Student Activities-Do they impact retention?
Each year we struggle to find fun events to engage students and build a supportive family environment. We've actually increased spending year to year. With all the effort and dollars spent, very few students particpate in the events. How can we measure the effectiveness of these events?
Good question, Jeanette. You probably can't really measure the effectiveness, but one way to drive participation rates is to get the students involved with planning and delivering the activity. Unfortunately, the students who participate in appreciation events typically are the ones who have bought into the program already while the students who are on the fringe stay away.
I would suggest that the money would be better spent providing direct services like peer mentor and tutoring for the students who need support. Some schools also set aside money for a student emergency fund. The money could be a small grant or loan to help people get over a small crisis.
Standing alone, student activities really have little impact upon overall retention. However, as part of a larger retention program, they can be invaluable. Activities can do a great deal to reinforce a positive culture at a school. This culture must begin in the admissions process, and be continued through in the classrooms -- but activities can continue to foster this culture. At our schools, we encourage family and friends to also attend these activities. In this way, we are also able to come into contact with students' external support systems and work to create a positive impression with them as well.
As for attendance, it takes time for students to grow accustomed to activites. At first we saw only a few "dedicated" students at the activities. Later on, however, attendance on days where we had activities actually exceeded regular attendance.
Involving family and friends sounds like a great idea, Brian. Does it improve participation? Do you track who does not participate? Often these are the students who feel disenfranchised and are at the greatest risk of dropping out.
Couple of answers:
1. Yes -- family and friends do help with overall participation -- especially for the bigger events that we hold 2 - 3 times a year.
2. We don't require students to participate in any activity. However, they still must attend during those times. What our experience has been is that participation is slow for the first sets of activities -- especially if a school has not had many of them. After time, however, participation grows rapidly and more and more students participate in a variety of ways. Those who choose not to participate begin to stand out -- and are easily identified.
The big idea behind activities is to build a positive community in our schools. When we create this community -- students who are, or choose to be negative are confronted by a positive force. It is very difficult to be the only negative person in a positive room. Additionally, many negative students want to spread their negativity -- aka misery loves company. With a postive campus community, these negative vibes get far less traction.
Also, many of our activities are not major productions. For example, one of the best we ever had was our school volleyball leagues. We held regular tournaments. Games would be played during the interim period between classes over the course of the week. Champions of the tournament would get fun prizes -- as well as the class which put forward the best team. The culmination of the tournament was the champion team would play against the managers. (What they did not know is that we played in a competitive league as our teambuilding process.) No student team ever beat us, but studnets really worked to do so. They would practice all of the time. In our first tournament, we had 5 teams play. In the later ones, we would have as many as 25 - 30. The rivalries were fierce -- but it really created buzz around the school.
This activity did not take a great deal of time from classes, nor did it require lots of money (just a few nets.)
The events that we have build community and community is what keeps our students with us.
Our expenditures depend upon greater enrollment which is what we are looking for!
Please share more details, Milissa. What type of events? How do you define community – school wide, within programs, within sections?
One way to measure the effectiveness of these events is through the number of students that participate week to week. We started on our campus meetup groups: Power of Attraction, Book Club, Phenomenal Woman, etc. Initially, students attended but weren't as excited nor involved but after the second session and students began to share the positive things that were happening to them which they contributed it from the meetup sessions, other students started participating and looking forward to the meetups. As a result of these activities, I have notice that students are more positive and seem to feel less defeated but more empowered. Daily attention and retention have improved since we started the meetup activities.
Please tell us more about 'meetup groups'. How are they formed? How do students select them and get involved? How often do they meet? Who organizes and delivers the activities?
Hello Brian,
You mention 3 big events that you have during the year. Can you please tell in detail more about the 3 events.
