Transitioning to the New Normal for Schools and Educational Institutions

“The world of education has rarely experienced a more dramatic push into the unknown as during the last two years, in which educators have been trying to educate the future generation during a pandemic.” (2022, Juliette van Eerdewijk, Chair of ECIS LSIG)

Throughout the pandemic times have been strenuous for the schools - and that is an understatement for the education institutions that relied heavily on non digitized operations. Planning, budgeting, acquisition, enrollment, school operations and everything else in between required rethinking.

Coming slowly out of the pandemic we were all different in one way or another and fully and truly going back to “normal” was no longer possible but rather transitioning to the “new normal”.

The rather traditional elementary and middle-school as well as high schools were forced to adapt in a very short span of time. And now, they need to continue transforming, combining the old ways with the new ways in order to cater to the needs of the students and parents. Digital marketing for schools becomes a priority in this context.

So what does the “new normal” mean for schools?

Students' preferences have changed.

Still grabbing their backpacks in the morning, students are now used to and expect new learning techniques that combine the best of offline classrooms with the ease of online learning. 

Expectations from teachers have changed.

Many teachers felt like a fish out of the water when placed in a fully online classroom environment - and the stress of the new expectations coming from their employers (the schools), their students and parents was a source of additional stress. 

Expectations from parents have changed.

Parents' contribution and involvement has always been crucial for a child’s academic growth. When the flip from offline to fully online classes was made they were literally pulled in and now they are expected or at least encouraged to keep “being present”.

Parents expectation from schools have also changed.

Parents are demanding better communication from the schools, new teaching methods adapted to the new reality as well more flexible timetables. Students’ mental health has become top of mind, the importance of sports, outdoors and social activities has grown and schools are expected to adjust.

School selection criteria has shifted.

There are now new drivers that impact the selection of one school over another. Understanding these and finding a match with its own proposition is essential for schools to differentiate themselves. Academics will always score high but student wellness (mental and physical) and extracurricular activities are now standard expectations as well.

And as we speak of parents looking for schools - throughout the selection process, digital channels are highly involved working side by side and with the input coming via word-of-mouth and recommendations from other parents.

Keeping up with the ever evolving digital marketing opportunities and more importantly knowing how to select and prioritize these based on a school’s inherent objectives can be overwhelming. Not sure where your school stands from a digital marketing standpoint? Our previous article Digital marketing checklist for schools brings a top level lineup relevant for the new normal of 2022.

About Journee - Digital at Ease

Founded by two digital marketing professionals with extensive international experience, Journee GmbH is a female owned digital marketing and technology boutique consultancy. 

Education is a darling among all industries in which the founders have worked and accumulated vast international experience across all facets of digital marketing and digital technology.