Chapter 12

Reaching the Public

COMMUNICATION

 Communication is a two-way process,

a sharing of information.
School Public
Relations
School Public Relations
 According to Lew Armistead. Every school has a
public-relations program

 Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing

the flow of information between an individual or an
organization and the public.
School Public Relations
PLANNING THE
PUBLIC
RELATIONS
What would an ideal public-relations program look like?

 National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA)

 A planned and systematic two-way process of communication
between an education organization and its internal and
external publics . . . it stimulate a better understanding of the
role, objectives, accomplishments, and needs of the
organization.
According to Armistead, school public-relations
break efforts into a four-part process:

Plannin Communication Evaluatio

Research
g n
STEP 1 : RESEARCH
 What is happening now?
--inventory of the community’s sociologica
characteristics
 Establish a goal
STEP 1: RESEARCH
 Find out what the public thinks or wants
 Opinion survey
 Sending questionnaires to target groups
 Telephone interview
STEP 2 : PLANNING
 Decide what objectives the school wants to meet
 Sample objectives:
--secure additional funding for the school budget
--engage parents in the school activities
STEP 2 :
PLANNING
 Timeline

 Responsibilities
STEP 2 : PLANNING
Possible objectives cited by Bagin and colleagues include the
following:
 promoting cooperation between the school and community
 securing adequate financial support for a sound educational
program
 involving citizens in the work of the school
 helping citizens feel more responsibility for the quality of
education
STEP 3 : COMMUNICATION

 How informed are people in the community?

 What do they know about the school’s

accomplishments?
STEP 3 : COMMUNICATION
 Take Action

 To implement strategies of program

 TACTICS - are specific activities conducted

STEP 3 : COMMUNICATION
Examples of Tactics for communicating

 OUTREACH : school meeting, community

meeting, home visits
 MEDIA : internet, newspapers, magazines,
newsletters, radio, billboard websites
STEP 4 : EVALUATION
 Measure effectiveness of the program against
objective
 Identify ways to improve the program
and recommendations for the future
CONCLUSION
 Public relations is important
 Communication takes place everywhere
 Two-way communication is vital
 Effective communication can produce a
positive school climate and good school-
community relations.