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Understanding what contributes to High Retention Rates in Classes

As education methods are largely similar across institutions, how can we as educators ensure that the retention rate of our classes reaches 95%?

The subject of “how to increase students retention rates” is commonly discussed in many education and training institutions, and there many different methodologies out there. Because it is really difficult to maintain retention of classes, emulating and learning from the experiences of others would be crucial in understanding how we can improve such numbers.

It’s as simple as it is difficult to say. Ignoring the quality of courses, the renewal rate of the general institutions is generally more than 80%, but it can actually be a little difficult to achieve 90% or even 95% retention rates.

It is common amongst educational directors that there are only a few known methods to keep students in their classes, but if other institutes are able to be successful employing the same methods, why can’t they?

Below are some of the factors affecting class retention:

The level of priority assigned by the parent

Some teachers said that the retention rates have a lot to do with how important the parents view the subject. There is a proportional relationship between these two. When parents regard the subject as crucial, the child would most likely continue taking the classes; Should the parents not take the class seriously, the child would naturally despise learning as well.

The opinions of parents may also change. As an educator, it is important to allow at least one semester for parents to be acquainted and understand the importance of your subjects and teaching methods. It will be too late to act should you find out that parents are unimpressed by your teaching and the subject matter, only at the end of the semester.

High quality and efficient classroom teaching effect

In order to achieve this, it is necessary to put forward high requirements for teachers in teaching, requiring teachers to treat every class well, to prepare lessons carefully, carefully design every class material, and introduce a positive mood into the classroom.

It is essential to emphasize that teachers should think twice when applying for leave during the semester, as it is especially not easy to arrange for a proficient substitute teacher to take your class. Moreover, no one knows your class as well as you do.

Excellent student performance

As we focus on how students feel, we also pay close attention to the expectations of parents at the same time. This is to ensure a relatively good learning outcome. But why aim for ‘relatively good’?

One primary reason is that student result is affected by many different factors. When children really put effort into learning, the results obtained will never be bad. Secondly, when students’ grades are too good, parents will feel that it is not necessary for the child to continue learning, and sometimes it is difficult to continue taking classes in that subject matter. So we should not only focus on basic knowledge, basic skills but also focus on the individual strengths of our students.

Smooth communication between home and institution

Home-school communication, in fact, is important and this is especially for the communication between parents and teachers. Teachers should be aware of the parents’ expectations and opinions and adapt accordingly in a timely fashion to suit their expectations and the child’s needs. Teachers should have the habit of communicating with parents and be good at monitoring the changes in parents’ attitudes towards children’s learning. They should also timely guide parents and children along the process of learning.

If the relationship between parents and teachers is distant, it is difficult for parents to place complete trust in the teacher to be able to maximize the child’s growth and potential, while ensuring holistic development of the student.

Grasping the opportunity to ensure student retention 

In addition to the work mentioned above, it is vital to grasp the opportunity for student retention when such an opportunity surfaces. Educators must pay close attention to any absence in attendance. Imagine a child attends 18 classes a semester but suddenly missed more than three classes recently, would you be able to ensure he would continue taking the class? Therefore, the usual attendance rate can also determine the future continuation rate of the class, and be sure to coordinate with the parents to understand the situation and formulate corresponding solutions to ensure the child stays committed to his/her learning.

Why is attendance so important? It is impossible to guarantee that every class will be popular with all students, but you can always have one or more classes that make different kids feel very comfortable.

Reaching out to parents should be done frequently. The idea isn’t to remind parents to foot the fees in continuing the class. Occasionally, educators can reach out to the parents to discuss the teaching styles and learning habits of students, or to check if they are facing any family issues and so on. Educators should aim to establish a role that is akin to a family’s education consultant. They should be willing to discuss with the parents any problems.

So how do you increase the retention rate?

Many people think that as long as the quality of teaching is improved, the retention of students will not be a problem, but in fact, the logic of student retention is much more than that.

The continuation of classes must be based on these logic:

Students may show changes beyond expectation, the change may not necessarily be a change in grades, but also can be a change in behavior habits.

Student change is facilitated by the institution, which requires you to update the child’s parent on his/her childs’ changing behavior.

Based on the curriculum system, so that parents are aware of their course progress and the academic needs for the next semester.

The child has changed more than expected. What “changed”?

The changes of children can be largely divided into real change and sensory change. The real change is the change that parents can see and support by data/results. For example, the child’s final exam scores went up, from a 75% in the previous test to a 90% this time. Another example would be when a child wins first placing at an English speech contest or passes the assessment in a dance contest. These are real quantifiable changes.

It is the core goal of most organizations to ensure children achieve real change. After all, results are the easiest proof of a successful education. However, sometimes it is difficult to ensure that every student in the class will improve after taking two exams in a semester.

What is ‘sensory change’? Each of our schools can gather teachers to discuss the actions and behavior of children which brings parents satisfaction.

For example, children return home and take the initiative to review their learning. We should also design and provide incentives for children to take such initiatives is constantly reviewing their work. If taking notes can keep track of the child’s progress and allow parents to see that their children have improved, then we should take do so.

This means that the first logic of our continuation is to design our teaching and retention processes by looking at the points that lead to “real change” and “perceived change.”

The change in your child was made possible by you

In other words, parents know that their children’s grades have improved, that their children have changed, but they don’t realize that it is largely influenced by the institution. This will not lead to the continuation of the class enrolment. As “Change in your child” is what you as an educator is doing, and that also entails not being afraid to show the changing behavior and results to the parents.