About Proving the Value of School Communication . . .

Proving the value of effective two-way communication in our schools is why NSPRA’s leadership gave birth to its Communication Accountability Program (CAP) in 2004. It has been a focused effort to find the results and in some cases, authoritative opinions, of school leaders throughout the United States and Canada.

In some instances, proving and documenting the value of the communication effort is easy. The biggest scorecard, if you will, deals with the areas of financial elections and crisis situations. In most cases, when you win a finance election or effectively handle a crisis, the results are often due to the effectiveness of the communication effort and program.

Recently, we have been looking more into the research component of proving the value of our school communication programs. A survey completed by superintendents demonstrated just what they want from the communication program. And a survey of more than 43,000 parents in some 50 NSPRA school districts also found the content, delivery channels, and frequency preferred by parents in their communication with schools.

Another effort is collecting data on how the school communication program can be an accelerator for student achievement in our schools.

And finally, a benchmarking study is now underway to first look at the three areas of:

1. structure and management aspects of effective communication;
2. internal communication and
3. parent communication.

Results on these three areas are expected during the 2012-2013 school year.

Now with this new NSPRA Website feature, you have all our NSPRA data in one-easier-to-navigate section. We plan to keep adding new life to each section as more relevant work is implemented.

Do dig into all the links as you will begin to see just how valuable school communication is to the everyday success of our schools.

Rich Bagin, APR
NSPRA Executive Director

“Ensure your planning process mirrors your communication/engagement vision. Never plan in isolation. Invite representatives of your stakeholder groups to participate in your communication/engagement planning process.”

Pre-Planning:

• Ask a small team of representatives to help you organize the planning process.
• With the team identify a process that fits your district or school culture.
• Ask them who the stakeholder groups are in your school/district.
• Identify key trusted leaders in each group as well as connectors and critics.
• Use a variety of invitation strategies including asking the team members to make personal contact inviting the people they have identified. Also employ written invitations, face-to-face invitations, second party invitations, and electronic invitations.
• Invite as many people as your space will accommodate.
• Provide childcare, snacks, and transportation.
• Send easy to understand background information that will help participants know more about the issues.
• Provide translation services for non-English speaking populations. Translate all materials developed and provide translations at all meetings.

Planning:

• Organize participants into stakeholder groups at tables of 6-8.
• Ask what their hopes are for communication and engagement practices in their school or district.
• Building on the identified hopes provide a short lesson on best communication and engagement practices.
• Ask participants to identify what they think the key issues are in the school/district.
• Ask what they want to know about those issues.
• Ask what they need to know to help all students be successful in school.
• Ask how they want to be informed.
• Ask how they want to be engaged in addressing issues.
• Ask what will they need to see/experience to know the school/district is communicating with them and engaging them in decisions, which affect them.

Post-Planning:

• Review all the information you have received and develop your strategic communication/engagement plan to reflect your stakeholder needs and your expertise. Align with your school/district priorities and goals.
• Review the plan with the small pre-planning team; make any changes suggested.
• Post plan on website or e-mail/mail it to planning participants.
• Implement.

“An Effective Two-Way Communications Program generates enthusiasm and energy. It is the catalyst for relevant, effective initiatives that contribute to the bottom line of student success. It builds ownership in the community for the challenges we face, and in turn, develops partners who work with the schools to meet the basic and advanced needs of kids.”

“The school PR professional is the one single individual in the school system who is uniquely positioned to influence key decision makers to consider the points of view all key constituent groups, internally and externally. While this is not always easy to do, it is critical to the credibility and effectiveness of the Superintendent and Board. It frequently requires telling them what they need to know and not merely what they want to know. The PR professional is in essence the social conscience that every educational institution needs to survive in today’s marketplace.”

“I once asked my all-time favorite superintendent for a quote that I could use on an award application. Expecting a very routine mention of my department’s work as the district mouthpiece, his actual response forever changed my approach to school communications. He admitted his dependence on us to be the eyes and ears of the district!”

“Up to that point, I focused entirely on what was said or written. However, for the past dozen years, I have accepted the challenge of constantly measuring the pulse of my community, legislators, employees and all other entities. I even began producing for him a periodic ‘Eyes and Ears’ report containing observations and "word on the street" tidbits that I thought he needed to know.”

“If a communications plan is going to bring success, then it must include strategies for gathering information. Outgoing communications are dangerous if not grounded in research. Take the initiative to be the eyes and ears for your superintendent, your district and your community.”

“In this world of over-communications, we all too often see the results of unplanned, off-message statements that wreck havoc on good intentions and eventually take on a life of their own. School systems cannot afford to be ravaged by negative messages rapidly replicating themselves on Twitter, You Tube and other social media. A communications professional who truly understands messaging and other intricacies of communications is no longer an option. It is a necessity.”

“A strategic, data-based communications plan is your blueprint for building unwavering community dedication to supporting the success of every child who enters that community’s schools. In this news-every-minute world, building and carrying out an effective communications plan requires a communications professional.”

“Superintendents want to communicate to those key stakeholders in their community and may reach for the ol’ shotgun and send out a newsletter or get on Facebook and “hope” to reach everyone. Usually, that is a waste of time, ineffective and hoping for the best. A better path is to develop a public relations program using your public relations professional that is based on research. Who needs communication and how do they like to receive it? The research will target areas of need, reduce costs and prove more effective. Follow-up evaluation of any communications can prove the district’s efforts are making a difference or show a course correction might be needed. This research-based PR program will evolve into various public relations plans that come with focused direction, focused techniques and are custom-designed for those stakeholders discovered in need. Public Relations Programs will most likely change depending on annual or ongoing evaluations of the multiple plans developed.”

“A public relations plan demonstrates the importance of the fact that PR is EVERYONE’s job, and its direct link to student achievement and public support shows that good PR doesn’t “just happen.” It is a science, and a critical part of the entire organization’s success.”

“Ignorance and arrogance are the biggest barriers we face. Some think PR is something you need when problems come up - the “spin” phrase that we hate. Continuous training and reminding, and showing examples of how PR works well constantly, is the only thing we can do.”

“Having a public relations plan gives us the ability to be proactive, and respond to situations with a focused and coherent message. Building positive public perception is an ongoing everyday process that involves the entire district working from a comprehensive plan. This is particularly critical during a crisis or emergency, when communication makes or breaks a district and its administration.”

“A communications plan solidifies the goals and strategies desired by an organization. By going through the process of using information and data to determine need/gaps, visualizing and writing down desired outcomes and planning for evaluation methods to determine the level of success or failure is a tangible means of bringing wishes, hopes and dreams into a do-able reality. If ‘it’ is written down by the team investing in the plan, the odds are greatly increased that ‘it’ will happen.”

“Only by hearing and knowing of issues as they develop or are anticipated by management can a PR director effectively advise and develop communications strategies of conveying messages and information to targeted and/or concerned publics that will be carried out. One example is how to prepare information and reach the 54 brand new legislators, due to term limits, who will be making decisions that affect our system, and how to reach the them in a manner they will be most receptive.”

“A PR plan brings order and structure to the chaos of public relations. It directs my efforts to measurable and attainable goals, forces me to work ‘big-picture,’ and helps other people understand my role in education. We have been able to put the first things first. We have been able to look into the future and respond to the important things while we take care of day-to-day issues. It provides the school board and public with a clear picture of what we are trying to do and how effective two-way communication benefits the public, teachers, and most important, the students.”

“You will not succeed anymore with a good old boy system, no matter how talented and dedicated, running the school system. It no longer works in any other organization - young people will not tolerate it, and parents cannot be bullied. Learn why every major corporation has a communications officer sitting in an equal seat of power at the table where big decisions are made.”

“An organized public relations/communications plan ensures that a school district gives targeted attention to building relationships with all stakeholder groups. It also provides a process for strategic communications and a means for ensuring consistency of message. The PR director can counsel school officials and boards about the value of building relationships and the most effective ways to involve various stakeholder groups in decision-making. Something as simple as making sure all appropriate stakeholder groups are represented on committees can make a big difference in whether the outcome is accepted or meets with resistance.”

“In this day and age, school districts cannot afford to have at least one position dedicated to communications. For public schools to survive, we must know what our communities value and be able to show them how their values are reflected in the work of the schools. Open, two-way communication is critical to maintaining public relationships. Using a variety of sources and strategies enhances a school system’s ability to communicate effectively and thoroughly. Someone in the district must have responsibility for this function if it is to be strategic and effective.”

“Our communications plan serves as a roadmap for building and maintaining positive relationships with our students, employees and patrons. Our crisis communications plan offers a comprehensive means of gathering and disseminating important information needed during natural and man-made emergencies.”

“The success of any school system depends almost entirely on the relationship and support it builds with its patrons and employees. Strong relationships and support don’t just happen. They are achieved by a conscious effort and a deliberate plan that includes continued research, action and evaluation. Formalized communication is a full-time job. It is an investment that reaps both tangible and intangible benefits. Ironically, those benefits are not fully appreciated until they are lost. Public relations professionals are a powerful asset to most any organization, but especially to school systems.”

“A public relations program should provide research, thinking, counseling, and services that help shape the organization to meet the needs of the environment. At the same time, the program should work toward shaping the environment to meet the needs of the organization.”

“Everything starts with relationships, including relationships among people and relationships among ideas. It is not just a matter of ‘getting our story out’ or ‘making the boss look good.’ Public relations has been diminished by making ‘PR’ the operative term. The result has been that ‘PR’ has often become synonymous with corporate arrogance and cover-ups. We need to emphasize both words. We need to be concerned about the public’s interest and to build relationships...again, among both people and ideas.”

“An organized public relations plan helps you stay focused on the organization’s mission, and helps the board and administration accomplish their goals. Most importantly, it brings into one’s organization a professional communicator who is dedicated to building lasting relationships with patrons, parents, staff and students.”

“You would not engage in a legal battle without consulting an attorney; prepare a budget without an accountant; build a school without the guidance of an architect. PR professionals’ expertise helps you to preserve your image and your district’s image which can be destroyed as quickly as a pin can pop a balloon. In the information age, the message, and how, to whom, and through what medium it is delivered, is as mission as critical as legal, accounting, and construction concerns.”

“It helps forge a vital connection between the community and its schools and helps create an environment of support that is necessary for student achievement. I don’t work for a school district, however, if I did, I would say that it connects the district’s public relations efforts to the district’s overall mission and goals.”

“The PR director can play a very important role in just getting the outside community to the table. Good PR can help bring voices in that don’t often get heard. The biggest barrier is always helping people understand what PR is and is not and that it is a research-based science, not just fluff.”

“Though often overlooked by school district leaders, pr and communications plays an incredibly important role in helping to position the school district in the community. Communication efforts beyond newsletters and brochures must be an integral part in the everyday operation of a school district in order to achieve success, acceptance and support of the community.”

“From time to time the barriers have been superintendents and Boards of Education who do not understand the value of public relations and communications, and therefore do not accept the strategic work, that is so critical to the success of schools. I overcame it by working with principals and other school-based folks who are closest to kids and parents. Principals can’t live without us and we’ve done everything to ensure our success by helping principals, schools and departments.”

“For those without pr programs in place, I would use examples - and there are so many from across this country — of how successful school public relations and communications programs have helped schools earn the trust, support and involvement of communities. I would also show how communications has saved schools and districts from incredible embarrassment as a result of crisis, and how communications and engagement has helped school districts become the ‘go to’ school or district in an era of ever-increasing choice.”