The LERN Top Ten Highlights for FY25 focus on the pioneering, breakthrough innovations, research, best practices, benchmarks and data co-created by our members and staff.
As your primary information and consulting resource concludes its fiscal year, we thank you for all your support, attendance, and membership.
Once again, another 100,000 people took classes from our members because of LERN, making LERN one of the biggest and most important lifelong learning and continuing education organizations in North America.
#10 Your Income and Registration Potential
We now know your program’s income and registration potential by institutional setting and size of community.
Over 100 programs submitted the data. From that, we know what the Top 25% of programs are generating. And from our survey, you said that all programs can achieve what the Top 25% currently are doing.
#9 Nurturing Staff Techniques
The first techniques to nurture staff for retention and productivity, a top issue in the field and in all of business, were reported by three programs, all recreation departments. The leaders and members are Jorey Scott and Angela Freitag of Concord, CA; Julie Collins and Austin Howe of Cary, NC; and Nicola Margol and Krista Billingsly of Columbia, MD.
In addition, Leslie Brock of Edwardsville, IL; did new work on nurturing instructors and getting former instructors back teaching with her program.
#8 Print Brochure Has More Engagement
The value of the print brochure was reinforced once again by data from Elaine Chapman of Pasadena, CA; and new research by LERN. Chapman almost doubled registrations and income after bringing the print brochure back.
Julie Coates found print has more engagement with readers than digital promotions alone; and readers of your print brochure buy more, and buy more frequently than those reached by digital promotions only.
#7 Recognize Your Staff and Volunteers
Recognize everyone, LERN member and leader Tim Litfin of Minnetonka, MN, urges. He says no one gets enough recognition. He’s right. Your LERN staff is embarking on a PR mission to recognize our members and contributions. You should too for your staff, volunteers, advisory groups, teachers, business partners, and others.
#6 Authentic Programming Demonstrated
Instead of sending your normal brochures and marketing to unserved audiences, create unique classes and programs for specific neighborhoods. The approach is being pioneered by Aviva Hillenbrand and her staff in Minneapolis, MN.
#5 Articulate Your Program’s Value
Prompted by a suggestion by Jill Korsok, head of a community education and recreation program in Pepper Pike, OH, LERN researched ways to tell your institution how valuable your program is. Not only that, but we discovered new high-dollar financial contributions your program makes, far more valuable than just your Operating Margin on classes.
#4 Offer Boomer and Kids’ Classes
After several presentations and reports by members, LERN did the research and is now recommending every program do classes for both Boomers (60+) and kids. The profitability is huge, but there are additional financial benefits as well. Leading practitioners Mary Staackmann of Northfield, IL; and Nicola Margol of Columbia, MD, shared their experience on this.
#3 Class Rank Premieres
Working with our Best Partners, UGotClass released its first listings of the Top Students in each Certificate program over the past year. The Class Ranking allows students and their employers to see where they ranked in learning and knowledge. It is part of our strategy of providing
Superior.Quality.Education.
#2 The Solution to the Boys’ and STEM Crisis
Key to economic prosperity in this century, LERN leaders Paula Hogard, Cheryl Green and David Reilly made LERN the first national organization to support the solution to the boys’ and STEM crisis. This year another national organization, the Gender Equality Network, also endorsed the solution.
#1 More Financial Contributions Discovered
Laura Matchett of Traverse City, MI, discovered donations to her institution were higher among her participants than others. She also found a significantly high percentage of her college’s students attended her Kids’ College in the past. She is now working with LERN and other leaders to explore the impact on retention for employees who take her classes.
Coming up: LERN’s new research and contributions to your program’s success for the 2025-2026 year.
