In 2007, Kelly Middleton warned us in his book Who Cares? about the new competition for the public school system and the implications and challenges it presents.
In 2018, we are seeing teacher protests and strikes across the United States as a result of these challenges. Competing for Kids gives public schools a way to combat the competition by looking at 21 customer service strategies the best companies practice and learning how to utilize these strategies in public education.
Middleton is superintendent of Newport Independent Schools.
As a public school teacher and administrator for 30 years, Middleton gives us real-world examples of how public schools can battle all forms of competition. The book includes a training guide for all departments within a public school system like food service, secretaries, transportation, teachers, and administrators.
As he says in Who Cares?: “Unless all areas within a public school focus on customer service, we are going to be in the same boat with the U.S. Mail System, Cable T.V. and we are going to be as archaic as telephones tethered to walls by a cord.”
There are approximately 50 million public school students at an average cost of $12,000 to educate them each year for a total cost of $600 billion.
There are approximately 3.2 million full-time teachers with an average salary of $58,000 per year for a total cost of $185 billion.
The approximate cost of the federal food service program is $20 million each year and another $20 million is spent on student transportation.
Is it any wonder, Middleton asks, that many homeschool organizations, private schools and charter schools may want some of this action by recruiting and enrolling public school students? Public Schools must not only recognize the current battle for students but also must put into place superior customer service strategies that meet the needs of students and parents.
Kelly Middleton
Millennials and Generation X parents and students are now entering the public school systems. What implications will the way they embrace new ideas and technology have for how they choose to educate their children? If public schools plan on surviving in the 21st century, developing a system of giving great customer service to students and families, across all generations, must be at the forefront of the school system’s strategic planning, Middleton says.
Kelly Middleton has been a teacher, coach, school principal at each level and school superintendent.
He co-authored two other books, Who Cares? and Simply The Best, both about delivering customer service throughout an entire school system from cooks and custodians to teachers and administrators.
His books explain how schools can utilize customer service concepts from the business world in order to improve their school culture and create a better experience for students, families, and staff. You can find his books and articles on his website.
