An Uncertain Future?

An Uncertain Future? How Covid-19 is impacting enrollment levels in full-time Islamic schools

BY SHAZA KHAN AND ISRA BRIFKANI

Islamic schools have a 90-year history in the U.S. From the Nation of Islam’s “University of Islam” (est. 1930; renamed “Sister Clara Muhammad Schools” in 1975), as the primary and secondary Islamic schools were first known, to the community Islamic schools established in the late 1970s by Muslim immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries, full-time Islamic schools have played an important role in cultivating an Islamic identity for all Muslim Americans.

These schools were established for many reasons, ranging from creating an alternative to racially oppressive and discriminatory public schools, to protecting students from what has often been perceived as an immoral youth culture and to cultivating a strong Muslim identity. Average Full-Time Islamic School 2020 Each school has taken on unique ways of delivering on its “why.”

Such institutions remain important to Muslim youth and community formation. Based on data from the Islamic Schools League of America’s school registry (ISLA, www.theisla.org), full-time Islamic schools educate approximately 50,000 students in an estimated 300 schools nationwide.

While they educate only 3.8% of Muslim American children, their impact extends further afield. First, these schools represent a mature nonprofit institution that follows federal and local laws and has joined accrediting bodies and professional organizations to help them achieve their missions. Second, they help provide foundational and systematic instruction on Islamic sciences to young Muslims, more so than most weekend or supplementary Islamic educational institutions are able to offer, if for no other reason than their consistent daily instruction and need to deliver a quality service to their paying constituents.

Third, they help nurture ties to the mosque across multiple generations, since many, if not most, Islamic schools offer some portion of their educational program within a mosque. In addition, after its establishment an Islamic school often offers many programs and services to those who do not attend the full-time school, including Eid carnivals, iftars, community service initiatives and more. Thus, their impact is felt throughout the entire community.

Yet with Covid-19, Islamic schools face an uncertain future. While we hope that Islamic schools will recover from the multifaceted issues presented by the pandemic, there is a significant concern about the sustained enrollment and fundraising they depend on to maintain operations.

The following sections highlight findings from a recent ISLA-conducted study regarding the current and future state of this country.

WIDESPREAD DECLINING ENROLLMENT AND HYBRID INSTRUCTION Last year, ISLA administered a survey (late October through early November) to help Islamic schools make data-based decisions to mitigate the pandemic’s impact. In addition to directly emailing the survey to over 300 schools in ISLA’s database, the survey was also shared via two communication

networks designated for Islamic schools.

Enrollment Sectarian Affiliation Accredited

168 Islam (Sunni) Yes, or seeking accreditation

Annual Operating Budget

$700,0001,000,000

Principal Staff Particulars

Muslim Muslim & Non-Muslim, 19 full-time employees

Average Tuition

$6,000-7,000 per student

Responses were received from 81 schools, representing all regions of the U.S. and some in Canada.

The study found that the majority (49%) of Islamic schools began the 2020 academic year with virtual instruction. As the academic year progressed, most of them (59%) began providing a hybrid model. Data from a previous study, administered in partnership with ISLA, Indiana University’s Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI) and the Council for Islamic Schools of North America (CISNA, cisnausa.org), show that Islamic schools were remarkably quick and agile in responding to school closures in March 2020 — the majority were providing remote schooling options within two weeks.

Yet in the 2020-21 school year, 79% of Islamic schools experienced various degrees of decline in enrollment. The ISLA survey asked school leaders to explain these declines; they most frequently cited families’ financial standing, followed by the fact that local schools offered comparable learning options. The most impacted grade levels were Pre-K and K-5. The study also found that around 11% of Islamic schools experienced an increase in enrollment, while 10% were not impacted. The most common trend was a 20-30% decline in overall enrollment. In contrast, an average of 56% of private schools in the U.S. had falling enrollments, with the impacted schools facing an average 6% decline in overall enrollment for the 2020-21 academic year (Neal McCluskey, “Private Schools: COVID Enrollment Winners or Losers?”, CATO, Sept. 2, 2020). Based on this data, we can say that Islamic schools have seen a more drastic decline than other private schools. MITIGATING COVID-19’S IMPACT ON STUDENT ENROLLMENT The study found that 67% of schools saw an increased number of families requesting tuition assistance. Notably, 60% of schools increased their allocation for financial assistance in response to the heightened demand. Other methods used to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on student enrollment included working with families on a case-by-case basis to design payment plans and clear and consistent communication with parents to keep them engaged regarding quality programming and safety precautions.

Many schools increased their fundraising and marketing efforts, as well as their social media presence; others made budgetary cuts, which included staff reductions and voluntary pay cuts by administrative staff. Respondents also reported that the hybrid model enabled them to mitigate enrollment declines by accommodating working parents. Government assistance through the CARES Act also helped schools by providing payroll coverage and funds to purchase

WHILE WE HOPE THAT ISLAMIC SCHOOLS WILL RECOVER FROM THE MULTIFACETED ISSUES PRESENTED BY THE PANDEMIC, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN ABOUT THE SUSTAINED ENROLLMENT AND FUNDRAISING THEY DEPEND ON TO MAINTAIN OPERATIONS.

resources for remote learning. SECURING THE FUTURE OF FULL-TIME ISLAMIC SCHOOLS Private schools nationwide are trying to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on student enrollment. Many are offering hybrid models and making accommodations for working parents. Islamic schools must continue to survey their students’ parents to keep them engaged and find ways to sustain enrollment levels by meeting their needs.

The pandemic has highlighted the urgency for Islamic schools to create sustainable financial models. With the anticipated enrollment declines and reduction of donor-based funding, they must locate creative and diverse funding sources to create emergency funds for financial aid and enrollment sustainability.

On a visionary level, Islamic schools must differentiate themselves from local public and private schools. They need to communicate and provide the value of an integrated Islamic education and embed it in their strategic planning, Covid-19 crisis management and across the curriculum.

Islamic schools will overcome this challenge, just as they have overcome many others in the past. The Muslim community’s support will be needed, however, to help these nonprofits continue to thrive in the face of economic uncertainty. They will have to enter uncharted territory in order to address not just enrollment declines, but also the increasing mental health challenges that our staff and children will face as the pandemic continues to disrupt their lives.

Education has long been considered a cornerstone of society. While public schools and other options remain, full-time Islamic schools offer a unique opportunity to nurture community, identity and Islam all under one umbrella. Their existence is essential to the continued thriving of this country’s Muslim communities. ih

Shaza Khan, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Islamic Schools League of America. Isra Brifkani, Ed.D., is one of ISLA’s research associates.