LISA Academy
has issued a statement on its student recruitment efforts from Luanne Baroni, principal of the LISA middle school. It said it was a mistake that a mass recruitment mailing omitted poor black neighborhoods and also said it had purchased digital advertising that was believed a more effective method in reaching those parts of town.

Because of the discrepancy that has been pointed out, LISA Academy is immediately releasing mailers to be sent to the 72202, 72204 and 72209 ZIP Codes, as well as 72206, and 72103, although each of these ZIP Codes was originally covered in the full marketing plan. In addition, our faculty and staff will hand out flyers in person within these ZIP Codes in the coming days.

We apologize for this error and want to reassure the community that LISA Academy has actively recruited students from all areas of the city so that we may continue our proud tradition of serving one of the most diverse student populations in Little Rock.

We reported yesterday that a $17,000 mailer to almost 70,000 homes omitted any mailing to three ZIP codes in Little Rock (72202, 72204 and 72209) that are predominantly black (or Latino) and poor, with the largest mailings in affluent, majority white neighborhoods. The school said yesterday in releasing the data in response to a Freedom of Information Act request that it made an effort to attract a diverse student body and had increased its percentage of minority and poor students over the years. But the school superintendent didn’t respond to a  question about the omission of mail to certain ZIP codes.

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The prepared statement today said that the mailers were part of a broader marketing effort that included expenditures in other media targeted at minority neighborhoods, based on advice from the state Education Department.

Our marketing campaign included radio and television ads, newspaper ads, digital impressions, and mailed flyers. Each of these mediums was chosen for its effectiveness, particularly with the targeted audience. We purchased a total of four weeks of radio buys with Power 92 and Alice 107.7 and bought three months of ads in the Kids Directory. In addition, we purchased broadcast ads on the Channel 7 morning show, and we purchased targeted digital advertising through Channel 7 to reach the 72201, 72202, 72204, 72205, 72209, 72211, 72212, 72223, and 72227 ZIP Codes. We also purchased digital advertising on KTHV Channel 11 and KARK Channel 4.

Lastly, we purchased Sunday and Thursday print ads in addition to daily digital ads through the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

In preparing our marketing plan for the new West Little Rock campus, LISA Academy faculty and staff identified appropriate marketing strategies for each zone, specifically based on feedback from the Arkansas State Board of Education and Arkansas Department of Education Charter Authorizing Panel. During the hearings conducted by the State Board and Charter Authorizing Panel, it was stressed that marketing to lower-income ZIP Codes would be most successful as digital rather than print media. Based on these conversations and further research, marketing to the 72202, 72204, and 72209 ZIP Codes focused on digital impressions along with radio and television ads. In addition, digital ads purchased through the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette were specific to mobile platforms because the newspaper staff identified that medium as most successful for reaching minority populations.

The school got approval for an additional 500 seats on March 31. It said its marketing for 2016-17 (the statement isn’t clear if this refers to past marketing or only to efforts since the state expansion vote) had been successful in reaching minority neighborhoods.

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To date, the ZIP Code producing the highest number of applications to LISA Academy for the 2016-2017 school year is 72204 [central Little Rock south of Interstate 630]. The third highest is 72209 [Southwest Little Rock]. In total, the demand for enrollment at LISA Academy continues to vastly exceed our enrollment cap, as we have already received nearly 700 applications for 500 new K-5 seats, less the siblings of current students. As a result, we anticipate a waiting list for next year at this campus. 

The demographics of charter schools have been a continuing issue because the Little Rock School District has recorded a steady rise in low-income students as the enrollment in charter schools has risen. Economic circumstances have long been a predictor of academic success.

LISA’s enrollment is diverse, but markedly different from that of the Little Rock School District. LISA is 37 percent black, according to state figures, against 65 percent in the Little Rock School District. Low-income students, as defined by eligibility for school lunch programs, comprise 43 percent of LISA enrollment versus 81 percent in the Little Rock School District.

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The final test of recruitment is enrollment, not response. That official figure won’t be known until next October.

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