School

Public
Relations
The surest way to
kill a bad
product is to
advertise it.
Mike Flynn, Darcy Advertising
Public Relations Not simply
publicity!!

School public relations is a solid, long-range

and democratic course of action. It is a process
that attempts to foster understanding and friendly
working relationships between schools and their
communities in order that they may not only serve
educational needs but also select more intelligently
the media and activities which will keep people
informed about the schools, their purposes
programs, progress, and problems.
Public Relations

Effective public relations is

a planned two-way program
in which educators and the
public work together to meet
the educational needs of
children.
Public Relations

There is a need for

Public Relations…..
Public Relations

…people must be informed if they

are to vote intelligently
…there is a predominant complaint
about schools by opposition that
they are neglecting the “three R’s”
…the media tends to focus only on
the negative
Public Relations

Public Relations
is an ongoing program…..
Public Relations

…public relations goes on actively at

all times whether the school likes it
or not
…every contact is a PR contact
…visitor’s perceptions are impacted
with every contact
Public Relations

What is the role of the

Principal in developing
good school
public relations?
 PublicRelations
Public Relations

The
Principal
…takes a leadership role
…refines and disseminates school news
…develops positive relationships with media
…establishes open lines of communication
with community
…formulates plans and policies
Public Relations

The principal understands “publics”

Public Relations

Each public has its own

personality, size, interest,
and organization
 PublicRelations
Public Relations

The Principal
understands the
dynamics of…

External public— that group that is

not in the building
or district
Parents
Clubs & community service organizations
Parent-teacher association
Businessmen
Adults who do not have children in school
Civic groups and leaders
 PublicRelations
Public Relations

The Principal
understands the
dynamics of…

Internal public— those groups within

the building or
Students district
Teachers
Support Staff
Other School Sites
Central Office
Public Relations

Principals must understand

interrelationships of various
publics, their unique structures,
collective personalities, interests,
and political importance
 PublicRelations
Public Relations

Factor
…warmth s
…acceptance
…tolerance
…understanding
…cooperative
…objective rather than emotional
Public Relations

The principal must develop a

climate conducive to good
working relationships with
publics and media
Creating a Public Relations Plan

Creating
a
PR Plan
Most public relations efforts
have as much impact on
school/district performance
as a rain dance has
on the weather
Creating a Public Relations Plan

Do
Dothese
thesesound
soundfamiliar?
familiar?

1. We notified everybody. We
sent a letter/memo out.
2. We tried some PR. We mailed
a press release Press kit.
3. Communication? Our newsletter
goes to over 50,000 people.
4. Publicity? Let’s do a public
service announcement.
5. Marketing: We’ve distributed
over one Kazillion brochures!
Effective marketing
is really applied
common sense

Nora K. Carr, St. Louis University

Creating a Public Relations Plan
Remember to……

RACE
Research
Analysis & Planning
Communication = RESULTS
Evaluation
Creating a Public Relations Plan

Research
 Questions to ask…
 What makes your school unique?
 How do people find out about your school?
 Do people perceive your school differently than you
perceive your school? Why?
 Why do parents/students choose your school, programs?
Why do they choose your competitor?
 What are the values, lifestyles, interests of your
customers? What to they do for a living? Educational
level? Are they happy? Disappointed?
 Who are you communicating with the most? Who should
you be communicating and relating with more?
 Who is critical to your success? Why? How close are you
to them?
Creating a Public Relations Plan

Analysis
&
Planning
Focus is the secret
ingredient in
virtually every
successful
marketing plan
Trout & Ries, Bottom-Up Marketing
 Analyze data generated from
questions or other collection
instruments and develop a plan
GOAL: To impact attitude, opinion,
behavior or action
FOCUS ON WHAT THE CUSTOMER
(Parents, Community etc.) VALUES
IMPLEMENT STRATEGY: Best way to
reach, move, influence target audience
Creating a Public Relations Plan

Determine your Strengths,

Weaknesses, Opportunities,
Threats
Keep it personal; focus on opinion leaders
Segment! Segment! Segment!
Expand involvement in your school
through advisory groups, sub-committees
Use community and district resources
Try something new! Explore ways to
make new technology more intimate
Use several channels to reach each
audience
 Public Relations Ideas
 Newsletters –often mailed to parents at PTA
expense
 News Tips Sheets –brief (who, what, when where)
 Visit local newspaper offices – meet reporters
 Publicize teacher inservice – ex. Accelerated
Reader Program
 Courteous personal contacts
 Breakfast with parents
 Pre-registration counseling with students &
parents
 Public Relations Ideas
 Student recognition – award, bulletin
boards, newspapers, etc.
 Senior ID cards –free admission to events
 Adopt a student
 Open House –have students and parents
present
 Evening Meals –business and professional
leaders
 Parent conferences
 Public Relations Ideas
Open shop –possible one night per week
Performing student groups
Computerized assignment system
Shadow a student
Outside marquee
Letters to parents –honor rolls
Publish Honor Rolls in newspapers
Good conduct awards
 Public Relations Ideas
Good news cards –hand out to parents
at evening meeting
Booster club meetings after ball games
Grandparent’s Day
Flowers to mothers on mother’s day
Awards assemblies
Citizenship and Good Deeds day
 Public Relations Ideas
 Announce student birthdays over morning
intercom
 School picnic –invite parents in for special
activities
 Students seen doing something good
 Mini-school for parents –entire day follow
the schedule of their children
 Senior citizen Thanksgiving dinner
 Senior citizen Pen-Pal club
 Public Relations Ideas
 Positive phone calls from teachers
 Career day
 School page in local newspaper
 School web page
 Give out school email addresses to parents
 Web-based grading and homework sites
 Parent-Advisory Committee
 Joining community organizations (Rotary
club etc.)
 Public Relations Ideas
 Speaking at community meetings
(Homeowner’s Association meetings)
 School renewal day
 School-based enterprises
 After-school day care
 Opening the building after hours for
community use (scout meetings, computer
lab use, library use)
Strategies that break the mold grow
initially like weeds.
They are not cultivated like tomatoes
in a hothouse

Henry Mintzberg, “The Rise and Fall of Strategic Plann

Plan
Creating a Public Relations Plan

Communication
 Hierarchy of Effective Communication
1. One-to-one, face to face
2. Small group discussion/meeting
3. Speaking before a medium-sized groups
4. Phone conversation
5. Hand-written, personal note
6. Typewritten, personal letter not generated by computer
7. Computer generated “personal” letter
8. Mass-produced, non-personalized letter
9. Brochure or pamphlet sent out as a “direct mail” piece
10. Article in organizational newsletter, magazine, posters, etc.
11. New carried in popular press
12. Advertising in newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, posters, etc.
13. Other less effective forms of communication (billboards,
skywriters, pens, “give-aways,” etc.)
 It is the responsibility of an effective public
relations plan to force communication up the
ladder of effectiveness, striving constantly to
narrow the audience to a manageable size,
and to deliver the message on a one-to-one
basis

Fredrick Volkman, Washington Universit

Creating a Public Relations Plan

Evaluation
 Ask….
 Who are we reaching now?
 Using what tools/channels of communication?
 What should we be emphasizing more?
 What is the best way to reach our target
audience?
 What has been most effective in the past?
Why?
 What new avenues should we explore?
 What resources do we have?
 What free help can we get?
 Who can we collaborate with?
 Avoid
Not using data in making decisions
Not reporting information; or not
developing reports that encourage
other to use information
Misinformation
Forgetting to tell people how to use
the information you collect or
discover
Public Relations

Summary
 Public Relations Essentials
 Effective PR & Marketing means building
relationships
 It is better to have many people involved in your
PR plan, understanding that efficiency may
suffer some, than to have one person do
everything perfectly
 If your PR & Marketing program isn’t tied to
your organization’s critical issues, you are going
about it the wrong way
 The best way to kill a bad product is to
advertise it