like the one at the start of this article plus compelling, quantified evidence will increase enrollment, donations, and referrals as well as staff commitment, board engagement, and long-term sustainability.
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