Improving Your School Branding with John Mihalyo

School is becoming more hyper-localized. Parents’ choice is expanding, and public schools are already having to court new families to choose them, and this is going to become even more important as time goes on. John Mihalyo joins me to discuss how to improve your school’s branding. 

• Your identity and brand is an individualized school decision. 
• How to look at a school from a parent perspective
• What is the last parent perspective? 
• If you have a problem with enrollment, retention, and engagement, it might actually be a branding problem. 
• What are your teachers’ elevator pitch? 
• Give them topics of conversation. 
• Give people opportunities to discuss great things happening in your school. 
• Kids who start at your school want to finish at your school! 
• Two ways to look at things: “Tuition is so expensive” and “I’m getting all that for just $X in Tuition? Sign me up!”
• Word of mouth opportunities. 
• If you are not telling your story effectively
• Chaos to alignment to integration! 
• How to be a transformative principal? Ask this question: What is causing things to not go well? 

About John Mihalyo:

John Mihalyo is a distinguished education professional and the visionary founder of Elementary Advancement Solutions, a premier consulting firm dedicated to empowering Catholic and faith-based school leaders, and host of the excellent Catholic School Leaders Podcast. 

With over 20 years of administrative experience and 15 years as a Catholic school principal, John has become a trusted expert in navigating the complexities of Catholic education, including leadership development, advancement, and enrollment growth.

Throughout his career, John has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to supporting Catholic school leaders as they address the unique challenges of faith-based education. His extensive collaborations with pastors, bishops, superintendents, and dioceses across multiple states highlight his ability to develop innovative strategies that align with Catholic mission and values while driving measurable success.

John’s expertise in advancement is evidenced by his instrumental role in establishing two successful Advancement Offices, securing over $1.8 million in funding, and leading impactful initiatives such as a $6 million renovation project. Under his leadership, schools have experienced transformative growth, including an average enrollment increase of 24%, all while building stronger communities rooted in faith and mission.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.