How to Open a New School (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Opening a school and sharing your vision of teaching with the world can be one of the most satisfying careers you can choose. But where to start? It is necessary to plan the various steps of the project in order to develop a complete course of study, navigate the choppy waters of bureaucracy, obtain the status of a non-profit organization and finally open your school. Start from the first step to learn more about how to open your new school from scratch.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Course development

Step 1. Study an engaging educational vision

A project of this type is essential in the initial phase and also afterwards. Your educational idea will guide you in decisions and actions in the short and long term. Imagine your school. Answer the following questions:

• What kind of teaching would you like to offer?
• Who do you want to contact?
• What can your school give that the others don't have?
• What kind of academic and social experience do you want to offer your students?
• Where do you think your school will be in 5, 25 or 100 years?

Step 2. Write down the curriculum

When planning a course of study, you need to consider both the practical issues of day-to-day operations and the educational purpose and objectives your school wants to achieve. A well done curriculum should contain the following information:

• Daily operations

  • How long do the lessons last?
  • How many lessons are there every day?
  • What time do the lessons start and end?
  • How is the canteen organized?
  • How will the teachers be organized?

• Learning assessment

  • What do your students need?
  • What is the objective of the students?
  • What will be the criteria for evaluating the preparation?
  • How will students be screened?
  • What kind of diploma does the school issue?

  

  Step 3. Draw up an educational program

  Formulate a pedagogical path that your potential teachers will need to follow, understand and develop in their classrooms. Will your school be very selective? Will it be based on writing? Will the debate be important? Describe how teachers will be held accountable for their students' learning and how they will have to manage their classes.

  In the curriculum use words that can attract the best, brightest and most enthusiastic teachers to make your school the best. Will teachers be able to choose books or will they have to choose from some approved texts? Think about ways to make your school an alternative for creative teachers

  

  Step 4. Get your course approved

  To be recognized by the state and to obtain funding, you must obtain the recognition of the Ministry of Education, which probably involves checking your educational program and your constituent documents. It might seem like a waste of time, but it's not difficult if you've planned and followed the right steps. Contact your state's Ministry of Education to find out exactly what it takes to schedule an examination of your project and how to best prepare yourself.

  

  Step 5. Decide what kind of school you want to organize:

  Montessori, charter or religious. If you are interested in founding a school based on a defined ideology or pedagogical profile, contact the managers of the organization you want to be part of for help in giving your school the right profile.

  Part 2 of 3: Set up the legal entity

  

  Step 1. Prepare the business plan

  It will need to describe your goals for school, why you think they are achievable, and how you plan to achieve them financially. A business plan must necessarily start with fundraising and comply with the necessary constitutive requirements to open a school.

  Conduct a feasibility analysis of the project to determine if opening a school is a viable path. In the initial phase, it is essential to make a detached analysis of your project and choose the best way to proceed. You need to determine how many students you think you can accept, predict budgetary costs, operating costs, garden maintenance costs and all other school activities to determine if it will be feasible

  

  Step 2. Form a board of directors

  You can't do everything alone, so the first step is to look for administrators who share your ideas and create a board of directors that deals with financial matters and operational decisions, hires teachers and oversees the school.

  In general, no school can be run by a single "leader". While it is important to establish good leadership as a group, a school is more of a society than a dictatorship. To find collaborators, contact teachers from the local community who may be dissatisfied with their current situation and interested in a more forward-thinking school like yours

  

  Step 3. Submit the application to create your company

  Your board of directors must carefully follow the laws on the formation of a company in force in the state in which it will be located and register it as a non-profit educational association. Often there is a competent body or office to contact to submit the documentation. Normally you have to pay for the practice.

  

  Step 4. Register as a non-profit association

  This way, you will be eligible to receive grants, donations and other types of funding that are not given to for-profit companies. To obtain the status of a non-profit association, the organization must operate exclusively for religious, educational, scientific, or other charitable purposes and have the following requirements:

  • Net profits must not benefit any private individual or shareholder.
  • No part of its business should seek to influence legislation or intervene in political propaganda campaigns.
  • The purposes and activities of the organization cannot be illegal or contrary to the common sense of decency.

  

  Step 5. Apply for an EIN and tax exempt status

  Visit the website of the local tax office to request it. Your company will have a social security number. This will identify you as a non-profit company and you will be entitled to tax exemption. Find all the information on the social security website.

  Obtaining tax exemption can waste a lot of time, so you could contact a lawyer to be sure you interpret the laws correctly and submit the application correctly

  Part 3 of 3: Open your school

  

  Step 1. Seek funding for your school

  Depending on the model you want to follow, you can collect tuition fees, obtain grants and other types of financing for non-profit companies, or launch into fundraising campaigns. In any case, you have to start by collecting as much money as possible to make a grand opening and get through the first year.

  Apply for scholarships suitable for your school and use the money to bring your project to life

  

  Step 2. Develop the structures

  Whether you rent an existing place or build a new one, the purchase and development of the facilities is a significant commitment. Start by looking for a place large enough to host your students, or plan a renovation or construction of new buildings.

  Get started as early as possible. The times for the rental, renovation and construction of buildings are likely to be longer than expected. If possible, make a drawing to make it easier to make

  

  Step 3. Hire good administrators

  If your school leaders aren't among the founding members of the board, conduct a search to find someone with experience in the field and with ideas that match your own. First-rate leadership is essential for all schools, but especially for new ones.

  

  Step 4. Hire good teachers

  The faculty will do the quality of your school. Nothing is more important. Teachers will be the most important factor in the quality of your school. Quality will determine the success of your school. Attract and try to convince first-rate teachers who have a passion for teaching and humanity towards students.

  

  Step 5. Advertise your school

  Think of a brand that has a significant impact, some advertising and a public presentation plan and carry it all forward with enthusiasm. Make sure your school is talked about. There are many creative and inexpensive ways to advertise your school. Good advertising isn't necessarily expensive. The most important thing is to know the market and what you need to be successful in attracting the number and type of students you want to enroll in your school.

  

  Step 6. Find and enroll students

  Hire willing students to welcome you to your school. When you have completed all the paperwork, you can start sharing your dream with parents, teachers and students to exchange ideas. Organize open days and registration days to turn your dream into reality.