How to Develop a How to Develop a CommunicationsCommunications//SchoolSchool--

Community Relations PlanCommunity Relations Plan

Communication is all about building relationships with internal and external key

stakeholders.

Strong school communication helps students and schools achieve and

succeed.

Good human relationships engender respect, cooperation, and collaboration… but good human relationships do not happen in and of themselves, they must be planned and implemented with careful deliberation.

Communication is the lifeblood of a Communication is the lifeblood of a school organizationschool organization. .

“Whether a school system is excellent or mediocre depends on how these people work together, how they communicate, how they relate, are involved, participate and share. A public/community relations program is aimed at focusing on the relationships of all these people, with an overall goal of improving student achievement.” - Albert E. Holliday

The essential element in The essential element in communication and schoolcommunication and school--

community relations is relationshipcommunity relations is relationship. .

• The educational leader must establish a positive relationship among all key stakeholders.

• These key stakeholders consist of parents, students, teachers/staff, and community/business people.

A good publicA good public//community relations community relations program will not exist without a planprogram will not exist without a plan. .

• A communication plan must be developed or little will happen.

• “Good communication does not happen by accident…However, principals with a specific communication plan are able to provide needed support that leads to effective relationship building” - Harris

RationaleRationale: :

• Develop a rationale for the communications plan.

• The rationale should include the basic premise for developing the communications plan, guiding principles and philosophy of communication improvement.

• A communications plan that is developed collaboratively by school and community people will serve to foster student achievement (through the establishment of a positive school climate and parent and citizen involvement) and build citizen knowledge and understanding leading to financial support (Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005).

Essential Components of the Essential Components of the CommunicationsCommunications//SchoolSchool--

Community Relations PlanCommunity Relations Plan • The communications plan is developed to

bring about change in the communication area identified.

• The plan should be flexible and usable.

• The planning process should be ongoing.

The fourThe four--step public relations step public relations process process

• Research - up front analysis on where the district stands in regard to all publics it wishes to reach

• Action plan - developing public relations goals, objectives and strategies that go hand-in-hand with the district's overall mission and goals

• Communicate/Implement - carrying out the tactics necessary to meet the objectives and goals

• Evaluate - looking back at actions taken to determine their effectiveness and what changes are needed in the future

Vision StatementVision Statement

• Develop a vision statement for the communications plan.

• The vision statement should be aligned to the district policy and vision statement and depict the future state of the district related to school-community relation.

Mission StatementMission Statement

• Develop a mission statement for the communications plan.

• The mission statement should be aligned to the district policy and mission statement, and should include the purpose, direction, and outcomes of the communications plan.

Contextual DesignContextual Design

• Include a description of the contextual setting for the district and campuses. – city information and description– school demographics and description– school academic performance – funding allocations

Needs AssessmentNeeds Assessment

• Include the needs assessments administered, a description of the assessments, and the results of the assessment.

• A needs assessment allows districts to evaluate their current communications strategies and activities.

• What is the communications problem to be studied?

• What method is best to obtain the desired information?

• How much money is required to conduct the opinion questionnaire?

• How much time is needed to complete the questionnaire?

• Who should conduct the questionnaire? • How should the findings be used?

Goals and Objectives of the Goals and Objectives of the CommunicationsCommunications//SchoolSchool--

Community PlanCommunity Plan • Goals are the desired outcome of the plan of

action in response to the needs assessment.– Goals are broadly stated purposes toward which ends

are directed. – Goals are issues oriented. – Goals are specifically related to issues uncovered in

the needs assessment. – Goals focus actions toward clearly defined purposes. – Goals should be aligned with your vision, mission,

and rationale.

– Goals should reflect your strategic issues and priorities.

– Goals should focus on a single issue. – Goals should provide a clear direction for acti

on. – Goals should be long-range or restricted by

time. – The number of goals should be kept to a mini

mum.

ObjectivesObjectives

• Objectives are specific, measurable subdivisions of a goal.

• They are benchmarks that measures progress toward a goal.

• Objectives must be attained collectively for a goal to be reached.

ActivitiesActivities//Strategies Strategies

• After the goals and objectives have been defined and accepted, activities/strategies should be developed for achieving the goals and objectives.

• The strategies and activities available are influenced by the nature of the audience, the availability of funds and facilities, and the competence of personal.

• Activities/strategies should include;

(1) the process involving the accomplishment of an event usually over a period of time, and stages, or with possibility of repletion,

(2) include the actual work associated with the objective, and

(3) involve the who, where, what, when, how many, how much, and how often until the objective is completed.

• Timelines - The timeline tells the time frame to implement the strategy.

• Person Responsible - Identify the person responsible to implement the activity/strategy.

• Resources - The resources may include physical and financial. Determine the funding amount and funding source.

Identify the Appropriate Audience Identify the Appropriate Audience for the Planfor the Plan

• Define the audiences

• List all of the audiences that your SCHOOL might contact, attempt to influence, or serve.

Included in your list may beIncluded in your list may be: :

• Members, • Non-members • Consumers • Related organizations such as PTAs or PTOs. • Adversarial groups • Educators • Media • Business and Industries • Community

Evaluate the ResultEvaluate the Result

• Build into your plan a method for measuring results.

• Your evaluation might take the form of the following measures: – A monthly report on work in progress, – Formalized department reports for presentation at staf

f meetings, – Periodic briefings of the superintendent and the

department heads, and – A year-end summary for the annual report.

• Include a timeline for conducting the evaluation and the person(s) responsible for this.

• The type of evaluation should be decided when the action steps are developed.

• When you specify an action step think “How will we know if this action is giving us the desired effect?”

The purposes of evaluation areThe purposes of evaluation are ::

(1) to improve, add, or drop existing public relations activities;

(2) to determine if the public relations plan is achieving its extended results;

(3) to determine if the results are worth the time and money spent; and

(4) to bring greater visibility to the accomplishments of the plan.

In general, a strategic PR plan In general, a strategic PR plan includes 10 componentsincludes 10 components: :

• Overall goals for PR • Target audiences or publics • Objectives for each audience • Strategies • Tactics • Activities • Evaluation • Materials • Budget Items • Timetable and Task List

“Even at a time when educators are expected to do more with less, a public relations strategy will be invaluable to a school district. It is not a matter of whether or not one is needed, but rather a matter of getting started. Moving forward in explaining to the constituents, employees, and clients where the system is, where it wants to go, and how it expects to get there. A positive image takes time, resources, and effort to establish, but the dividends are endless.” - Robert Beach and James Trent

Good Resources for developing Good Resources for developing community relations planscommunity relations plans

• Butler, L.M., & R.D. Howell. 1980. Community needs assessment techniques. Corvallis, OR: Western Rural Development Center.

• Drucker, P. (1954). The practice of management. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

• Gallagher, D. R., Bagin, D., & Moore, E. H. (2005). The school and community relations. Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon.

• Holliday, A. E. (1988). “In search of an answer: What is school public relations?” Journal of Educational Public Relations. 11 (2), 12.

• Johnson, D.E., et al, (1987). Needs assessment theory and methods. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.

• Lane, R. J., Bishop, H. L., & Wilson-Jones, L. (2006). “Creating an effective strategic plan for the school district”. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 32(3).

• Harris, S. (Ed.) (2004). Bravo principal: Building relationships with actions that value others. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.