2. Share Who We Are
Basic background information, what we do, who we
serve, our approach and what we offer to our districts.
What is working in Regional
Communications
There has been a shift in our approach to
communication services, and its having a positive
impact on the region.
What we will do
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3. About Puget Sound ESD
PSESD is…
•1 of 9 regional educational
agencies serving school
districts and state-approved
private schools in Washington.
•governed by a nine-member
educational service district
board, elected by local school
directors
•committed to becoming an
Antiracist, Multicultural
Organization
03
We Serve…
• 35 school districts
• 200+ private schools
• 421,131 students or
39% of WA’s K-12
public school students
Our Funding…
• Less than 1% of our
funding comes from a
state allocation.
• Our programs are funded
primarily by
entrepreneurial means.
1%
11%
10%
28%
50%
State Allocation
Cooperatives
Local Sources
State Grants
Federal Grants
5. Times are changing….
A Shift in Services
Before the success in regional
communications came a shift in our approach
to communications in general.
Gone were the days of communication and
marketing of old, no more faxed press
releases and free websites and agency
controlled Facebook accounts.
We made a planned and intentional shift to an
agency model: Communication Coordinators
as account managers, communications and
marketing generalists for internal programs.
Senior Communications Coordinators
account managers, communications and
marketing generalists for internal programs
and external districts, and Communications
Manager as project manager and supervisor.
05
6. 05
Needs are changing…
• Most notably a need for
regional Communications
to contribute to the
development and delivery of
creative and strategic media
and communications work to
support educational
objectives at county, regional
and state levels
7. PSESD Regional Communications
July 2013
August 2014
PSESD Literacy and Communications Funded by
Gates for Growing a Community of Learners:
Supporting Implementation of the Instructional Shifts
in Literacy
At the heart of this work was communications partneringwith LTFS staff to
teach teachers how to blog and use twitter to amplify teacher voice.
Districts Unified in Rejecting the
Label “Failing” to Describe Local
Schools
30 Districts participate in letter, press
conference, article and we get positive
media coverage.
15
8. PSESD Regional Communications
January 2015
May 2015
Puget Sound ESD Smarter Balanced Assessment
Communication Plan
A seven month comprehensive, strategic communications plan
written by PSESD Communications Manager share with District
PIOs in partnership with ReadyWAin preparation of the first
SBA score releases.
Puget Sound College and Career
Network (PSCCN) is launched
The goal is to increase PSCCN’s capacity
and effectiveness to provide students and
families with resources to prepare for
college, enroll in college, and earn
postsecondary credentials.
9. What we are learning from families/community…
Priorities
• Paying
for
College:
Scholarships
/
WASFA
/
FAFSA
/
Loans
• College
Entrance
requirements
• Importance
of
College
• What
to
take
/
Picking
the
right
high
school
classes
What Is Working for PSCCN:
02
How we are communicating with
families/community…
• Counselor
• Events
• Email
• Text
• Personal
phone
call
• Flyers
/
Handouts
• Advisory
Class
Style
we
are
communicating
families/community…
• Written
like
a
normal
conversation
• Personalized
• Pathway
or
way
to
track
progress/map
progress
• Simple
/
Colorful
/
Bold
Text
with
website
for
more
information
with
printable
handouts
• Use
standard
paper
size
• Font
not
too
small
• Avoid
childish
graphics
• Calendar
of
events
10. “College” Means All Pathways: T-2-4
•Technical & Apprenticeship - Technical programs prepare you for
specific trades and career. An apprenticeship includes on-the-job
training in a highly skilled career.
•2-Year College - Offer associate degrees and certificates, which are
usually completed in two years of full study, preparing students for
careers or transfer to a 4-year college. Some 2-year colleges also have
4-year degree options.
•4-Year College - These schools offer bachelor's degrees, usually
completed in four years of full-time study.
What Is Working for PSCCN:
02
11. Financial Aid: Why?
•Students
who
complete
financial
aid
are
2X
as
likely
to
attend
•Required
for
all
federal
aid,
many
scholarships,
and
loans
•All
students
graduate
ready,
able
to
make
choice
•Regional
priority
&
opportunity
to
leverage
resources
•Big
changes
this
year-‐ opened
earlier,
earlier
priority
deadlines
•Undocumented
students
have
access
to
funds
in
WA:
WASFA
What Is Working for PSCCN:
02
What is Working?
• In-‐class
activities
• Individual
tracking
of
students
completion
status
• After
school
financial
aid
event(s)
• Discussing
financial
aid
at
family
meetings/Student
Led
Conferences
• Integrating
financial
aid
information
into
family
nights
• Home
mailings
(printed/email)
• Training
bilingual
staff/interpreters/family
liaisons
on
financial
aid
Promising Strategies
• Build
the
team:
Include
bilingual
staff,
family
liaisons,
advisory
teachers,
partners
• Integrate
in
school
day
&
existing
activities
(advisory,
course
requirement,
family
nights,
athletics,
school-‐based
incentives
(dance
discount)
• Message
to
students
&
families
early
&
often
(visual
&
spoken
reminders),
integrate
into
an
overall
long-‐term
family
engagement
strategy
• Data
Analysis:
Portal,
student-‐level
tracking,
identify
trends,
track
progress,
understand
who
is
missing
and
design
specific
strategies
13. PSESD Regional Communications
November 2015
June 2016
Puget Sound ESD & Partnership for Learning
receive 2-year grant to take CORElaborate
statewide!
What makes this program unique, beyond the social media
aspect of amplifying teacher voice, is the continued
commitment to keep teachers at the center of the work.
Attendance Awareness
Communications Toolkit is Published
Launched first at the Early Warning Systems
convening the Attendance Awareness
Communications Toolkit has over
14. Story -> Awareness -> Intervention
• National Research on Chronic Absence
• PSESD Regional Impact and Intervention
Implications
• Toolkit and Actionable Steps
AttendanceAwareness Toolkit
02
15. Key Learnings
• Communication
Leadership is Adaptive
• The need for agreement,
cooperation, and
participation at many
levels is at the heart of
any plan.
• Organizational and
professional silos,
including our own in
communications, are
killing us and
threatening our
profession.
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16. Key Learnings
• Communications is an
intentional strategy.
Communications drives
relationships and all
relationships are different.
• Regional Communications work
best when you first establish a
deep understanding of why there
is a need for shared message,
and then build a related
framework for a story that
resonates with all key internal
and external stakeholders
05
17. Thank you!
Melissa Laramie, MA COML, Interim Director of
Communications & Public Relations, @MelissaJLaramie
Kelly Goodsell, Ed.D. Executive Director Learning, Teaching &
Family Support
