The Main Thing Is--Even More So--The Main Thing

Among the more swiftly contracting things in tough times is our customer's willingness to tolerate imperfection.  Even small glitches in the delivery of school's program or services will be noticed, and, when the time comes to re-enroll (in other words, recommit to tuition payments), imperfections will factor into the decision-making in ways unknown in the past.

What this means now is that institutions should begin with the core of their value proposition--what it is that propels students and families toward them in the first place--and then work outward across concentric circles to re-assess and remediate things that don't work.  And that includes the quality of classroom instruction.  In short, it matters less and less what you did in the past.  What will count next year is what you do between now and then.