Marketing Plan
Warner, C. (2009). Promoting Your School (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781452261188
2 Making Your Schools Stand Out
“Knowing where you stand isn’t the same as standing out.”
What makes your school different from others? Can you clearly define what is special and
unique about your school? Can others on the staff? Can parents? Can your community? In an
era of choice and local community involvement through participative management, not only
must you be able to define your uniqueness, you must be able to demonstrate it as well.
There was a time when public schools were pretty much created from the same mold. No matter
where you traveled throughout the country, you could reasonably expect to find the same basic
program of instruction delivered in the same basic style. Even the school buildings tended to
follow the same standard design.
For the most part, it was the private schools that offered specialized programs: some
with a religious orientation; some with a college preparatory focus; and all designed to appeal to
the special interests of parents or benefactors, if not of students.
As a tool to encourage voluntary school desegregation, public education expanded on
the concept of magnet schools, a variation of the private school model. Magnet schools placed
special emphasis on a particular academic program, such as science and technology,
international studies, foreign languages, or the arts, to attract students to attend schools outside
their own neighborhoods. Although magnet schools have achieved a certain degree of success,
by definition, they generally lack the critical component of a supportive and involved community.
The successful school of the 21st century will work closely with the community, first to
identify that community’s most important educational needs and goals and then to design a
program that meets those needs. The key is to create a dynamic program that also positions the
school as an innovative and flexible institution within the community. Anything less will lead to
schools being perceived only as part of the problem rather than as part of the solution.
IMPROVING YOUR IMAGE Whether you realize it or not, your school already has an image. You don’t have to have a
communications plan in place for the public to have a perception of who you are and what you
are about. Unfortunately, if you are not actively planning and managing what you communicate
about your school, your perceived image could be that of “Just a school, I don’t know if it’s a
good one or not,” or even worse, “That’s the school I don’t want my child to go to.”
Images are created (or re-created) by communicating your desire to serve your
constituents, working with them openly and honestly to establish a relationship of trust, and
consistently delivering the expected product or service. Douglas Pfeninger, principal for over 25
years at Dartmouth (Massachusetts) Middle School, acknowledges that his job of marketing is
not so hard these days because “We have developed a reputation as a quality school. My
‘selling’ is our product over the years.”
Susan Van Zant, principal of Meadowbrook Middle School in Poway, California, not only
appears at all school events, she is out in front of the school at the end of each school day.
Principal Nancy Saltzman of Broadmoor Elementary School in Colorado Springs, stands outside
and greets the students every morning before school and does parking lot duty at the end of the
day as well. Richard Janezich, principal of Brooklyn Center High School in Minnesota, takes this
a step further. He believes that it is important for the principal to be visible in the community and
attends as many civic meetings as he can fit in, from meetings of the city council and the
chamber of commerce to those of civic groups such as the Rotary, Lions, Chamber of
Commerce, and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Establishing a relationship of trust can be as simple as validating and recognizing the
students in the school. To parents, no one is more important than their child. If the principal
validates their child, parents will be more trusting that their child’s best interests will be met.
Hanging students’ pictures in the hallways is a way that Karen Bangert, principal of
Wagonwheel Elementary in Gillette, Wyoming, shows that each child is important. Larry Clark,
principal at Halifax County High School in South Boston, Virginia, arranges for weekly
scheduled photo ops. When Ken Cazier of Star Valley Junior High School in Afton, Wyoming,
presents “good deed” tickets, everyone knows he has found the “positive image” that Afton
educators promote.
If your school’s image needs improving, it will take planning and patience to achieve this.
A plan is necessary to effectively target your needs, your audience, and your message. It takes
time for people to assimilate the new messages you are sending about your school, especially if
you must first overcome old, negative perceptions.
STRATEGIC PLANNING: THE KEY TO ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS A strategic plan is the essential first step for the success of any organization, including a school.
You have to have a clear vision of where your organization/school ought to be and of where the
stakeholders want it to be. That is what the development of a strategic plan is designed to set
down, in clearly understandable language. Once these fundamental strategic determinations
have been made, you and your team are then ready to develop the elements of the school
strategic plan into the various component plans that will move the school forward. (See example
of Mount Vernon City Schools Strategic Plan at chapter’s end.)
However—and this is a crucial point—a “set in concrete,” lengthy, highly detailed strategic plan
is as much an organizational dinosaur as top-down management. A good strategic plan should
be a document that is in a state of constant development. Tom Peters, in his book Thriving on
Chaos (1987), emphasizes that strategic planning is a process, not an end in itself. According to
Peters, your strategic plan should have the following characteristics:
● Involves everyone—the whole team—in its development
● Is free of “you can’t do that,” “that will never work,” and “we’ve never done it that way”
assumptions
● Enables you to be flexible and constantly evolving
● Is developed on site by practitioners, not farmed out to planners
● Represents vigorous debate and creative thinking by all the stakeholders
● Contains a timeline for action and review
Once you and your team have begun living the strategic planning process, you are ready
to develop the working components of your plan. The hows of this implementation process are
the subjects of the chapters that follow.
Chapter 3 deals with assessing the climate and perceptions of your school among your
internal school community (administrators and staff). This process is treated in its own chapter
as a separate entity, but these assessments are obviously an integral part of the strategic
planning process as well. You clearly cannot develop overall strategies, let alone tactics, if you
don’t have an accurate read on climate and perceptions. Like the strategic planning process as
a whole, reflection and evaluation are ongoing events in the life of a communicating educational
leader.
DEVELOPING A MARKETING PLAN Your overall marketing plan should be considered the next logical phase in implementing your
strategic plan. Steps toward developing a marketing plan are as follows.
Step 1. With the help of your school team, identify exactly what it is you wish to market to
the community. Community perceptions are clearly a driving factor in reaching these marketing
determinants. Your end product, obviously, is a well-educated student. But in today’s social and
economic climate, there are many “products” that the community expects schools to deliver. To
produce these products, there may be a number of services, outcomes, or problems that require
the support of the community. Among the products you may wish to market are the following:
● Involvement of parents
● Involvement of stakeholders who are not parents
● Volunteerism opportunities
● Early childhood programs
● Extended day programs
● Specialized curricula (science, technology, fine arts, career and technical education)
● Community-business partnerships
● Substance abuse programs
● Safety programs (gang prevention, “Stranger Danger,” “Officer Friendly,” weapons
control)
● Health education (including sex education and HIV/AIDS information)
● Cultural awareness
● Environmental programs
● Academic achievement
● Adult/community education programs
● Statistical results
● Instructional strategies
● Teacher recognition
● Education foundations/scholarship programs
Step 2. Before you can create a plan to market your school and improve its image, you
need to find out what people know or don’t know about your school. This includes staff and
students as well as community members. Design a survey to gather the necessary information
so that you can better target your efforts when implementing your plan (see Chapter 12).
Step 3. Identify your primary or most important audiences. You may wish to group them
into internal audiences (students, staff, volunteers, parent organizations) and external audiences
(parents, stakeholders, business/civic organizations, clergy, media, elected/appointed public
officials). Once you have identified these key groups, you must decide how you can best reach
them with your message. Each group may require different information and a different
communication strategy. This is targeting your audience and, if applied carefully, will save you
time and effort in getting the right message to the right group.
Step 4. Determine how much of a budget you will have to support your marketing efforts.
There is no point wasting time developing a creative and extensive marketing campaign if you
cannot afford to pay for its implementation. Of course, if you have developed a good plan, you
might market it to local employers and solicit business support for funding it. If your plan will
yield an identifiable result for x dollars, don’t be ashamed to seek out local resources to finance
it. More and more businesses realize that good schools are good for business.
Step 5. Decide how you want to position your school in the community. Positioning
means determining where you stand in relation to other schools and promoting your
uniqueness. What is special that your school has to offer students? Parents? The community?
Employers? The more generic a product or service is, the more challenging it is to differentiate it
from similar products and the harder it is for the consumer to understand the difference between
those providing the same service. With the growing trend of allowing choice within the public
school system, you must be able not only to determine what characteristics make your school
stand out but also to defend your claims.
Once you have determined your position, develop supporting messages in the form of a
position statement or mission statement to use in communicating with your publics. This
statement should be clear and concise and should focus on your unique attributes. (See sample
mission statement from Mt. Edgecumbe High School at the end of this chapter.)
Step 6. Set a long-range goal for your campaign and write a goal statement as a
guideline for your marketing team. Identify the objectives that will help you accomplish your goal
and the action steps needed to achieve each objective. Each objective should support your
position and the image that you wish your school to project in the community.
Step 7. Develop your marketing plan. Use the recommendations in the following
chapters to develop your marketing plan into an action plan.
Step 8. Implement your marketing plan. The ideas and suggestions found in the
following chapters will help you.
Step 9. Evaluate your efforts to determine whether or not your plan is a success. Create
a timeline for evaluations as part of the plan. Decide in advance how you will measure your
progress. You should review your status every few months or at least once a year. Remember,
strategic planning and implementation is an evolving, ongoing process. To what degree have
you met your objectives? Is your plan effective? How can it be modified to better meet your
needs?
Step 10. Use your evaluation as a starting point to once again analyze what and how
you need to market to the community and begin the planning cycle again. Remember, if you are
going to stay on the cutting edge in providing educational services, you must continually revise
and adapt to the needs of your market.
One evaluation tool you may want to consider using as part of developing your strategic
and marketing plans is a Communication Audit. The National School Public Relations
Association refers to this audit as “Your Blueprint to School Community Support.” Its overview of
such an audit is included as a resource at the end of this chapter.
IDEAS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED There are an endless number of projects, programs, and events that will support your
educational mission and help to enhance your image as well. They are limited only by your
imagination and financial resources. Following are several model programs to help you begin to
build your plan. All have been successfully implemented by schools around the nation.
School Profile. Prepare a card or brochure that gives a simple profile of your school. Describe
the unique features of your school, including number of students and staff, test scores, special
programs and activities, philosophy, and graduation requirements. This card can be distributed
to new students, community members, and real estate agents and can be used by students
when applying to colleges and universities. (See the Prescott Unified School District’s Marketing
Brochure at chapter’s end.)
Signs. An area that is often overlooked is that of the signs around your school. Signs are
effective message “snapshots.” (Even those who complain about billboards read them!) As
basic as a sign may seem, it is an important factor in the first impression a visitor has of your
school. Wauconda Grade School in Wauconda, Illinois, has a big lighted sign on the front of its
building. Do your signs welcome visitors, or do they simply tell them what they must do? Signs
should help give visitors an introduction to the friendliness you hope they will encounter on
campus. If you have a large non–English-speaking population, the signs could be bilingual.
Hang a large map of your school at the entrance door or near the school office. Along
with room numbers, include each teacher’s name, grade, and photo to personalize it and to help
visitors find their way.
Marquees can be used creatively even when you don’t have a special event to publicize.
Use them to recognize students and staff, to thank volunteers, to ask for help on a project, or to
display a special thought for the week. Some schools have used quotes so creatively that town
residents have written letters saying how much they look forward to the new ones each week.
For special occasions and special announcements, North High School in Sheboygan,
Wisconsin, rents mobile lighted billboards and places them in strategic locations on school
boundaries.
Lobby Showcase. Turn your school lobby and hallways into showcases of student achievement.
Have a “Wall of Fame” featuring photos of outstanding students and permanent plaques
engraved with their names. Georgetown (Texas) High School has recruited a local supermarket
to sponsor its Wall of Fame honoring outstanding student achievement.
Make your lobby into a colorful art gallery and announce upcoming displays in the school
newsletter. Invite the community to stop in and view the artwork.
A portable bulletin board that can be moved easily to a meeting room, library, hall, gym,
or cafeteria (wherever the public will be gathering) is excellent for promotion. Utilize technology
to promote your school. Install an electronic “signline” that communicates to all who enter your
building the outstanding people and events featured that week or month. Ask the computer
classes to design banners that can celebrate people and events.
Student Recognition. Involving the entire school and community in recognizing and rewarding
students is an excellent way to market your school. Academic achievement letters, improvement
awards, “Student of the Month” certificates, bumper stickers—anything that emphasizes student
achievement, participation, and your school’s focus is fitting. Solicit help from local businesses
in providing incentives and rewards for students, such as discount cards, coupons, or
certificates. Be sure that parents are informed when their child is recognized.
Staff, Volunteer, and Board Member Recognition. Superintendent Dr. Kevin Settle of Mount
Vernon City Schools in New York highlighted how his district utilizes programs to honor those in
the schools.
School Board Members Day Resolution
WHEREAS, School board members are elected to sit in trust for their diverse communities, and in that capacity are charged with meeting the community’s expectations and aspirations for the public education of their children; and WHEREAS, School board members are entrusted with the guardianship and wise
expenditure of scarce tax dollars; they are responsible for maintaining and preserving the buildings, grounds, and other areas of the school district that the community has put in their trust; and WHEREAS, School board members are responsible for providing leadership that ensures a clear, shared vision of public education for their schools, that sets high standards for the education of all students, and requires the effective and efficient operation of their districts; and WHEREAS, School board members adopt public policy to give voice to that leadership; they are also responsible for the regular monitoring of the district’s performance and compliance with state policy; and WHEREAS, School board members selflessly donate countless hours to public service with no compensation; and WHEREAS, Employers are supportive of their employees who serve as school board members, generously lending support and time; employers give their employees the opportunity to better serve the needs of the school districts and citizens they represent through sometimes tremendous sacrifice to the employer; and WHEREAS, Decisions made by school board members directly impact the quality of life in their communities, placing them at the front line of American democracy; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY MOUNT VERNON CITY SCHOOLS, DISTRICT 80, that we proclaim November 15, 2007, as “School Board Members Day” as a way to honor those citizens who devote so much of their time and energy for the education of our children. Dated this 14th day of November, 2007. (sample from Illinois Association of School Boards)
Off-Campus Displays. Ask local businesses and public offices to display student work. Offer to
decorate their offices with student art at holiday times. Put student-made posters in local
storefronts to announce upcoming school events.
Staff Inservice. Plan a special staff training about your community and your school’s role within
it. This is especially effective if your school is located in a large metropolitan area where new
faculty and staff may not be familiar with the immediate area or the relationship between your
school and the local community. Emphasize the influential role that individual staff members can
play in communicating with specific organizations as well as with the community at large to get
the word out about your school.
Honoring the Family. If at all possible, designate one or more nights during the week to allow for
family time. With the advent of so many extracurricular activities, it is difficult for families to find
time for themselves. Principal Deborah Binder-Lavender has established Monday nights as
“Family Night” at Thornton High School in Thornton, Colorado. Meetings, practices,
performances, and games are not allowed after 6 p.m.
Staff Involvement in Community. Staff members are most often the first line of information to the
community. This is true especially of nonteaching staff who are community residents. Their
participation in various organizations reflects directly on the school and demonstrates a
commitment to the community at large. Encourage and recognize the members of your staff
who involve themselves in the community. Everyone who works in your school is important to
your marketing success, and everyone must be an informed part of your marketing team.
Key Communicators. These are the opinion leaders in your community. Once you have
identified them and cultivated their support, keep them informed through personal contact,
special newsletters, or quarterly meetings (preferably all three). Invite them to special events.
Call them regularly to update them on issues and concerns impacting your school. Ask their
opinions, and listen to what they have to say. These people can be invaluable in quelling rumors
and disseminating positive information. John Richardson, principal of Sunnyslope
Elementary School in Port Orchard, Washington, has found key communicators from all areas of
the community to be extremely helpful in promoting a positive image of the school.
Speakers Bureau. Create a school speakers bureau and offer free presentations to local
organizations. Include teachers, students, and volunteers who can speak enthusiastically about
the school and its specific programs. Participating in state or national education programs will
give additional credibility that will cause your speakers to be viewed as experts in the eyes of
meeting planners. Following a trip to China sponsored by the National Association of Secondary
School Principals (NASSP), Principal Douglas Pfeninger (Dartmouth, Massachusetts) received
numerous speaking invitations from service clubs, church groups, and other community
organizations. His presentations on education in the Far East also afforded an excellent
opportunity to tout his own school’s programs. Principal Alan Chmiel of Fall Mountain Regional
High School in Alstead, New Hampshire, is one of a select group of high school principals who
speaks for the Jostens Corporation on positive school climate.
VIP Program. Once a month, invite influential members of the community to spend a morning
visiting the school. Consider inviting the mayor, your state legislators, city council members, the
Chamber of Commerce president, and outstanding business leaders. Have students meet the
VIPs and give them special badges. Provide a tour of the school and lunch with student
representatives. Give the VIPs an opportunity to sit in on a class and, if possible, to talk with
teachers.
Teacher for a Day. Invite community leaders and school patrons to become a “Teacher for a
Day” and get a hands-on view of education. Match them with certified staff members who
volunteer to host guest teachers. Prior to the actual day of the project, hold a get-acquainted,
lesson-planning meeting for the guest teachers and their teacher hosts. Hold a reception at the
end of the day to recognize the volunteer teachers and receive their feedback. The proven
benefits of this project are increased community support, new respect for teachers and the
challenges schools face, a better understanding of the social problems that impact your
students, and the creation of new business partnerships as a follow-up to the program. Not bad
for a day’s work!
Student for a Day. Parents at Halifax County High School in South Boston, Virginia, and Pearl
High School in Pearl, Mississippi, are invited for a “Back to School Day.” Parents attend their
child’s classes and are responsible for all assignments and class activities. The program has
become extremely popular and gives parents an unusual opportunity to find out what is going
on.
Community Assessment Visit. If you are prepared to deal with real input, both negative and
positive, invite a team of community members to conduct a critique in the style of an
accreditation evaluation. This provides a focused visit for your guests and can also assist in
changing community perspective about the daily challenges facing the school. Such a visitation
brought a real turnaround in the community’s view of Aurora (Ohio) High School. These
visitations could be expanded into both facilities audits and performance audits (with respect to
the non-instructional business of your school).
Community Awareness Day. Plan a daylong event featuring the historical background and
cultural influences of your local neighborhood or community. Invite community elders to share
their experiences and local artisans to display their crafts and skills. Involve students in projects
such as creating a historical timeline of the community, building something with the materials
originally used (such as an adobe house), or reenacting an important community event. At
Sedalia Middle School in Sedalia, Missouri, the students from the Dreamweavers team made
special invitations for a celebration of their work for parents and others who helped them
complete a portfolio project on various aspects of the community. The celebration was so
successful that it made the front page of the local newspaper.
Cultural/Arts Festival. Highlight the various ethnic cultures represented in your school population
with a special festival. Invite parents to assist students in sharing the foods, clothing, arts, and
traditions of their heritage. Show how each culture contributes to making your school and
community unique and special. Mainland High School in Linwood, New Jersey, sponsors a Teen
Arts Festival to showcase student talent, during which time the school is open to the public.
Ravenel Elementary School in Seneca, South Carolina, sponsors a popular annual “Artists on
the Green Day,” a celebration of local artists who exhibit their work and conduct creative
workshops for students and community members.
Maintaining Traditions. Principal Gary Phillips of Fayette County High School (FCHS) in
Fayetteville, Georgia, is very proud that his school has been able to sustain several traditions
through the years, especially at graduation ceremonies. As they come to see their grandchildren
graduate, many grandparents remember walking between rows of yellow and white flowers at
their own graduation ceremonies. Awards given to students each year demonstrate a tradition of
generosity from alumni who are grateful for the fine start they received at FCHS. Nancy
Richmond, principal of Amsterdam Elementary School in Belle Mead, New Jersey, creates a
school scrapbook during the year and makes the current and past books readily available to
students and visitors.
Civic Projects. Encourage student involvement in civic projects such as recycling, adopting a
stretch of highway for litter control, tree planting, or other community beautification efforts. A
very special Cultural and Racial Equality (CARE) Committee has been organized by students
and staff at Sauk Rapids High School in Minnesota. This committee was organized to promote
diversity and traditions and to upgrade the curriculum and school policies to provide for a
caring/nurturing school environment. Principal Gary Damore of Paradise Valley High School in
Phoenix, Arizona, says that getting involved in community projects such as Skateboarding Park
and Crosswalks for Schools has helped the school project a positive image within a large urban
setting.
School in the Mall. Hold classes in a local shopping mall for a day (perhaps during Education
Week). Most people won’t visit a school if they don’t have children in attendance. By taking the
schools to the public, you can reach those who otherwise would not have an opportunity to see
education in action.
“Ask the Principal” Sessions. Once a month, set up a table outside a supermarket or other
agreeable, high-traffic business and be available to chat with community residents. Bring
handout information about your school. A variation on this is to walk your local school
neighborhood or attendance area periodically, introducing yourself and asking residents if they
have any questions or concerns about the school. This variant on “management by walking
around” can pay significant dividends in increased community awareness, especially among
households with no school-age children.
Community Talent Bank. Through your community contacts, identify those people with special
skills or talents on whom you can call when the need arises. These could be people who are
willing to help sew costumes for a play; who may have expertise in writing or producing
newsletters; who are able to draw or paint; or who understand public relations, finance, or mass
communications. Every community has a resource pool; it is up to your creativity and energy to
tap it! Retired persons are often more than willing to help—they just need to be asked.
Place Mats. Have students design colorful place mats that include your school name and slogan
or other information. Laminate them and find a local restaurant willing to use them, or present
them to local hospitals, senior centers, and nursing homes.
Grocery Sacks. In cooperation with grocery stores, new sacks can be distributed to elementary,
middle, or high schools for students to write or draw on. When displayed in the store, seasonal
tributes in the form of poems, information, or drawings featuring a particular school can be
rewarding for the student, school, and community.
School Bus Advertising. In some states, advertisements are allowed on the sides of school
buses. The ads can highlight school or district successes, and offer a great opportunity to
partnership with community organizations or business who will sometimes underwrite the cost of
the school message with inclusion of their logo in the ad. These “moving billboards” travel not
only throughout each district but also across the state for athletic and other competitions making
them great visual tools.
Senior Passes. Offer free school activity and athletic passes to senior citizens in the
neighborhood or at a nearby retirement residence.
Real Estate Breakfast. Invite local real estate agents to a breakfast or an open house at your
school. Have students assist in presenting a brief program about the school. Provide packets
that include information about instructional programs; extended-day options and extracurricular
activities; awards received by the students, staff, and school; achievement test scores; school
demographics; and school goals and philosophy. Realtors play an important role in marketing
your school. You will know you have their support when real estate ads read “Located in
____________ school attendance area.”
Real Estate Signs. An extension of enlisting the support of real estate agents is to have signs
made up for them to hang beneath their For Sale signs that read “______________ School
Attendance Area: Dedicated to Education Excellence” (or whatever your slogan or position
statement is). This helps potential buyers who are shopping for a school as well as a home and
assists in marketing your school, too.
Welcome Wagon. Invite Welcome Wagon representatives to an orientation at your school.
Provide them with school information to hand out to new residents.
Orientation to School. To make incoming freshmen feel more like a special part of the whole
school community, students are welcomed with an Open House at Fayette County High School
in Fayetteville, Georgia, where they may follow their new class schedule. Members of the Beta
Club are stationed at key points in the hallways to assist the new students. The staff at Sussex
County Vocational-Technical School in Georgetown, Delaware, go one step further. There is a
home visitation program for all ninth graders and their parents. Parents can also have an
orientation especially for them. Teachers run a class for parents during the mock school day
Open House at Buffalo High School in Minnesota.
School Alumni Association. Recruit a high-profile community member who is a graduate of your
school to help form an alumni association. The group should be organized to support school
programs and activities through the continued involvement of former students. Build a mailing
list through class reunion organizers, permanent record files, and advertisements.
Once you have located enough interested graduates, help them form a planning group,
establish an organizational structure, survey alumni to find out their needs and interests, and
invite others to participate. If the group can provide social activities, recognition, and meaningful
involvement in the school, the alumni association will be of tremendous help to your school.
Such groups often raise money for college scholarships.
School Mascot. Something as simple as the introduction of a school mascot (even at the
elementary level) can have a tremendous impact on improving school spirit among students and
staff. Hold a contest to select and name the mascot. Find someone who can design and
assemble a costume. Announce the mascot’s arrival days or weeks ahead to create an
atmosphere of anticipation. Before introducing the mascot for the first time, have a series of
activities to generate interest among the students. Staff members, parents, or even students
could be recruited to wear the costume. You may or may not want to keep the mascot’s identity
secret, communicating only through gestures or interpreters such as the principal or a teacher.
The mascot could make regular appearances at school and community events and visit
classrooms to reward good behavior, academic improvement, and perfect attendance. The
mascot could visit classes prior to test week to encourage students to do their best.
A local or student artist might prepare a set of cartoon logos to use on printed materials.
The mascot’s picture could be put on posters, reward tickets, passes, and so on. A “Principal’s
Stamp of Approval” might be made up with your mascot’s picture. The mascot should be linked
to all special programs and events to be a constant theme and motivator for school and
students.
School Slogan. Hold a contest for the slogan that best represents your school. It should be short
and catchy and usable on all school materials. Good slogans are easy to remember and reflect
the positioning of your school.
Homework/Calendar Hotlines. Providing telephone hotlines to parents and students is not only
convenient for them, it is also a real time-saver for your staff. There are a variety of these
interactive systems, both commercial and nonprofit, currently in use around the nation. You
might find it helpful to study a system that is already online and evaluate whether your school
and school district would benefit from this technology.
Articles/Ads. Send an editorial to the local newspaper. Write articles about your business
partnerships for publication in their internal publications. Write an article about one of your
programs and submit it to educational journals and newspapers. Encourage teachers to submit
articles for professional journals as well. Don’t be hesitant to toot your own horn in writing. (A
listing of key national education media contacts for education associations and publications is
included at the end of this chapter.)
Pearl (Mississippi) High School worked in conjunction with the local Chamber of
Commerce to run a full-page ad in the state’s largest daily newspaper. The ad was informative
in nature and extremely effective in bringing to everyone’s attention just how important the
school is to the community.
Web Sites, Web Pages, and E-Mail. Most schools and districts have Web sites. Individual
teachers, grades, or departments usually have Web pages on the school site. Many of these
Web sites and pages are created and maintained by students. School information,
announcements, grades, calendars, homework assignments, and so on can be entered and
changed with ease. E-mail is a fast and easy way to contact individuals or several people at
once. The Internet also offers instant messaging services that allow two or more people to have
a dialogue. (See Chapters 4 and 13 for more detailed information regarding the importance of
electronic communication.)
Radio Show. Radio is an effective way of getting your message out, particularly in small
communities with fewer schools or school districts in their broadcast area. If you have your own
show, you can be even more effective. This is feasible in smaller communities where stations
are more likely to provide a regular weekly time slot for schools. Businesses that are regular
radio advertisers could be encouraged to sponsor such a program. It is an excellent way to
share information about local, state, and national education issues, as well as highlight your
own school’s outstanding programs and students. In larger communities, you can pursue
invitations to participate on local talk show programs or suggest that one of your programs be
the focus of a public service feature story.
Of course, the subject is moot if your school has the problem of Logan Rogersville
(Missouri) High School, located in a rural/small suburban area with no local newspaper, radio
station, or television station. In such a situation, Principal Emmett Sawyer has found he must
rely on issue-specific publications and meetings as his best way of communicating with parents
and patrons.
Cable Television. Another medium often overlooked is the local cable television network. Most
carry some type of educational programming or may be willing to work with you to produce your
own show or to provide a constantly running school events/bulletin board/calendar. Your district
may even have its own cable station that you can tap into. Thornridge High School in Dolton,
Illinois, has made its cable program an outstanding feature of the school. Aired on three different
days for a total of five times a week is “Word on the Street,” a bimonthly roundtable discussion
program that gives students a forum to discuss timely issues that impact the lives of young
people. This 30-minute program was launched by the Advanced Radio and Television class.
L’Ouverture Computer Technology Magnet School in Wichita, Kansas, has a daily
student-produced TV show to communicate with students within the school.
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS Brown, J. L., & Moffett, C. A. (1999). The hero’s journey: How educators can transform schools and
improve learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Kohn, A. (1997). Education, Inc.: Turning learning into a business. Arlington Heights, IL: SkyLight
Publishing.
National School Public Relations Association. (1987). Marketing your schools (Pocket folder). Arlington,
VA: Author.
Peters, T. (1987). Thriving on chaos: Handbook for a management revolution. New York: Knopf.
Ross, A., & Olsen, K. (1993). The way we were . . . the way we can be: A vision for the middle school.
Kent, WA: Books for Educators.
Sherwin, R. M., & Ellis, B. (1989). Promoting a positive image together. Paper for Personnel Management
Advisory Committee, Oregon Department of Education, Salem.
Sonnenberg, F. K. (1990). Marketing to win: How you can build your client base in the new highly
competitive service economy. New York: HarperBusiness.
MOUNT VERNON CITY SCHOOLS STRATEGIC PLAN The strategic plan for Mount Vernon City Schools is an extremely important document. The
5-year plan is the roadmap that guides the district. The vision and mission are clearly stated in
the strategic plan, along with the basic beliefs from which the strategic directions, objectives,
and action plans follow. From the strategic plan, the board of education develops its annual
goals, which guide the superintendent’s annual goals, which guide the principal’s annual goals,
which guide the teacher’s annual goals. With all constituent groups fully informed and working
toward the same vision and goals, the
organization performs at a higher level.
Following is a diagram showing the
alignment of the components that
guide the district and schools.
The purpose of strategic planning in Mount Vernon City Schools, District 80, was to bring into
clear focus the long-range directions the school district would pursue to the year 2012. The
vision guiding the Board in the implementation of its mission statement was best expressed as a
hope that the collaboration of the members of the Board of Education, employees of the District,
parents, and members of the community would produce a quality elementary education for each
child enrolled in Mount Vernon City Schools, District 80. With this stated purpose and vision, the
Board wished to pursue a strategic planning process that involved a quality representation of
the Mount Vernon Community. The goal was to seek input from staff, parents, and other
representatives of the community regarding the existing Strategic Plan and to engage them to
assist the Board in the development and design of the new Strategic Plan that would serve to
guide the District to the year 2012.
The following procedural process was recommended:
a. The Board clearly states its beliefs concerning the function of education.
b. The Board focuses on the planning with a clear statement of its concept of the mission of
the school district and a clear statement of the vision it has for the district.
c. The Board identifies a Strategic Planning Group consisting of the District Learning
Leadership Team and other selected members to effect a quality representation of the
community. A representative of the Board of Education will serve as the chair. At least one-half
of the membership of the Strategic Planning Group shall consist of community representatives
not affiliated with educational programs.
d. The Board charges the Strategic Planning Group with the responsibility of reviewing the
present Strategic Plan, which had a conclusion date of June 30, 2007. The Strategic Planning
Group will analyze the status of each stated Strategic Direction and make reports to the Board
regarding the progress of the plan. An initial report will be presented to the Board in February
2007.
e. The Board charges the Strategic Planning Group with the responsibility to assist them in
the design and development of a Strategic Plan to guide the District for the period of July 1,
2007, to June 30, 2012. During the fall of 2006, the Strategic Planning Group will enter into
planning activities for the purpose of development of the new plan. As specified in Section
130.00 of the Board Policy, the Plan shall consist of clearly stated action plans that will facilitate
accomplishments of the stated directions. Each Action Plan shall be assigned a Chair to guide
the established activities.
f. The Board charges the Strategic Planning Group with the responsibility of bringing a
completed Plan to the Board of Education for adoption in March, 2007.
g. The Strategic Planning Group will be dismissed upon completion of the adoption of the
2007–2012 Plan.
h. The Board charges the District Learning Leadership Team with the responsibility of
assisting them in the monitoring of the 2007–2012 Strategic Plan of the District. The District
Learning Leadership Team will, on a regular basis, review each stated direction and associated
action plan, and report to the Board any concerns or comments related to their progress toward
goal attainment.
i. The Action Plan Chairs will make annual progress reports regarding their stated initiative
to the Board of Education in June.
j. The Board will schedule annual Strategic Plan meetings for the purpose of reporting to
the public the status of the plan’s initiatives.
The following table shows an outline of the Strategic Initiatives and Objectives of Mount
Vernon City Schools’ 2007–2012 Strategic Plan. Although this outline does not contain the
details such as the action plans with the timelines and people responsible for implementation,
one can still see what an important communication instrument it is. At every monthly
administrator meeting, the components are reviewed that should be addressed.
MT. EDGECUMBE HIGH SCHOOL Sitka, Alaska
Vision An Innovative Learning Community Committed to Excellence
We are INNOVATIVE, constantly striving to find and create better ways of pursuing our goals and dreams;
We are all engaged in LEARNING, staff and students alike, finding joy in its constant pursuit;
We are a COMMUNITY that finds strength in our diversity; We are COMMITTED to learner success and the MEHS mission;
We care deeply about EXCELLENCE in its many forms.
Mission To Provide a Residential High School for Alaskan Students
Mt. Edgecumbe High School provides a comprehensive secondary educational alternative, in a
residential setting, for over 400 students, from more than 100 Alaska communities, preparing
students to be lifelong productive citizens.
Source: Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka, AK. Superintendent: Bill Denkinger; Academic Principal: Bernie Gurule.
The Communication Audit—Your Blueprint to School Community Support
The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) is among the nationwide organizations and companies that offer a comprehensive Communication Audit to school districts across the country.
NSPRA’s Communication Audit process takes a snapshot of your current communication efforts, the climate for communication, the issues and image perceptions you are facing, and the communication needs and patterns of your target audiences.
Each NSPRA audit is different as each is tailored to your needs. The first question you will hear from NSPRA when you call to find out more about the auditing process is, “What do you want the NSPRA audit to accomplish for your district, service agency, association, etc.?”
NSPRA auditors review all current communication materials and techniques at the district and building level. The auditors talk with key representatives from target audiences and seek their honest opinions on the communication process, role, and effectiveness. The auditors also probe for key responses predetermined at the outset of the audit. (Remember the question, What do you want this audit to accomplish for you?)
The blueprint for success, the final report, then draws upon NSPRA’s unique position of being on top of the best and latest communication techniques and plans, and tailors the recommendations to your specific needs.
Start Building Support With an NSPRA Communication Audit: The First Important Step to Build Support for Your Schools!*
● An audit demonstrates your commitment to improving communication. ● An audit demonstrates your willingness to listen and respond to community views—a
major relationship builder in every audit we conduct. ● An audit will find out what major segments of employees, citizens, and customers think
about your district’s or agency’s image. ● An audit will make definitive, workable recommendations for improving two-way
communication and building community and staff support in your district or agency. ● An audit can lead to a practical public relations and marketing communication plan for
your district or agency.
What Is a Communication Audit?
● Basically, it’s a snapshot of a school district’s communication needs, policies, capabilities, activities, and programs.
● It’s an assessment of the effectiveness and credibility of present district, agency, and school publications and other communication and marketing activities.
● It involves a review of the district’s or agency’s public relations/communication policies. ● It takes a look at your demographical data, long-range plans, and past surveys of
parent/staff/community attitudes. ● It examines your budget, current plans, and staffing patterns of the public
relations/communication efforts. ● It reviews coverage by the local newspaper, radio, and television media. ● It uses focus groups of 8–10 people representing citizens, parents, business people,
administrators, teachers, support staff, and other key audiences whose support is needed to improve communication in your district or agency. Focus groups help NSPRA communication experts assess the institution’s image, communication pattern, and gaps.
● It delivers a 50- to 60-page Communication Audit report, which (1) reviews existing policies and printed material; (2) summarizes comments of focus group participants; (3) gives practical, down-to-earth recommendations to help improve communication efforts; and (4) makes certain you are receiving the biggest bang for your communication investment.
There Are Five Major Steps in an NSPRA Communication Audit:
1. Making the decision to do it. Nothing is more important in building trust and support between your organization and the public you serve than the quality of your communication efforts. Are you addressing the community’s concerns? Are you communicating with citizens effectively? Does your staff understand and support what you’re trying to do? If you cannot answer with a resounding “YES,” you will benefit from an NSPRA Communication Audit.
2. Analyzing the current program. NSPRA’s communication consultants will review your existing policies, publications, strategies, media relationships—every aspect of your internal and external communication efforts.
3. Listening to your audiences. The core of the audit is hour-long focus groups that are representative of your internal and external audiences. Focus groups can generate a lot more useful information than most surveys because a trained facilitator can probe the feelings behind the opinions. Each audit is different, so the number and composition of focus groups vary depending on the main mission of your audit.
4. Developing constructive recommendations for improving your communication program. Based on an analysis of your current program and the input from the focus groups, the NSPRA communication experts will make detailed recommendations for improving your communication and marketing efforts. Our experts are highly educated and experienced in the field and have had hands-on experience in school districts and agencies similar to yours.
5. Implementation assistance. Once the final report is received, NSPRA will coach you through the implementation steps. Examples include offering (1) sample materials and policies; (2) contact with NSPRA colleagues who have successfully dealt with similar situations to yours; and (3) lists of additional products and services that can assist you in turning your recommendations into positive results.
Why Choose NSPRA for Your Communication Audit?
Experience NSPRA has conducted more than 50 audits in the past 5 years for districts, schools, associations, and agencies similar to yours. Our experience also creates an efficient and timely process that saves you time and money.
A Treasury of Resources NSPRA knows better than anyone else what’s going on in school districts and agencies around the country and how that should be communicated for maximum effectiveness. NSPRA’s “catbird seat” gives you the most up-to-date solution to your communication problems.
Economics Time after time in bid competitions, NSPRA has been thousands of dollars lower than anyone else, and usually offers more services.
Corporate AND School Public Relations We know and practice both corporate and school public relations. All audits are reviewed by NSPRA seasoned counselors with both corporate and school PR experience. So you receive the double benefit of tapping into the best advice of our corporate and school PR professionals.
When’s the Right Time?
● When you want to improve communication and support for your schools.
● When a new superintendent or board majority takes office. ● When you are about to embark on a new initiative, such as year-round schooling, or
when there are major changes in the community. ● When a new public relations professional comes on board. ● When a communication audit hasn’t been done for 5 or more years. ● When you have determined that your public’s perception is quite different from your
present reality.
What Will I Get From a Communication Audit?
● Effectiveness of your current communication efforts. ● Establishment of priority audiences and the best channels to reach them. ● Image of your schools or agency by staff, community, and customers. ● Two-way communication techniques that will work for your district. ● Information and frequency desired by your priority audiences. ● Specific information sought by you from the audit.
Your NSPRA Communication Audit will culminate in a 50- to 60-page report that comments on the district’s existing communication efforts, summarizes focus group responses, and recommends innovative and proven techniques for improving two-way communication in your district. The recommendations will be down-to-earth; effective; and, in many cases, will cost you little to implement.
NSPRA Audits Are Tailored to Your Needs
Each audit NSPRA completes reflects the first question we ask you: “What do you want an NSPRA Communication Audit to do for your district, agency, association, etc.?” From that first step, NSPRA plans an audit that will work best for you.
For example, in addition to the usual and basic communication questions we ask focus groups—What information do you want? What’s the best way of getting it to you? How often do you want it?—we often ask key planning and awareness questions on such topics as year-round schools, building new schools, closing others, school reform, etc. Some audits are just for external audiences, while others only look at staff and related internal audiences. Many combine both into one audit.
Each NSPRA audit report is unique and reflects the direction you give to NSPRA at the very beginning.
Source: The National School Public Relations Association, Rockville, MD; www.nspra.org.
PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MARKETING BROCHURE
Source: Prescott Unified School District, Prescott, AZ. Kevin J. Kapp. Used with permission.
NATIONAL EDUCATION MEDIA CONTACTS
Education Associations American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
1801 North Moore St.
Arlington, VA 22209
703-528-0700
Fax: 703-841-1543
www.aasa.org
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
1230 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036–3078
202-223-9485
Fax: 202-775-1824
www.aera.net
American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA)
1729 21st Street NW
Washington, DC 20009–1101
202-986-4209
Fax: 202-986-4211
www.admin.org
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
555 New Jersey Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-879-4400
www.aft.org
Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)
(formerly American Vocational Association [AVA])
1410 King St.
Alexandria, CA 22311
800-826-9972
www.acteonline.org
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
1703 N. Beauregard St.
Alexandria, VA 22311
800-933-2723
Fax: 703-575-5400
www.ascd.org
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
PO Box 1589
Austin, TX 78767
512-478-5748
Fax: 512-478-3961
www.deltakappagamma.org
National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
1615 Duke St.
Alexandria, VA 22314–3483
703-684–3345
Fax: 703-548-6021
www.naesp.org
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
1904 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091–1598
703-860–0200
Fax: 703-476-5432
www.nassp.org
National Education Association (NEA)
1201 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036–3290
202-833-4000
www.nea.org
National School Boards Association (NSBA)
1680 Duke St.
Alexandria, VA 22314–3407
703-838-6722
Fax: 703-683-7590
www.nsba.org
National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA)
1501 Lee Highway, Suite 201
Arlington, VA 22209
703-528-5840
Fax: 301-519-0494
www.nspra.org
Phi Delta Kappa, Inc.
PO Box 789
Bloomington, IN 47402
812-339-1156
Fax: 812-339-0018
www.pdkintl.org
Publications The Education Digest
(accepts previously published material only)
PO Box 8623
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
313-769-1211
Education Week
4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20008
202-364-4114
Teacher Magazine 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20008
202-686-0800
USA Today
(accepts commentaries only)
1000 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22229
703-276-3400
www.usatoday.com