Insights from an Admissions Pro
A People Talking interview with experienced DEM Alex Ragone - excellent advice for new heads and thoughts on what it takes to run a successful admissions operation in 2024
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I am happy to share this Q&A with Alex Ragone, Director of Enrollment Management at the Norwood School in Bethesda, MD. Alex’s bio:
Alex Ragone is a seasoned education leader passionate about creating sustainable and inclusive schools that balance academic excellence, joyful learning, athletic engagement, and mindfulness. Over the past 25 years, Alex has dedicated himself to shaping the landscape of independent schools. Currently serving as the Director of Admission and Enrollment Management at Norwood School in Bethesda, MD, Alex brings a wealth of experience gained through leadership roles at independent schools like City and Country School, Collegiate School, The Calhoun School, and AltSchool, where he served as the founding Head of School.
Alex's passion lies at the intersection of strategy and innovation. He dedicates his professional life to creating consistently joyful, challenging, and engaging school communities.
Alex is very smart, very experienced and very quotable - I had to hold back from not bolding most of the interview! I am quite certain that whether you’re a head or an admissions pro, you’ll come away with insights and things to think about.
If you’re a new head, it can seem really hard to get your hands around school functions where you’re somewhat familiar from past experience but often removed enough to not truly understand how the sausage is made. And the context of specific schools and markets matter, so every new school presents a learning curve. Yet, from the day you step on campus, this is the area where it’s hardest to recover if you have a major stumble. My own advice to new heads is to be relentless in understanding your new school’s admission function, get all the data you can get your hands on, build trust with the DEM and admissions team and if the picture is still fuzzy, consider bringing in someone who can help you get clarity. And to continue with the trust-building, have your DEM participate in selecting the consultant. (This is not a sales pitch; I don’t do this kind of thing!) But don’t wait; it can take years to recover from a few bad cycles.