Student Council
Student Governance Board
Monthly student appreciation activities
Student tutoring programs
Student mentoring programs
Teacher mentoring programs
carpooling programs
resources tables where community agencies come to the school and provide services to students such as completing givernment assistant paperwork, child care resources, etc..
Having students participate in volunteer events where they can practice their skills
Sounds like you have good programs in place. That's the key... any opportunity to create relationships.
Dr. B
Adopting a road is something we haven't done here in LCBLA, as far as I know. We do blood drives, food drives, work with Ronald McDonald House and have a scholarship funds for students.
Here are some ideas for activities that could be implemented:
What to expect in the industry?
Employer Recruitment
Professional Development
Resume Workshops
Alumni Seminars
After School BBQ's
Industry Field Trips
Our school has impleted various clubs for students to join, Student and Faculty advisory boards. We also offer tutoring services and library services.
We have put into place a "blinker" system where the instructor notifies the departament heads if a student has missed more than 2 consective days.
Student Services and Administration also make calls to students on the Blinker list.
How about job fairs too? Do you do them?
Dr. B
I agree. Community service is a terrific way for students to feel connected to their school and community. We hold food drives, organize outings to the food bank, and have blood drives.
Excellent. All of this is great. Now, what can you do to get close to students... you know, a realationship. An excellent relationship equates to trust. Just something to think about.
Dr. B
A list of ideal school involvement activities that can be implemented in our school to increase student retention.
While we have a very active student council that has grown tremendously over the years, and we have a number of organizations that our students have the opportunity to belong to (ACF, Eta Sigma Delta, etc), I do believe there's always room for improvement.
We currently have a number of events that our student council hosts (gallery crawls, soup sales, candy sales, raffles, etc), but it seems like they're always focused around raising money. Much of that is donated to local charities, and some goes to fund other events.
I believe more community outreach programs, like working with the local food banks/charities, would not only benefit our students in terms of real-world experience and bonding with their peers, but it would also put our name out there in the public eye. Our school would be recognized for our dedication to helping those less fortunate as wells as offering a great learning experience for our students.
We recently had a spirit week that helped the students and instructors relax a bit. It does help with retention to calm the atmosphere at times. The students just seeing that everyone is "real" helps you to be more approachable so maybe they will reach out when they need help. Reaching out before we notice there is a problem going on in their lives.
Consider focusing more through the first two - three terms. Most students drop in the first two terms. So, interacting a little more frequently will help you to improve retention.
Dr. B
we have an intervention policy us instructors fill out the first and second week of the course. We also have tutoring available to the students Tue.-Thur. every week.
Good deal. Now waht about great job fairs on campus?
Dr. B
We have plenty of extra-curricular activities and clubs throughout the school year. They are all industry related or resume/ job seeking related. They are proctored by faculty and Career Services as well as the Dean of Student Services. We also have a retention committee, student leadership council, and student communication committee.
Student appreciation days help. Now the key, "form relationships." Why? Relationships equal trust, hence retention.
Dr. B
we recently incorporated a student appreciation day with food, competitions and many demos wherein students could literally wonder the halls and see and do lots of different things
Excellent, Lisa. What about job fairs?
Dr. B
1. field trips
2. student council/ government
3. celebrity chef demos
4. student competitions
5. competitions against rival schools
Excellent. Remember why students want to study. They want the knowledge so that they can enter the profession. It is about learning, not teaching.
Dr. B
At Le Cordon Bleu Seattle, we make sure to greet the students personally on day one. we also set up times to meet with them one on one. Every Friday, we go into another class and see how the students are doing. We have set up a mentor program as well with the chefs and students.
