About NSPRA
Become a Member
Designed for veteran school communication professionals and district leaders seeking advanced expertise on the issues, challenges and trends shaping today’s school PR landscape, this track will help you elevate your impact where it matters most.
- 2023-24 NSPRA Academy Participant
Are you ready to elevate your school district’s communication from tactical to transformational?
The NSPRA Strategic Communications Academy is designed specifically for veteran school communication professionals and district leaders seeking advanced expertise in the issues, challenges and trends shaping today’s school PR landscape.
This four-part professional learning track goes beyond the basics, offering deep dives into research, brand strategy, implementation and evaluation, all through the lens of the four-step strategic Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation (RPIE) communication process. Each session is built to equip you with real tools, meaningful insights and the confidence to guide your district through change, challenge and opportunity.
Whether you're managing a growing communications team, refining your district's brand identity or advising your superintendent’s cabinet, this Academy will sharpen your strategic thinking and align your communication work with measurable district goals.
NEW: NSPRA Academy now offers flexible purchasing options! Enroll in the full course for comprehensive development or select individual modules to meet your specific training needs.
Registration Information
By the end of the Strategic Communications track, participants will be able to:
Participants will work with the course facilitator on completing their capstone project, a research-driven strategic communication plan for their school, school district or educational service agency.
Each live, virtual module will be four hours, beginning at 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT, 10 a.m. MT, 9 a.m. PT).
Can't attend a module live? All modules will be recorded and available for participants to catch up on-demand for a flexible learning experience.
Modules will be delivered by Dr. Kenon A. Brown, professor in the department of advertising and public relations and graduate coordinator at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
This session will take an in-depth look into best practices for collecting data using quantitative, qualitative and analytical methodologies. The session will focus on providing effective, cost-efficient ways to conduct research that will help school PR professionals find meaningful insights to guide their strategic planning. The content will help explore how to conduct better surveys, focus groups and other methodologies, how to conduct meaningful social media research, and how to better analyze, interpret and present findings.
This session will revolve around planning and executing creatively-focused branding for your school or organization. The session will focus on understanding how to determine your organization’s brand positioning, as well as choosing your priority audiences and building a strategy that best communicates your brand to them. While creating an effective creative brief will be the central focus of the planning process, the session’s content will explore the concepts that are central to strategic brand management.
This session will emphasize an audience-centric approach to selecting media channels and building comprehensive communication strategies. The session’s focus will be on using the storytelling approach to building strategies and choosing the best media channels based on audience data and the PESO model for both day-to-day communication and more focused campaigns and programs. Content will also focus on using generative AI to help develop tactics, and best practices for media relations and communicating during crisis situations.
This session will examine strategic communication from a business context in order to more effectively evaluate and assess your organization. The session’s focus will be on understanding key dimensions in accounting, economics, finance, corporate reputation and business governance. Cohort members will apply analytical and critical thinking skills to critique and evaluate communication decisions from a business standpoint.
Dr. Kenon A. Brown is a professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations (A+PR) at the University of Alabama. As the director of the university's Institute for Communication and Information Research, Dr. Brown is responsible for the day-to-day management of the institute to help achieve its mission and promote its efforts. He is also the co-managing director of the Beyond Sports Initiative. His research interests focus on the role of identity in sports, specifically related to athlete image and reputation management and the media consumption of international competitions. He also examines minority recruitment and retention in mass communication.
Prior to his academic appointment, Dr. Brown worked for eight years in restaurant management and marketing, while also conducting independent media training for several smaller non-profit organizations and local businesses. Kenon has published more than 70 journal articles and book chapters. He has also co-authored one book and co-edited three books. Keeping with his practitioner roots, Kenon also consults with several local and regional organizations, specifically assisting with market research and strategic planning. He has worked closely in multiple capacities with several sport and entertainment organizations, including the International Olympic Committee, Twitch, FOX Sports, NASCAR and the Country Music Association.
Course Presenters
Kate Crowder Communications Supervisor Germantown Municipal (Tenn.) School District NSPRA Front-Runner Honoree NSPRA National Seminar Presenter NSPRA Southeast Region Vice President
Marisela Felix Executive Director of Communications Sunnyside USD No. 12 (Ariz.) Arizona Chapter Vice President
Jason Laz Communications Specialist Troy City (N.Y.) School District Award-Winning School Communicator NSPRA National Seminar Presenter New York SPRA Board Member
Register: Module 1 (Oct. 10) Mastering Research – Gathering and Interpreting Data for Meaningful Insights
Register: Module 2 (Nov. 21) Mastering Planning – Building Your School’s Brand Strategy
Register: Module 3 (Feb. 27) Mastering Implementation – Choosing the Right Communication Channels
Register: Module 4 (April 10) Mastering Evaluation and Assessment – The Business of Strategic Communication