Public Relations In Schools

This article presents an overview of public relations strategies and concepts for public schools. The role of public relations in public education began with higher education applying public relations methods used in business to promote their programs with competitors. Public relations involves far more than publicity. "Educational public relations" means genuine cooperation in planning and working for good schools with the community. Collaborating with internal and external publics becomes a two-way process by means of the flowing of ideas between school and community. Through thoughtful design and engagement public relations builds the basis for mutual understanding and effective team work between the two.

Keywords Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP); Branding; Constituents; Educational Public Relations; External Publics; Internal Publics; No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB); One-Way Model; Public Relations; School Leadership; Two-Way Symmetrical Model

Overview

Educational Public Relations is a planned, systematic management function, designed to help improve the programs and services of an educational organization. It relies on a comprehensive, two-way communication process involving both internal and external publics with the goal of stimulating better understanding of the role, objectives, accomplishments, and needs of the organization. Educational public relations programs assist in interpreting public attitudes, identify and help shape policies and procedures in the public interest, and carry on involvement and information activities which earn public support and understanding (National School Public Relations Association, 2002, p. 2).

Public relations have always played a significant communication role in society. Businesses utilized it to promote and inform the public, and higher education soon began using it to gain public support. Education leaders recognized that public relations are a necessary tool in making their needs and programs known. The twentieth century saw the birth of the first public relations firm with Harvard University being the first client (Maher, 1997). The forerunner of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) was formed in 1935 and by 1948 educational public relations was being promoted by The National Association of Secondary Principals (NASSP).

Initially, the role of educational public relations was simply a form of publicity. Some even viewed it negatively as propaganda. The higher education institutions were competing for students and program recognition as well as financial support. The goal was to inform the public about their activities, specific benefits, and programs and since they were patterning their approach to public relations after the business arena, they did not solicit feedback from the public regarding their institutions. This was referred to as the one-way model of public relations.

The influences of the Depression, war, and the advances in industry in the U.S. brought the importance of education to the forefront. Education leaders realized that they needed the community to understand the importance of education and its role in the future of our society. There needed to be an avenue of open communication between the community and the schools, a two-way flow of ideas to build understanding and to work together to advance the quality of education. This became known as the two-way symmetrical model of public relations.

Inviting the public to be a part of shaping education elicited the need for educators to take the initiative in developing the purpose of educational public relations. School leaders and boards must be aware of current and new issues. They are responsible for developing specific plans to inform and provide understanding to the parents and community which will lead to a collaborative approach to implement a new program or encourage achievement. "In 1950 the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) reported that if the public is to support education, education must be visualized as an investment. The best way to accomplish this was for the public to receive accurate and well-reported information from the schools" (Maher, 1997, p. 8). Education is not a "stand-alone" entity. It is an important element for a thriving community and the future of our society. School leaders and boards are established to oversee the education process. However, the entire community is responsible for supporting the education of their children. Educational public relations was initially and is still today the means of providing our citizens with an understanding of the education system and its needs as well as seeking their involvement and support in maintaining and developing quality programs and opportunities for the students.

Communication is essential for the success of any organization or project. It is important that parents, businesses, and the community understand the educational process along with the purposes and goals of programs necessary to provide a quality education for their students. Public relations management procedures provide an effective means of informing and receiving input from the community at large to attain optimal results and achievement. It is important that the school understands the needs and desires of the community, develops a plan of action, keeps parents and the community satisfactorily informed, shares information in a simple direct way to ensure understandability creates positive communication, builds confidence in the school system and its goals, and establishes avenues of open communication.

The role of school leadership is crucial to successfully incorporating the school into the community and eliciting the community's contribution to the school. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities are essential for a productive and collaborative effort to strengthen and advance the education system. Regardless of the size of the school the superintendent is ultimately responsible for oversight of this endeavor. The active support of the board, administrative staff, and teachers are vital in the implementation of the public relations strategies and in the on-going observation of its reception and scrutiny by the community and parents.

Too often the difficult and negative aspects of the education process are exposed and dwelt on by the media and parents without recognizing the positive qualities and achievements of the educational experience. This is a major concern as the educational leaders strive to provide current programs and opportunities for the future leaders of our society. Recognizing that even the smallest comments and daily situations influence the perception of school is key to accurately portraying the school, its staff, and students.

It is important to be cognizant of the fact that the public schools are public institutions directly accountable to the public and that they rely on support from the public. Providing information and understanding is integral to effective on-going growth and development of the educational system for our students.

Applications

Public education in America is under attack as educational issues and questions are prominent in magazines, newspapers, and television across this country. An attitude of declining support for public education is debated from the grocery aisles to state capitols to the floor of the Congress. Successful management of school public relations is proactive rather than reactive in nature. The main role of “school public relations is to maintain mutually beneficial relationships between the school district and the many internal publics and external publics it serves” (Carr, n.d., p. 28). The carrying out of this role functions in a unique way for each school district. However, the only common element found in every public relations program that proves to be successful is that they are strategically planned. Careful planning and creative management are essential to the coordination of projects and presentations of a district.

Management Approaches

The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) sets out a simple framework for the development of a detailed plan involving district public relations. An exemplary public relations program follows a basic four-step public relations cycle or process:

Step 1Research. The up-front analysis on where the district stands in regard to all publics it wishes to reach. This may be accomplished using a district-wide survey or meeting and talking with a few patrons of the school system. Discover what information is needed and how it will be used.

Step 2Action plan. First develop public relations goals, objectives, and strategies that fit cohesively with the district's overall mission and goals. Secondly, target the audience you desire to reach and give them information they really need.

Step 3Communicate. To carry out the tactics necessary to meet the objectives and goals requires information along with deciding who and how: is it one-way or two-way, internal and/or external (NSPRA, 2002).

Step 4Evaluate. Review the actions taken to determine their effectiveness and what changes are needed in the future by taking the time to measure the success, follow-up surveys, and talking with groups (Carr, n.d., p. 25).

The effective management of a school's public relations calls for a collaborative systematic approach beginning with the local district's board of trustees, to the superintendent, and the faculty and staff. Pinelli & Dugger (in Maher, 1997) listed five essential ingredients of public relations of which the leadership must not lose sight:

1. "Public relations" is both a philosophy and a function of management.
2. "Public relations" is expressed in policy and manifests it-self through actions which are designed to promote understanding.
3. "Public relations" is an active process which utilizes two-way communications to promote the exchange of ideas between the organization and the various publics.
4. "Public relations" employs numerous activities in a continual effort to promote understanding and support from the internal and external publics.
5. "Public relations" involves continual evaluation of the program or plan to ascertain the extent to which the objectives are being achieved and need to be changed (Maher, 1997, p. 11).

Perceptions

It is important for the school to build a positive reputation with the parents and community. A negative experience can overshadow and debilitate the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to advance the educational programs. Public schools need to be cognizant that the small daily interactions or lack of actions on the part of educators and school staff have the potential of resulting in either positive or negative reactions. The response to these actions, as they are shared among family, school, and community members shape their views and perceptions of the school and its educators.

Steps can be taken to have positive communication overcome negative views and improve the schools reputation through word-of-mouth communication by utilizing "the grapevine" to dispel negative attitudes and building good reputations for their schools.

1. Find out what parents and students are saying about your schools.

• 2. Focus on employee satisfaction and retention.
• 3. Concentrate on providing excellent customer service.
• 4. Actively seek complaints and act on them.
• 5. Find and nurture champions.
• 6. Integrate word-of-mouth activities into your communications planning. (Carroll, 2001, 23)

Types of Communication

Effective school public relations centers on and revolves around the concept of two types of communication, internal and external and two types of public, internal and external. Internal communication focuses on the employees of the district (internal public) with a variety of methods including but not limited to staff newsletters, cluster breakfasts, staff meetings, key communicator networks, special publications, email, and the school web site. External communication targets the external publics, including the district's parents, students, business community, and the households without school-aged children. Communication here may include district-wide newsletters, school board meetings, news releases, key communicator networks, special publications, and broadcast media. Additionally, Resnick (2000) “identified five methods that help school boards and administrators engage the public: focus groups, telephone polling, public meetings, e-mail, and study circles” (Resnick, as cited in Cunningham, 2004).

The National School Public Relations Association suggests a district's public relations plan should balance the following four characteristics:

1. Two-way communication which includes listening as well as talking

2. For all people meaning employees, students, teachers, parents, editors, legislators, etc. (the internal public and the external public)

3. Systematic identify each segment of the public and decide upon the best medium(s) for the situation to use to communicate for each

4. Continuous as school public relations is year-round.

Communication Methods

Understanding and being informed of the successes as well as the problems, enables the community to contribute their input, expertise, and finances toward the solutions. Generating open communication empowers the entire community to address and influence aspects of the educational process. Educational leaders need to acknowledge that the community is comprised of various groups ranging from civic to social, each representing a different perspective. Therefore the public relations message needs to be pertinent to their views and purposes. The school's plan needs to be realistic and credible to draw an audience. Showing awareness of the publics concerns and perceptions spawns open communication and builds rapport. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the community's interest and capability of involvement. The school leader must find a way to make those issues important to the school relative to the parents and community as well as discover a way to bring those issues to their attention.

Research and planning is necessary to determine what to communicate, who to communicate to, how to communicate, and how often to communicate. Understanding and information are primary aspects of educational public relations yet communicating is not merely telling constituents what is going on in their schools but inviting them in. In the 38th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Pole of the Public's Attitudes towards Public Schools, Rose and Gallup (2006) stated, "The closer people get to the schools in the community, the higher the grades they give them" (p. 42).

Educators must focus on taking advantage of every occasion to communicate the good news of education at every school board meeting, school function, parent conference, and daily interactions. Building greater confidence within the community, especially through informed parents (who are the best ambassadors) becomes invaluable as only 24% of average-community adults have children who regularly attend community schools (Lyons, 2001).

It is necessary to determine an effective means of enhancing the image of the school and integrate the community's role into the overall plan. Creating leadership teams comprised of internal and external members of the community is key to initiating input and support. Teachers, students, business leaders, pastors, government officials, PTA, and boosters working together can effectively influence the community and school as they address school issues.

Branding identifies what makes one school different from another. A school leader must identify what makes one school different from another. Does the school reputation echo that of local constituencies? Does this certain brand resonate with the mission and work on behalf of the school? Is it possible for the school to build upon this concept? How does this play against the competition? These are questions that need to be asked when developing a school's brand to be set apart (Manafo, 2006).

School websites should also accurately portray the community value and the school pride. Use a website for development or fund drives; working “hand-in-hand with conventional solicitation mailings” (Manafo, 2006).

Leadership

Success resides with leadership convincing all stakeholders of the importance and creating a collaborative involvement of all stakeholders (Sergiovanni, 1995). In moving the organization forward, leadership will have the capability to influence and direct the behavior of others (Fullan, 1991; Sergiovanni, 1995). The ultimate responsibility for the school, in every aspect regardless of the size of the school and notwithstanding the delegation of authority, rests with the school's chief executive officer (CEO), the superintendent. An effective school superintendent must now possess or have direct access to political understanding and skill in school-community relations.

Critical behaviors identified for effective school superintendents for the 1970s (Culbertson, et al., 1969) are still applicable in the 21st century:

Effective school superintendents will communicate a moral vision and a commitment to education larger than any given social force or special interest. They will communicate vision and commitment by:

1. Displaying an understanding of significant societal forces, the value conflicts associated with these forces, and their implications for education and community life;
2. Establishing communication arrangements which enable differing community groups to express their aspirations for and concerns about "good" education and the "good" community;
3. Demonstrating listening ability and a capacity to understand the differing public interests in education as they are expressed through formally established and informal communication channels; and
4. Using concepts basic to "good" schools, ideas obtained from the expressed aspirations of different interest groups, and understandings of larger societal forces to take the lead in helping communities articulate clearly the role of education in the modern society and its potential for contributing to improved community life. (p. 502)

Therefore, if the public is to support its local schools, education must be visualized as an investment. Information about the local school district is paramount in gaining public support and communication is the vehicle by which the public acquires information and understanding. As the leader of the school, it becomes extremely important that the school administrator acquire the communication skills needed to perform effective educational public relations programs in presenting the public with accurate and well-reported information concerning schools.

Teachers

Research by NSPRA indicates that teachers are the most credible spokespersons for your schools. Providing them with information is invaluable as they build healthy relationships with parents and students. The effort taken to provide them with time, resources, and training on how to work with parents should be a high priority to increase effective family involvement. A school district's desire and effective action to keep parents aware about their children's academic progress builds stronger ties with families and institutes credibility. As parents comprehend educational standards, they will sooner aid their children in meeting the academic expectations and providing resources to meet them.

Crisis Communication

A well-written, well-thought out crisis communication plan is essential in today's world of tornadoes, kidnappings, campus violence, bus accidents, and bomb threats among a multitude of other crisis situations. Crisis communications may be required for a potential or actual threat to loss of life to a community member, a potential or actual break in the continuity of school operation, or a potential or actual harm to integrity and reputation of the school.

What school leaders say in response to a crisis really depends on the nature of the situation. Who speaks during crisis centers upon the happening of a particular incident, although the superintendent or possibly the principal is usually a good choice. In the midst of a crisis situation is not the time to prepare, but well in advance there needs to be assessment, planning, and evaluation of the appropriate measures. National School Public Relations Association presents appropriate action steps (Kleinz, n.d.):

• Conduct a safety assessment at each school and district facility.

• Involve all community resources at your disposal to address prevention efforts

• Update and revise district and school crisis communication plans.

• Establish a crisis intervention team and train team members.

• In-service all staff on the crisis plan and procedures.

• Review related district policies and school discipline/behavior codes; make changes where appropriate to support safety efforts.

• Include discipline policies and behavior codes, etc., in parent/student handbooks.

• Review all policies and discipline codes with staff.

• Prepare fact sheets on each building site (schools, support services, central office) and the district as a whole to give to media in the event of a crisis.

• Establish procedures for students to report suspicious behavior, conversations, or activities.

• Collaborate with local media on a public service campaign to prevent youth violence.

• Seek business and civic group support for sponsoring mentorship and /or extended day programs for students.

• Seek out collaborative efforts and grants for providing before- and after-school, extracurricular, and summer school programs for students.

• In-service all staff on behavioral signs that indicate a child is at risk of violent acts (Kleinz, n.d.).

Discourse

School Boards have to know their publics, find out what they think about education issues, and what they want to know about their schools. Knowing what their publics think aids their response to intelligently engage in an effective public relations program designed to foster mutual understanding. Boards need to understand “they are dependent on community support to meet mandated state and national performance standards, develop innovative programs, and secure financial resources” (Cunningham, 2004, ¶ 1). The public relations plan includes informing “the public that district leadership is committed to public engagement; clarifying roles and responsibilities for maintaining communication; recognizing that their input makes a difference in outcomes; and keeping all publics informed of the progress in strategic planning efforts” (Cunningham, 2004, ¶ 1).

Schools are public institutions and as such the public has the right to know what is occurring in the schools. School districts in turn depend on the public's support to maintain strong up-to-date programs to prepare students through their involvement and funding. The school district needs to engage the community by educating the public and parents about the positive impact and value of the educational institution. It is also vital to ground the educational staff in the purpose and goals as they interact with the students and parents. Even though parents and non-parents desire to know more about the schools, they are unlikely to seek out this information on their own. Educators must take the initiative in bringing schools and the community together. "Educational public relations" is a useful strategy in accomplishing this goal.

Terms & Concepts

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): An individual state's measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards. "Adequate Yearly Progress" is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts, and schools must achieve each year.

Branding: Refers to the identification of certain characteristics or inherent positive qualities that signify a specific entity. Here, the promotion of positive qualities of a school or school system in a public relations program.

Public Relations: The business of encouraging the public to understand and be benevolent toward a person, firm, or institution. Public relations can also refer to how much understanding and goodwill has been achieved.

National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA): A national organization comprising primarily school employees who deal with public relations with the purpose of guiding, educating, and promulgating public relations.

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB): President Bush signed the “No Child Left behind Act” on January 8, 2002. “The law helps schools improve by focusing on accountability for results, freedom for states and communities, proven education methods, and choices for parents” (http://www.ed.gov/nclb/index/az/glossary.html).

Constituents: All elements of a society within a school community.

Educational Public Relations: “A planned, systematic management function, designed to help improve the programs and services of an educational organization. It relies on a comprehensive, two-way communication process involving both internal and external publics with the goal of stimulating better understanding of the role, objectives, accomplishments, and needs of the Organization” (NSPRA, 2002, p. 2).

Internal Public: School faculty, staff, and administration.

External Public: Community organizations, business, politicians, and individual members of the community.

Bibliography

Carr, N. (n.d.). Telling Your Story: A Toolkit for Marketing Urban Education. National School Boards Association Council of Urban Boards of Education. Retrieved March 20, 2007 http://inpathways.net/urban_toolkit.pdf

Carroll, D. J. (2001). Respecting the grapevine. Principal Leadership, 2, 21-23.

Charles, C. M., & Senter, G. W. (1995). Elementary classroom management (2nd Ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.

Culbertson, J., Farquhar, R. H., Gaynor, A. K., & Shibles, M. R. (1969). Preparing educational leaders for the seventies. Columbus, OH: University Council for Educational Administration.

Cunningham, C. (2004, April). “Engaging the community to support student success.(Eric Digest)”, Teacher Librarian.

Dillon, R. (2012). Promoting an authentic picture of your school. Education Digest, 78, 21-24. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=82981848&site=ehost-live

Farley, R. D. (1982). Principal effectiveness: It's no mystery. Principal, 62, 48.

Fullan, M. (1991). The new meaning of educational change (2nd ed). New York: Teachers College Press.

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Kernan-Schloss, A. (2004). Fighting NCLB's "Failure" label: How to take charge of communicating before the media define your schools as failing. School Administrator, 61, 18-21. Retrieved February 27, 2007 from EBSCO Education Research Complete, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=12350555&site=ehost-live

Kleinz, K. H. (n.d.). Proactive communication in a crisis driven world. Retrieved February 25, 2007 from http://www.nspra.org/

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Maher, J. W. (1997). The development of a model public relations syllabus for professors of educational administration. Dissertation Abstracts International, 58(04), 1250. (UMI No. 9729231).

Manafo, M. J. (2006). Enhancing the value of public education: Lessons from the private sector. Phi Delta Kappan, 87, 648-653. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=20870929&site=ehost-live

National School Public Relations Association. (2002). Raising the bar for school pr: New standards for the school public relations profession. Retrieved February 28, 2007 from http://www.nspra.org/StandardsBooklet.pdf

No Child Left Behind. (n.d.a). Glossary. Retrieved March 20, 2007 from http://www.ed.gov/nclb/index/az/glossary.html

No Child Left Behind. (n.d.b). Landing. Retrieved March 20, 2007 from http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml?src=ln

Resnick, M. (2000). Communities count: A school board guide to public engagement. Alexandria, VA: National School Boards Association.

Rose, L. C., & Gallup, A. M. (2006). The 38th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the public's attitude toward the public schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 88 , 41-53. Retrieved from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=22295179&site=ehost-live

Schoer, L. (2014). School recognition: Principals, do you know who you are?. Clearing House, 87, 30-33. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=91930630&site=ehost-live

Sergiovanni, T. J. (1995). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective (3rd Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Zemelman, S. (2013). Teachers' stories need to be heard. Education Digest, 78, 14-17. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=87072972&site=ehost-live

Suggested Reading

Holliday, A. E. (1997). 106 ways to better school-community relations. Education Digest; 62, 15-19.

National Middle School Association. http://www.nmsa.org/Advocacy/PublicRelationsResources/tabid/581/Default.aspx

The 38th Annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools http://www.pdkintl.org/

National School Public Relations Association. (n.d.). Principals in the public: Engaging community support. https://www.nspra.org/sec_entry.htm

National School Public Relations Association. (n.d.). School public relations: Building confidence in education. https://www.nspra.org/sec_entry.htm

Pawlas, G. E. (2005). The administrator's guide to school-community relations. Larchmont: NY. Eye on Education.

Padgett, R. (2006). Best Ways to Involve Parents. Education Digest, 72, 44-45.