Texas Charter Schools Conference – Highlights from the SchoolMint Team
This SchoolMint team has just returned from Grapevine, TX, where the 2017 Texas Charter Schools Conference was held and we’re excited to report that the 4-day event was packed with great keynotes, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities. This is the third time we attended #TCSACon and we would like to thank the Texas Charter Schools Association for another well-executed event that brought us together with our current partners and charter leaders from across the Lone Star State to discuss streamlining the student enrollment process to create an improved family experience.
We enjoyed meeting charter schools leaders at our booth and cocktail reception, as well as attending a handful of sessions about charter school growth, governance, and marketing and communication. We understand that some of you may not have been able to attend the conference this year or you may need a refresher on insights learned, so we invite you to meet the conference team below and read about their experience and lessons learned from interactions with charter school leaders and sessions attended.
Jeremy Kharrazi – School Partnerships
This was my second time attending the Texas Charter School Conference and I was very impressed with the overall increase in engagement by attendees and exhibitors. While the majority of my time was spent on the exhibit floor working the booth, I was able to attend a few sessions that were focused on branding and marketing. With Texas charter schools facing an increased amount of competition from each other and the local ISDs, I found it refreshing to see a large amount of attendees going to breakout sessions that were focused on charter school marketing and communications to increase school growth.
In addition to spending time in the exhibit hall and attending some breakout session, I also had the opportunity to moderate a session that we did in collaboration with Dolores Sendejo, Associate Superintendent at Jubilee Academies, and Jaciel Castro, Recruitment Manager at KIPP San Antonio. During this session, From Paper to Painless: Automating Your Application and Lottery Process, both Dolores and Jaciel shared best practices for automating student enrollment, considerations, lessons learned, and measurements of success with their colleagues. I was excited to see the amount of engagement coming from attendees and I think a majority of those who attended walked away with a better understanding of how to improve their current application and lottery process to create a better family and staff experience. If you were unable to attend the session or need a recap, you can view the recording below and download the slides. I look forward to returning to the conference next year!
Katy Burk – Director of Customer Success
As the Director of Customer Success, my favorite part of attending a conference is always meeting with SchoolMint partners and having the opportunity to learn more about them and their schools. Most of my time at the Texas Charter Schools Conference this year was spent at the booth, where I had the opportunity to meet with many customers from across the state. A common theme in my conversations at this year’s conference was, “how can my school do more with less while still remaining competitive in recruitment and admissions?”
Last week’s Texas Charter School Conference was my third major charter-centered event of the year. Not only did I have the opportunity to explore other companies who similarly strive to support charter schools nationwide, but I also had the pleasure of learning from several passionate, thought-provoking leaders of the education space. The most inspiring part for me, however, was listening to real “Voices from the Field,” or current SchoolMint partners who spoke earnestly about how pivoting to an online enrollment system came with its own set of challenges but undeniably had changed the lives of their staff and their school families in a positive way. Despite the long days full of attending sessions and exhibiting, these stories helped keep me motivated and I left Texas feeling excited about all the future conferences to come.
Mariana Caballero – Customer Success Specialist
I truly enjoyed the opportunity to attend the TCSA Conference in Texas. From attending sessions led by industry experts, to exploring the expo, to meeting others who are equally as passionate about education as I am, this conference was the right place for me! I loved seeing how schools are adopting new marketing tools. I attended two breakout sessions. Top 5 Social Media Tactics Every Charter School Should Implement and Build a Strong Charter School Brand, that focused on this particular topic. Both sessions were packed with attendees and it was great to see everyone’s investment in ensuring that their marketing strategies are effective through building a strong and consistent brand and adopting social media.
INTERESTED IN IMPROVING YOUR APPLICATION AND LOTTERY PROCESS? View our infographic, Build Trust in Your Application and Lottery Process, for best practices on creating an accessible, equitable, and efficient application and lottery process.