Independent schools have long relied on community-based organizations to help them identify talented youth from families not familiar with or unable to afford independent day and boarding...

Christina Dotchin Coffey Director of Outreach (Western, Southwest, and Midwest U.S.)ccoffey@enrollment.org How did you first get involved with independent education? I have always known I wanted...

By Luc Martin, associate director of admissions, Sonoma Academy (CA) As we all know, the admission landscape gets more and more competitive each year and we’re all searching for unique ways to...

Reforms and innovations crowd the educational landscape. Some are focused on new thinking or the latest research in curriculum design and assessment, which may or may not demonstrate...

Our society’s dependency on technology is undeniable, and it just takes one power outage to remind us just how dependent we are. As schools work to integrate new technologies into their...

by W. Dennis Facciolo, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, Tampa Preparatory School (FL) The mad rush this decade by many independent schools to embrace the international student...

by Jen McGurnDirector of AdmissionsPace Academy (GA) Kat SullivanDirector of AdmissionBay School of San Francisco (CA) When SSATB rebranded this fall and successfully rolled out The Enrollment...

with Stephen Held, Director of Admissions, Thomas Jefferson School (MO) Many schools' admission offices are managed by sole practitioners. How do you get through a day's (or year's) worth of...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet." Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) As classic, romantic, and heartfelt as Juliet’s line remains to this day,...

by ALC Members Kimberly Carter, Director of Enrolment Management, Branksome Hall (Toronto, Canada) and Polly Fredlund, Director of Enrollment Management and Communications, The Bush School...

Welcome back to a new school year.  I know, as a former admission professional, how exciting the opening days of school can be!  Isn’t it satisfying to see the new class of students that you...

In case you hadn’t heard, SSATB has become The Enrollment Management Association! In a recent blog, I described the input and thought behind this change, as well as how it will help to inspire...

by Ann Halupka, Assistant Director of Admissions, Crofton House School (BC, Canada) We all have them: orientation programs that ease the transition of new students to our campus. Typically, we...

by David Baker, Director of Admission & Financial Aid, St. Mark’s School (TX)As always, my summer project ambitions have greatly exceeded the fleeting number of remaining summer days. As an...

Welcome to the online headquarters of your association, The Enrollment Management Association, formerly SSATB. Many companies and organizations have famously – and sometimes infamously – changed...

by Carson Roy, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, Potomac School (VA) Summer is typically a slow and rejuvenating time for most independent school admission professionals, but for those...

by Reto Camenzind, Head of Admissions - Senior School, St. George’s School (Vancouver, BC)Ten months ago as I was starting the Leadership in Enrollment Management certificate program through the...

As we say goodbye to our students and ease into the rhythm of summer, I reflect back on a year of tremendous professional growth born from the many challenges and well-deserved successes we...

by Jenna R. King, Director of Admission and Enrollment, Riverdale Country School (NY) Many of us chose the admission profession because we enjoy the constant buzz of prospective families...

with Andy Hoge, Director of Admissions and Placement, NJ SEEDS (NJ), Dr. Heather Jenkins, Director of Academics & Program Evaluation/Director of High School Prep for Buffalo Prep (NY), and Karin...

by Alyson Waldman, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Montclair Kimberley Academy (NJ) In the competitive world of admission, every institution focuses their attention and resources on...

by Frankie Brown, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Sidwell Friends School (DC) If your school is one of the lucky ones with a healthy wait pool of families still clamoring to be admitted...

with Laurel Baker Tew, Chief Enrollment Officer, Viewpoint School (CA) When a head of school search is underway, admission and enrollment leaders are placed in a unique position during such a...

The Enrollment Management Association Pilots a Standard Application Program with Community Organizations and Member Schools 78 Families Submitted 269 Applications to 63 Schools Access. For...

By David Hanson, Chief Financial Officer and Joanne Lembo, Director of Student Activities of Phillips Exeter Academy (NH)When admitting students to an independent school, one of the most...

Emails and phone calls from this year’s applicant families are fresh on the minds of admission officers everywhere. More than once, admission officers were likely asked by anxious parents,...

by Nicholas Kent, (formerly) High School Principal, Concordia International School, Shanghai (China) (currently Deputy Head of School,Jakarta International School, Indonesia); Jay Lasley,...

By Rachel Hanley, former director of online communications, Williston Northampton School (MA) How do you take a private boarding school from a place where there are no online student voices to...

By Aimee Gruber, Senior Director of Outreach, The Enrollment Management AssociationIt is tempting to create a board report that paints a rosy picture of enrollment and trends. After all, boards...

The The Enrollment Management Association board of directors is pleased to announce the appointment of four new trustees beginning their terms this July 1. John Kerney, governance committee...

By Alexandra Scott, Educational Consultant, Blogger for The Huffington Post, and author of Prep School Transfender During the past several years, the rise in public consciousness about...

As attracting and retaining students (and alumni) becomes more complex, independent schools are increasingly establishing marketing and communications offices to steward, lead, and shape the...

The Enrollment Management Think Tank Develops Senior Leader Track for the 2016 SSATB Annual Meeting While immersed in the busy admission season, members of the Enrollment Management Think Tank...

By Laurel Baker Tew, Chief Enrollment Officer, Viewpoint School (CA) “What is the…personal attribute that allows individuals to keep learning, growing, and changing, to escape their fixed...

Paige Brewster, Director of Admission & Financial Aid at The Boston University Academy, describes challenges faced in achieving enrollment each year as well as effective marketing tactics. What...

By Benjamin H. Douglass, Director of Admission, Saint James School (MD) Admission is a tough job. As difficult as it is to fill the "admission bucket" each year with strong, mission-appropriate...

Application deadlines. Financial aid deadlines. Notification deadlines. Deadlines for international students versus U.S.; domestic boarding students versus day students. And finally, the deadline...

Successful retention for your school depends on and draws from a strong marketing and enrollment plan. Enrollment management should be in place to work in tandem with a retention plan. The...

by Sean Atkins and Ed Thompson Applicants and their families endure a long wait during the secondary school application process. March 10 comes, good news finally arrives in the mailbox (or now...

We are pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

As enrollment offices prepare and launch into the admission year’s busiest season, we have curated a list of The Enrollment Management Association resources to assist you and your committee. The...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

As admission deadlines approach, we are pleasantly reminded that so many families are seeking the many opportunities independent schools offer. As you embark on reading season there are many ways...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

While “standardized testing” has garnered more than its fair share of negative media attention in the last few years, it is important to remember what “standardized” actually means. Standardized...

After each round of conversation and research review, The Enrollment Management Association’s ThinkTank on the Future of Assessment became more convinced that measuring noncognitive traits during...

Enrollment management, research, and assessments are hot topics at all independent and private schools, whether they are stateside, in Canada, or around the world. The Enrollment Management...

By Dr. Lillian Diaz-Imbelli This is particularly important for underrepresented groups, who may not be as familiar with independent school culture. Access to our schools is not where it should...

by Alisa Evans, Director, Business Development, SSS by NAIS I do believe independent schools are potentially changing the trajectory of the lives of the children who benefit from financial aid....

by Richard Phelps, Director of Research, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) Since the 2011-2012 school year, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) has requested enrollment numbers by...

After landing a new admission office hire or replacing someone who has left, the onboarding process begins—navigating the first day of school traditions, getting the right paperwork to HR,...

Admission committees are more than just a group of admission professionals and faculty in a room saying yes or no to files. How do these groups train and come together to build the future...

In partnership with University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP), SSATB announced earlier this year the opportunity...

There are a number of admission consortia working to raise the profile of independent schools in their respective regions. These consortia, which vary in size and geographic reach, collaborate in...

By Carol Dougherty, Associate Headmaster, The Perkiomen School (PA)  Stop—take a minute. What is the “ job” of the board of trustees? Understanding the role of the board will make your reporting...

by Aimee Gruber, Senior Director of Outreach, The Enrollment Management Association As international inquiries and applications continue to climb at both boarding and day schools, the ability to...

We asked for volunteers and the responses were plentiful! The Enrollment Management Association recently put out a call to our membership seeking volunteers for our Digital Assessment Working...

From September 16-19, 2015, The Enrollment Management Association welcomed its largest-ever group of attendees—794—to the 58th Annual Meeting, at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas,...

In each issue, The Yield profiles The Enrollment Management Association member schools, asking how their offices tackle processes and procedures and integrate trends and data into their...

Bretnall award winner Tommy Adams (second from right) and Gourley award winner Reveta Bowers (second from left) with The Enrollment Management Association Executive Director Heather Hoerle and...

by Craig Tredenick, Director of Enrollment Management, All Saints’ Episcopal School (TX) As we work through the most critical time of the admission season, it is a great opportunity to evaluate...

Published in the Winter 2015 issue of The Yield A woman’s fight to get ahead. Her internal struggle of career versus family. Pay inequities. The challenge of finding support networks both inside...

Reading season has become one of the most exciting parts of the admission process, yet also one of the most challenging. The reading season is a marathon, not a sprint. Before reading season...

with ALC members Jennifer McGurn, Director of Admissions, Pace Academy (GA) and Victoria Muradi, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Durham Academy (NC). Are you prepared for the admission...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

By Leo Marshall: Director of Admission and Financial Aid, The Webb Schools Yet, there are few things I am not going to miss in my conversations with families as I move to retirement. Topping the...

While most successful enrollment stories are years in the making, a new service—cooked up by inveterate global marketer Mary Danby—has begun to substantially help international students find...

with ALC Member Frankie Brown, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid & Dr. Philip McAdoo, Director of Equity, Justice and Community, Sidwell Friends School (DC) This video offers some ideas...

I typically enjoy a business best seller during my annual beach vacation, but this year I picked up The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George, and this piece of historical fiction...

This September, nearly 800 of us rolled into Vegas for the annual SSATB conference, marking record attendance for the largest annual gathering of independent school admission professionals. And...

Stop - take a minute. What is the “job” of the board of trustees? Understanding the role of the board will make your reporting stronger and more directed towards what they need to hear to be...

with Mike Connor, President, Connor Associates Predictive modeling shows at rooftop level where full pay prospects that are "mission-appropriate" are located in relation to your school's...

From The Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/29/15 by Eric Hoover As The Chronicle first reported last fall, participating institutions, including all eight Ivy League colleges and several public...

The Student Prospect List (SPL) is a member-exclusive service that provides student mailing lists to schools requiring the SSAT as part of their admission process. Last year, nearly 50,000...

by Alex Heiberger, CFO, The Madeira School (VA) A year ago I transitioned from the university administration world into the role of independent school chief financial officer. As I encountered...

Douglas Leek, Director of Admission and Enrollment Management at The Northwest School in Washington, explains that teacher recommendations, as part of the application, need to provide a baseline...

Enrollment management is the #1 issue facing independent schools, and admission directors are the front line in dealing with this challenging and complex issue. In an effort to support our...

In 2014, The Enrollment Management Association launched the research and development plan for the new The Enrollment Management Association Character Skills Assessment (CSA). Currently in...

Ask students and families to add your email address to their address book. This “whitelists” your address to help keep your email messaging out of their spam folder. When choosing the “From”...

In 2012, The Enrollment Management Association worked with researcher Chris Bigenho (Greenhills Schools, TX) to gather early childhood admission assessment methods used by our members for...

by Kristen Mariotti, Director of Boarding School Operations, Linden Educational Services Several years ago, when I embarked upon my first international recruitment trip representing my boarding...

Honoring the legacy of longtime dean of admission and enrollment at Rollins College (FL) David Erdmann, the inaugural Erdmann Institute for Enrollment Leadership took place on the shores of...

In each issue, The Yield profiles The Enrollment Management Association member schools, asking how their office tackles processes and procedures and integrates trends and data into their...

by Pamela McKenna, Director of Admission, Hopkins School (CT) A few years ago, I was asked to focus on three areas of recruiting for Hopkins School, a traditional liberal arts independent coed...

Matthew Burgy, Director of Admission at St. Mark’s Episcopal School in Houston, Texas, is a “newbie” admission director with a deep set of knowledge and skills acquired in a variety of work...

It has often been said that no one has a “ degree in admission.” However, thanks to The Enrollment Management Association’s partnership with the Center for Enrollment, Research, Policy and...

The Enrollment Management Association's Latest Report Examines Four Competitive Models that Will Impact Enrollment at Independent Schools in the U.S. As independent schools make sense of the...

Ashbury College has long been considered “the” independent school in Canada’s National Capital Region, arguably since the school’s founding in 1891. Enrollment has always been competitive, with...

By Hugh A Mallon III, President/CEO, Executive Compensation Concepts, Stevensville, MD In finalizing the head’s total compensation package, boards would be advised to review market data, the...

By Douglas Lyons, Executive Director, Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, Mystic, CT American independent schools are faced with a dilemma, labeled by economists as “the new normal.”...

By Chris Arnold & Stephen Dicicco, Co-Founders of Educational Directions Incorporated With Frederick W. Williams, Head, The Rectory School, Pomfret, CT (Coed, Boarding/Day, 255 students, K-9);...

By Claude Anderson, Dean of Enrollment Management, Northfield Mount Hermon School Charged with the financial sustainability of the school, trustees must know about, understand, and be updated...

By Dr. Gerald A. Larson, Former Head, Chreshire Academt, CT It is a common refrain heard from heads, trustees, parents, and teachers: “The board micromanages the school.” In today’s fast-paced...

By Hugh Mallon, President, Executive Compensation Concepts, Ltd. If your head of school and other members of the senior leadership are considered highly compensated in the eyes of the IRS, your...

By Chris Arnold and Stephen Dicicco, Co-Founders of Educational Directions Inc. Demographic trends may be the closest thing to a crystal ball that boards can use to see the future of their...

By Chris Arnold and Stephen DiCicco, Partners, Co-Founder, Educational Directions Incorporated Research is showing that charitable giving is steadily rebounding but there’s a difference in what...

By Chris Arnold, Co-Founder, Educational Directions Incorporated, RI & Stephen Dicicco, Co-Founder, Educational Directions Incorporated, RI Many of you have spent the past several weeks readying...

By Chris Arnold and Stephen Dicicco, Co-Founders of Educational Directions Inc. Experts exploring data about philanthropy are discovering some surprising truths, with the most important one being...

by Mikhail Zinshteyn, The Atlantic, 7/30/2015 Education writing is famous for its alphabet soup of acronyms and obscure terms, but it could just as well be faulted for trafficking buzzwords in...