Higher Performance Insights | THE PROBLEM ISN'T YOUR MARKETING FUNNEL
Getting Your Value Proposition Right Matters More Than Getting Your Funnel Right
The Problem? Your SEM and CRM Are Working Perfectly
As enrollment declines accelerate and student engagement plummets, here's a hard truth: Our schools aren't failing — our values are. We're optimizing for yesterday's priorities while today's learners walk away hungry for something many are not even measuring.
THE GREAT MISDIRECTION
While we obsess over test scores and college readiness, Bain & Company groundbreaking research on the Elements of Value reveals why students, families, and communities are losing faith in our institutions. We're delivering functional value — but starving them of the emotional, life-changing, and social impact they desperately need.
The numbers tell the story: 40% of high school students report chronic disengagement, college mental health crises have reached epidemic levels, and parents increasingly question whether education is worth the investment. Meanwhile, we continue to optimize metrics that don't measure what matters most.
THE FOUR-LEVEL VALUE CRISIS
Functional Level: We're Actually Decent Here - Schools save time (with organized schedules), provide information, reduce costs (compared to private tutoring), and offer a variety of courses. This is our comfort zone---and our trap.
Emotional Level: We're Failing Spectacularly- When did schools stop being places that reduce anxiety and start being anxiety factories? Where's the fun, the therapeutic value, the wellness focus? Students (and staff) leave our institutions more stressed, not less. We've forgotten that learning should feel rewarding, not punishing.
Life-Changing Level: We've Lost Our Way- Education should provide hope and enable self-actualization. Instead, we've created systems that crush dreams rather than cultivate them. How many students graduate feeling motivated about their future versus those who are relieved they survived?
Social Impact Level: Our Biggest Miss - Schools should develop citizens who contribute to something larger than themselves. Instead, we're producing individuals who feel disconnected from their purpose and sense of community belonging.
THE HIDDEN COST OF VALUE POVERTY
Consider Sarah, a high school senior who recently told me: "I can pass any test you give me, but I have no idea who I am or what matters to me." Her school delivered functional value perfectly, and failed her completely.
This isn't about lowering academic standards. It's about recognizing that when students feel emotionally depleted, disconnected from their purpose, and starved of a sense of belonging, even the most effective test prep becomes meaningless.
Research shows that students experiencing higher-level value elements demonstrate:
- 67% better long-term retention
- 45% higher post-graduation satisfaction
- 78% stronger alumni engagement
- 52% better mental health outcomes
THREE STRATEGIES TO RECLAIM VALUE
Strategy 1: Design for Emotional Wellness First - Stop treating student mental health as an add-on service. Build therapeutic value into daily experiences:
- Start each class by connecting learning to students’ hopes and interests
- Create "anxiety reduction zones" where failure becomes learning fuel
- Design experiences that feel rewarding, not just rigorous
- Measure joy alongside achievement
Strategy 2: Embed Life-Changing Moments - Every semester, students should experience at least three "this changes everything" moments:
- Connect learning to personal identity and purpose
- Create opportunities for genuine self-discovery
- Provide hope through mentorship and future visioning
- Enable students to see their unique potential actualized
Strategy 3: Cultivate Social Impact Daily- Transform education from individual competition to collective contribution:
- Embed community service into academic learning
- Create opportunities for students to solve real community problems
- Build belonging through collaborative purpose
- Help students see their education as preparation for meaningful citizenship
YOUR VALUE AUDIT CHALLENGE
This Week:
- Survey 10 random students: "What value does school provide beyond academics?"
- Identify your school's emotional value gaps
- List three ways learning could feel more rewarding
This Month:
- Redesign one program to include life-changing elements
- Create student wellness metrics that matter
- Pilot one community impact project per classroom
This Year:
- Develop a comprehensive value proposition that addresses all four levels
- Train staff to recognize and deliver emotional and social value
- Measure student hope, belonging, and purpose alongside test scores
POSSITIVE GOSSIP: THOSE GETTING IT RIGHT
Higher Ed Spotlight: Arizona State University's "Be a Devil" Initiative - ASU transformed student experience by embedding social impact into every major. Their "solving world problems" approach delivers all four value levels simultaneously. Students report 89% satisfaction with purpose-driven learning, and employers actively recruit ASU graduates for their community-minded approach. The result? Record enrollment growth while peer institutions struggle. Learn more about ASU
K-12 Spotlight: New Tech Network Schools - These project-based learning schools redesigned education around real community problems. Students at New Tech High in Napa don't just study environmental science---they solve actual water quality issues for local vineyards. The therapeutic value of meaningful work is evident in the following statistics: a 94% graduation rate, 87% college enrollment, and students who describe school as "the best part of my day." Their secret? Every project delivers hope, a sense of belonging, and self-actualization alongside academic rigor. Learn more about New Tech Network
Both institutions demonstrate that when schools deliver comprehensive value, everything changes — engagement, outcomes, and community reputation.
THE VALUE REVOLUTION MUST START NOW
The schools thriving in 2025 aren't just academically excellent — they're emotionally nourishing, life-changing, and socially impactful. They understand that families don't choose schools solely based on test scores; instead, they choose based on the total value delivered.
Your students aren't asking for less rigor — they're asking for more meaning. They don't want easier classes — they want classes that make them feel more alive, more hopeful, and more connected to something bigger than themselves.
The Elements of Value framework isn't just business theory — it's a roadmap for educational transformation. When we deliver value at all four levels, we not only improve outcomes but also restore faith in education itself.
Your value revolution starts with one simple question: If your students could get knowledge (and a degree) anywhere, why should they choose to learn with you?
The answer isn't in your curriculum catalog — it's in how you make them feel about themselves, their future, and their place in the world.
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REFERENCES
Bain & Company. (2016). The Elements of Value in Consumer Markets. Harvard Business Review. (2016).
The Elements of Value, September 2016. National Student Engagement Survey. (2024). Post-Secondary Student Experience Report. Gallup-Purdue Index. (2024).
Life and Career Outcomes for College Graduates. Youth Truth Survey. (2024). Student Voice on School Value and Engagement.
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