Committee chair: Don Klinger
Members: John Deming, Lon Gruesbeck, Barbara Livesay, Wayne Wentland
Adventist parents are considering options in the education choices for their children. Because of that Adventist schools must stand out for their excellence in addressing the needs of Adventist families of all different socio-economic strata.
Three key areas are critical to addressing ongoing enrollment declines in Northwest Adventist schools:
Customer Service—We must provide mandatory annual training to all school personnel, board members and pastors to improve service, attitude, consistency and teamwork. We recommend that Bob Farrell's "Give ‘Em the Pickle" leadership training materials be used across the Northwest to help our school leadership adopt an active attitude of service.
School Climate and Environment—We must create a climate modeled on the Golden Rule that provides an environment of value, respect and safety. We will train all school personnel to model the principles of this rule and intentionally teach it in all classes. We will annually assess our progress by conducting surveys of students and parents, unique to elementary, middle and high school levels.
Inclusive Enrollment—We must meet the challenge of including all families in our schools—new converts, all income levels and all ethnicities. We will promote a better understanding of Adventist education benefits to parents including results from the Cognitive Genesis study, involve pastors and teachers in strategies to increase enrollment from all groups and encourage new funding sources to support student enrollment for all families in need. We will also develop more effective strategies for integrating home-schooling families.
