Professional Development Academy & Programs Academy Strategic Communication Track

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.

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.

Learning Outcomes:

After this module, participants will gain foundational knowledge to be able to:

• Apply complex quantitative and qualitative research methods to support data-driven decision-making.
• Design customized, context-specific research instruments (e.g., questionnaires, interview guides) that yield actionable insights for organizational strategy.
• Interpret social media and digital analytics to assess audience awareness, perception and behavior.
• Synthesize multiple data sources to develop insights that align with institutional goals and long-term planning.
• Translate research findings into compelling, executive-level narratives for internal and external stakeholders.

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.

Learning Outcomes:

After this module, participants will gain foundational knowledge to be able to:

• Apply complex quantitative and qualitative research methods to support data-driven decision-making.
• Lead the development of a brand strategy that aligns with organizational values, culture, and strategic priorities.
• Apply audience segmentation and prioritization frameworks to elevate stakeholder engagement and advocacy.
• Create and critique creative briefs that guide multifaceted teams in brand execution.
• Integrate long-term brand equity considerations into strategic planning.
• Anticipate brand challenges and develop proactive strategies to maintain brand consistency across diverse audiences.

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.

Learning Outcomes:

After this module, participants will gain foundational knowledge to be able to:

• Construct audience-first, cross-platform communication strategies using data-informed insights and behavioral research.
• Employ advanced storytelling techniques to drive engagement and alignment with organizational objectives across PESO channels.
• Leverage emerging technologies, including generative AI, for innovation and efficiency when creating communication tactics.
• Design adaptive communication plans that address both routine messaging and high-stakes or crisis scenarios.
• Lead cross-functional communication teams in executing integrated campaigns with measurable outcomes and strategic alignment.

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.

Learning Outcomes:

After this module, participants will gain foundational knowledge to be able to:

• Apply financial and economic frameworks to evaluate the ROI and organizational impact of communication strategies.
• Critically assess communication initiatives using evaluation plans that integrate communication KPIs with business metrics and reputation indices.
• Develop executive-level reports and strategic recommendations that articulate the business value of communication.
• Lead organization-wide conversations about the role of communication in improving performance and decision-making.

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.