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A group of students at Siena College in Loudonville is making a difference at the pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade St. Madeleine Sophie School in Schenectady.

Kelly Sloan, the principal at SMS, got a call from a Siena professor last spring about using the school for a research methods class. The Siena students ended up studying SMS parents' decisions to enroll and reenroll their children at non-public schools, using SMS, two other Catholic schools and three secular independent schools as case studies.

The management students interviewed parents, staff and board members, conducted surveys, delivered 60- to 80-page reports and made recommendations. As a result, the Catholic schools made some changes over the summer and agreed to participate in a class on leading change this semester.

When the surveys showed that communication needed work at SMS, the school updated its website, got a new phone system, started a Twitter account and changed its marketing approach.

Mrs. Sloan has no doubts that Siena's involvement helped raise SMS' enrollment by almost 20 students this year, and she's excited to see what the research does for the school's future.

"What made me happy was [that] the parents felt we wanted to know what they were feeling," she said of the surveys. "We were listening. We really wanted to know what we need to work on."

Parents expressed interest in enrichment programs for their children. Siena students have been sharing ideas for school-day art and science activities led by SMS staff.

Siena management major Alex Grayson is part of the group that studied SMS. Before the semester is out, the group members want to do an Arbor Day tree activity at SMS involving a science lesson and a poster contest.

Their other ideas for the school include planting vegetables in the community garden in order to study their growth and then do cooking activities, experimenting with flowers and painting flowers submerged in food dye.

Mr. Grayson hopes to see enrichment programs incorporated at SMS once a month.

"The art teacher's only there two days a week," he said. "They have to follow the curriculum, and we're giving [the students] the opportunity to expand their horizons."

The Siena-suggested activities will challenge students and give them attention in subjects where exposure may be lacking, Mr. Grayson said. The course gave him a "real-life perspective of business and leadership. This is the most real-world it's ever been."

Mrs. Sloan said that, without the Siena students, "there is no way we could have had the time" to make such changes to SMS.

"It could not have been done so professionally and so completely," she said. "They don't just come up with a plan; they really try to help with the implementation. [I hope] the beginning of our enrichment program will lead to a bigger and better one."

Siena groups also helped St. Ambrose School in Latham with communications projects and helped St. Mary's Academy in Hoosick Falls to improve its website and its relationship with alumni. Siena students are also surveying SMA students on their favorite memories and what they would change about their school.

The Siena professor, Paul Thurston, who attends St. Joseph's parish in Greenwich, is proud of his students.

"This is a great experience for them, because they can apply what they're learning in the classroom in a way that is helping organizations out," he said. "This provides them the tools and confidence to go out into organizations and make them better."

Dr. Thurston said he found the schools shared concerns about enrollment, but didn't have the resources to address them. His role is to help his students discover what makes Catholic schools unique and worth the tuition.

"If you can figure that out and figure out how to communicate it, then you have a chance," he said. "Part of the reason why Catholic schools are surviving is [that] they provide an affordable, quality preschool, [and] they're offering alternative education that has value."

Dr. Thurston has worked with Catholic schools in the past and is open to taking on new ones.[[In-content Ad]]

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