Effective public relations in schools is essential for fostering trust and engagement between parents and the school community. A strategic plan involves understanding stakeholder perceptions and establishing two-way communication, utilizing both traditional and digital platforms like social media. The process includes problem definition, planning, implementation of tactics, and evaluation to ensure that the school's messaging aligns with community needs.

1. Effective Public Relations in Schools: No Longer a Luxury – A Necessity.Tracey Quinn – Venta Preparatory School. Ottawa, Canada

2. Why do weneed Public Relations in ourSchools?The customer is always right?

3. Know your stakeholders

4. Define Limits/ Delicate Balance

5. “Perception is Reality” – Marshal McLuhan

6. Helicopter ParentsClarifyBoundaries:Engage stakeholders using careful and effective communication/public relations to establish boundaries.

7. Define parents role within the school community.

8. Build understanding and a sense of trust.A Delicate Balance:Delicate balance between parental engagement versus parental control.

9. Private schools as an educational institution and a business.

10. Parent confidence is vital.

11. Parent engagement - importantWhat do your parents perceive they are purchasing?

12. Embrace partnerships.

13. Parents look for information, reassurance and answers to questions they ask their kids.WhatisSchool Public Relations?

14. WhatisSchool Public Relations?“ Public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends.” Effective Public Relations. 9th Edition. Cutlip, S. Center, A. and Broom, G. (2006) p. 5“Educational public relations is a planned and systematic management function to help improve the program and services of an educational organization. It relies on a comprehensive two-way communication process involving both internal and external publics, with a goal of stimulating a better understanding of the role, objectives and accomplishments and, needs of the organization.” National School Public Relations Association. www.nspra.org“School public relations used to be about getting positive messages out – it was a one-way communication street. Today, school public relations is less about conveying information than it is about establishing and promoting partnerships within the “community”. An effective school public relations plan provides value by giving people information parents can use, not just information that the school needs to convey about process. Effective public relations means schools ask for and receive information just as much as they transmit it.” The Power of Public Relations in Schools by Carlsmith and Railsback.

15. Public Relations vs. MarketingHow is public relations different from marketing and admissions?

16. How are they the same?What is a Public Relations Plan?

17. The Four Step Plan Step 1: Define the public relations problem/goal/opportunity. Situation Analysis: “What’s happening now?”Step 2: Planning and Programming. Strategy “What should we do and say and why?”Step 3: Take Action and Communicate.Implementation: “How and when do we do it?”

18. Step 4: Evaluate the Program.MeasureableResults: “How did we do?”

19. Step1: Defining the PR PlanSituation Analysis: What is happening now?

20. Determine what you want to do.

21. Take information in.

22. Establish your goal. Sample Goal: Create a feeling of responsibility, making both boarding and day parents feel that their school involvement plays a vital role in their child’s success at the school as well as the success of the school.

23. PR ResearchPR research is a mix between qualitative and quantitative efforts. (SWOT Analysis)Find out what your stakeholders are saying.Take your own polls.Get feedback from teachers.SurveysSeek out non-usersContent Analysis/Communication Audit

24. 7. Benchmark.Focus Groups.Interviews.Track parent questions.With initial research in hand the planning stage can begin.

25. Step 2: Planning and ProgrammingStrategy: “What should we do and say and how?”

26. Establish Communication Tactics in relation to your goal.

27. Tie your plan’s objectives to its activities.

28. This should be based on information uncovered in the research stage.

29. Choosing TacticsWhat is a tactic? Tactics are the PR activities used to deliver your messages and channel feedback to you. They can be one-way or two-way communication. In this phase, create a list of tactics you will use.

30. Step 3: Take Action and Communciate!The “plan” and tactics should be in writing.

31. Each tactic should have supporting details with deadlines.

32. Plan needs to be measurable and goal driven.Web 2.0Web 2.0 should be included and act as a compliment to other tactics.“Traditional” communication can’t be ignored.However, Web 2.0 cannot be ignored.Social media is a powerful tool in implementing your goal and getting feedback.

33. It’s time to join the conversation.

34. Whatis Web 2.0 anyway?The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing and collaboration on the web.

35. For example, blogs, Facebook, Twitter.

36. It allows anyone, anywhere to join the conversation.Web 2.0Suddenly the conversation is going on all around you.Crucial to get involved.It’s time to join the conversation to achieve your public relations goals.

37. VideoBenefits of Video.It’s Visual.It’s Sticky.It’s EmotionalIt’s On-DemandIt’s Versatile.

38. Use YouTube!

39. This tool helps you determine whether your videos are achieving the intended PR goal.Who is watching and for how long?Are the right people the video designed to encourage attendance to your event?

40. Gain Insight using YouTube Insight

42. Twitter

43. A few things to remember...If you are not listening, you can’t hear.Make an informed decision to respond to negative comments or not.Respond publicly.

44. Facebook

45. How do you use Facebook to achieve your PR goals?Post news/videos.Create invitations.Don’t clutter the page.Synchronize Facebook page with Twitter, school blog, YouTube, website.

46. Monitor how your stakeholders use your Facebook page.

48. BlogsBlogs are very quickly replacing traditional media as a reliable news source for many people.Capture “real-estate”Sign up with “Google Alerts” http://alerts.google.comFree and helps you monitor what is being said about your school.

49. SKYPECommunicate “face-to-face”Important for boarding parentsUse Skype to gather qualitative data

50. School CalendarCategorize.Synchronize

51. E-Mail NewslettersDon’t send 4 a day.Design of e-mails plays an important role in access to information.For example: - make space for important events in top right or left hand cornerDon’t include entire contents of newsletter

52. Track your readershipWeb-Based E-mail MarketingConstant Contact: www.constantcontact.com

58. RSS FeedsReally Simple SyndicationAllows your stakeholders to link to news/updates from your school.A lot of RSS feed generators are free. For example, IceRocket.http://rss.icerocket.com

60. Step 4: Evaluating the Program.How did we do?