In-Person Peer Learning Event — Shanghai.
Peer-to-Peer:
Marketing & Admissions
Responding to China’s Changing International School Market
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Time: 1:00-5:00PM
Location: Dehong Shanghai International Chinese School
Peer-to-Peer events have no cost to educators.
We are deeply grateful to Dehong Shanghai International Chinese School for hosting this event and creating a space for meaningful professional collaboration.
This Peer-to-Peer event to be free for all participating educators and school professionals.
Overarching Goal
By the end of this Peer-to-Peer event, participants will have a clearer understanding of how peer schools are responding to demographic and market shifts, communicating value in a changing market, as well as practical ideas for strengthening marketing, admissions and retention.
Who This Is For
This Peer-to-Peer event is for advancement professionals involved in:
Marketing
Admissions
Communications
Development
Alumni Relations
Parent engagement
School leadership and strategy
It is also highly valuable for Heads of School, Principals, Business Directors and senior leaders with responsibility for enrolment, school positioning, family experience and long-term sustainability.
Outcomes
Participants will leave with:
Practical ideas for strengthening marketing, admissions and retention
Strategies for improving family engagement and parent confidence
Fresh perspectives from advancement professionals working in different school contexts
New peer connections across the China international school sector
P2P Events
PeerSphere Peer-to-Peer (P2P) events are highly collaborative, peer learning experiences where professionals come together to share challenges, practical strategies and emerging approaches.
They provide:
A space to share challenges, ideas, resources and examples from real school contexts
A structured and flexible half-day experience with interactive formats
An opportunity for peer-to-peer discussion and knowledge exchange
A community-building forum connecting professionals across schools and regions
A setting where participants contribute expertise while learning from others
A chance to look beyond competition and strengthen the professional capacity of the sector
Meet your peers in Shanghai
Your Host
Janelle Garrett
Head of Development and Stakeholder Engagement
Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (Pudong)
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Janelle Garrett is an international education leader, storyteller, and community-builder with more than 21 years of experience across China, Brazil, Bolivia, and the United States. As Head of Development and Stakeholder Engagement at YCIS, she works at the intersection of family engagement, reputation management, marketing, admissions, partnerships, and authentic school storytelling.
A former Lower Secondary Coordinator and experienced IB and AP teacher of History, Politics, and Spanish, Janelle brings both a school leader’s insight and a teacher’s heart to her work. She understands that strong schools are built on trust, belonging, clear communication, and meaningful relationships.
A Third Culture Kid with roots in Texas and Buenos Aires, Argentina, Janelle feels most at home in international communities. She is passionate about helping schools tell stories that are strategic, human, and true: stories that show families not just what a school offers, but what it feels like to belong there.
Outside of work, Janelle is happiest with good conversation, great playlists, long walks, cooking, dancing, boxing, lifting, and following fútbol, football, and footy in all their forms.
Breakout Rooms
Following the keynote, participants will join one of three breakout rooms, each designed to support a different aspect of marketing, admissions and advancement practice.
Finding and Converting the Right Families
Recruitment, Positioning and Admissions in a Smaller Market
This breakout focuses on how schools can better understand their prospective family market and sharpen the admissions journey. Participants will explore how schools are adapting recruitment strategies in response to fewer foreign families, changing domestic demand, and increased competition.
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Discussion may include:
How schools identify and reach right-fit families
What messages are resonating with prospective parents now
How admissions teams qualify, nurture and convert inquiries
The role of tours, open days, referrals, agents and digital channels
How schools explain value in a more price-sensitive environment
What data teams are using to understand why families inquire, apply, accept or decline
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Participants will leave with practical ideas for strengthening recruitment, admissions conversations and market positioning.
From Enrolment to Retention
Strengthening Family Experience and Parent Confidence
This breakout focuses on retention as a strategic advancement priority. In a changing market, keeping families may be just as important as recruiting new ones. Participants will examine how schools build trust across the family journey, from first impressions to onboarding, parent communication, satisfaction and renewal.
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Discussion may include:
What causes families to stay, hesitate or leave
How schools listen to current parents and respond to concerns
How admissions, communications and academic teams work together after enrolment
The role of parent education, community events and feedback systems
How schools support transition points between divisions or programmes
How to strengthen confidence when families are comparing cost, outcomes and school culture
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Participants will share strategies for improving family satisfaction, reducing preventable attrition and making retention a shared school-wide responsibility.
Telling the School Story with Evidence
Communications, Reputation and Strategic Differentiation
This breakout focuses on how schools communicate who they are, what they do well, and why it matters. As families become more cautious and competition increases, schools need a clear, credible and evidence-informed story.
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Discussion may include:
How schools define and communicate their distinctive value
What evidence helps families understand student outcomes and school quality
How to move beyond generic claims about “academic excellence” and “whole child development”
How to align leadership, faculty, admissions and communications around the same story
How schools use alumni, student voice, parent testimonials and graduate outcomes
How to communicate strengths honestly while acknowledging areas of growth
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Participants will leave with ideas for making their school story clearer, more trusted and more connected to the lived experience of students and families.
Event Agenda
1:00PM - 1:10PM
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PeerSphere will welcome participants, introduce the host school and sponsor, and frame the purpose of the afternoon.
1:10PM - 1:40PM
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The keynote will provide a data-informed overview of the demographic and enrolment challenges facing international schools in China, with a focus on what these changes mean for marketing, admissions, retention and strategic communication.
1:45PM - 3:15PM
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Participants will join one of three breakout rooms focused on recruitment, retention or school storytelling. Each breakout will include structured peer discussion, practical examples and resource sharing.
3:15PM - 3:45PM
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Participants will have time to continue informal conversations, connect with peers and visit sponsor materials.
3:45PM - 4:15PM
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The Marketplace will give participants an opportunity to exchange practical tools, resources and examples. Schools may share admissions materials, parent journey maps, open day formats, communication samples, retention strategies, referral approaches, or other resources that have helped their teams.
4:20PM - 5:00PM
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The event will close with a facilitated panel discussion featuring representatives from the breakout rooms and invited school leaders. The panel will surface key insights, unresolved questions and promising practices from the afternoon.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
The enrolment challenge facing schools in China is a strategic issue, a leadership issue and a community issue.
In a changing market, enrolment is not only about attracting families. It is about understanding them, serving them well, earning their trust, and telling a school story that is both compelling and true.
Advance Together: Our Collective Learning Series
School Administration Conference
Friday & Saturday, January 22-23, 2027
Hong Kong Academy
Join senior international school leaders, including Business Managers, HR Directors, and Finance heads, for an intensive, expert-led forum.
Marketing & Admissions Community
Virtual Peer Learning Community
Led by Janelle Garrett
This community is designed for those working in international schools who want to connect with others navigating similar demands, from shifting demographics and enrollment targets to messaging, storytelling, and family engagement.
Learn with Peers at
Dehong Shanghai International Chinese School
1935 Shuguang Road, Maqiao Minhang, Shanghai (East Gate) | 上海市闵行区曙光路1935号（东门）
2100 Qianpujing Road, Maqiao Minhang, Shanghai (West Gate) | 上海市闵行区茜浦泾路2100号（西门）
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Shanghai Minhang Dehong Private School officially opened in 2017. It is located in the Qizhong Villa area of Maqiao Town, Minhang District. As a sister school of Dulwich College International, Dehong Shanghai is a twelve-year integrated bilingual school designed specifically for Chinese students and it currently has nearly 1,000 students enrolled.
Dehong Shanghai offers an outstanding educational experience that integrates the best of Chinese and international education. At the compulsory education stage, the Dehong curriculum is centered on the Chinese National Curriculum, enhanced with international holistic education philosophies and teaching methods. Students then transition to internationally recognized academic programs. Dehong students are equipped with strong bilingual and cross-cultural competencies, enabling them to make meaningful contributions to both China and the world.
上海闵行区民办德闳学校于2017年正式办学，坐落于闵行区马桥镇旗忠别墅区。作为德威国际学校的姐妹校，上海德闳是一所为中国学生量身定制的十二年一贯制国际化双语学校，目前在校生有近千名。
上海德闳为学生提供结合中国和国际教育精髓的卓越教育体验。在义务教育阶段，以中国国家课程为核心，融入国际化的全人教育理念和教学方法，之后衔接国际认可的课程项目。德闳学校培养的学生具有出色的双语和跨文化沟通能力，能够为中国和世界做出积极的贡献。
Caroline Xu
Executive Principal
Continued Support
Accountability Online Meeting
The event is just the beginning. What happens afterwards can make all the difference in supporting the implementation of learning in practice.
To help turn ideas and learning from the event into action, all participants will be invited to a facilitated online accountability meeting. The session provides an opportunity to:
Reflect on key takeaways
Identify how learning can be applied in practice
Share progress, challenges and successes
Stay connected with peers as part of an ongoing learning community
Session date and time: To be announced.
