This document provides an outline for a strategic communication action plan for XXXX County Schools. It includes suggested goals, objectives, and action steps aligned with the school district's strategic directions. The goals aim to position the district as a top choice, engage stakeholders, operate effectively and efficiently, focus communication at the school building level, and improve internal communication. For each goal, objectives and action steps are proposed along with target audiences, responsible parties, timelines, budgets, and evaluation measures. The outline is intended as a starting point for developing a comprehensive strategic communication plan with input from district staff and community members.

1. Sample Outline for a
Strategic Communication Action Plan
The following is an example of an outline for a strategic
communication action plan for
XXXX County Schools based on the recommendations from an
NSPRA Communication Audit
Report. The suggested goals were taken from the guiding
principles, objectives and action steps
detailed in the recommendations in the report. The plan also
indicates which of the district’s
strategic directions (or goals) the communication goals most
directly relate to.
Please note that this is an outline and not a complete plan, as
there are sections that
Communications Office staff and administrators need to
address, such as budget, timelines,
responsible parties and evaluation measures. Ongoing
communication and public relations
activities should also be added.
While this represents a substantial start on developing a
comprehensive communication
plan, it requires the input and direct involvement of XXXX
County Schools staff and patrons in
order to prepare a final plan.
Strategic Direction: Highest Student Achievement

2. Suggested Goal: Position XXXX County Schools as “the district
of
choice” for quality teaching, learning and student achievement.
Objectives
• Develop clear, consistent messages that are delivered in “one
clear voice.”
Action steps:
♦ Create a theme.
Target audience: Staff; parents; community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Develop key messages for staff, board and key
communicators.
Target audience: Staff; board members; key communicators
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Redesign and repackage basic information/marketing
materials to create a
“brand” image.
Target audience: Parents; community; students
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:

3. • Develop marketing materials for Choice Plan that emphasize
the district’s core
values and the unique attributes of each school.
Action steps:
♦ Redesign the Directory as a marketing tool for choice.
Target audience: Parents; students
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Create marketing brochures.
Target audience: Parents; students
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Revise and update web site.
Target audience: Parents; students; community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Expand cable television offerings.
Target audience: Parents; students; community
Budget:

4. Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Provide regular updates for school newsletters.
Target audience: Parents
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
Suggested Goal: Focus the communication efforts on engaging
stakeholders to take action on behalf of students.
Objectives
• Establish regular communication with the non-parent public.
Action steps:
♦ Develop a publication for district residents.
Target audience: District taxpayers; business/community
leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Provide news inserts for business/community publications.
Target audience: Business/community leaders and their
employees
Budget:

5. Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Implement a “speakers bureau” for use by community and
business organizations.
Target audience: Community/business leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Use Channel 14 to deliver information on a regular basis.
Target audience: General community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Initiate regular communication with local clergy.
Target audience: Faith community leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Improve communication with senior citizens.
Target audience: Senior taxpayers
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:

6. • Establish a Key Communicator Network.
Action steps:
♦ Identify influential parent, community and business leaders,
including minority
leaders.
Target audience: Administrators; board members; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Invite identified key communicators to meet with the
superintendent/area
superintendents several times each year.
Target audience: Influential opinion leaders in the community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Resurrect and redesign Friends of Education newsletter to
keep key
communicators informed between meetings.
Target audience: Identified key communicators
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:

7. Evaluation measures:
♦ Investigate the possibility of sending Friends of Education
electronically.
Target audience: Identified key communicators
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Establish a hotline or direct contact for key communicators to
clarify information
or head off rumors.
Target audience: Identified key communicators
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
• Expand district cable television programming.
Action steps:
♦ Improve distribution of programming schedule to a broader
audience.
Target audience: Parents; staff; students; cable customers
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Increase programming related to the Choice Plan.
Target audience: Parents; students

8. Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Use Leadership Technology equipment to research viewer
interest in specific
topics.
Target audience: Parents; cable customers;
business/community leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Produce more PSAs and infomercials highlighting students
and schools.
Target audience: Parents; students; cable customers;
business/community leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Evaluate feasibility of using Channel 14 for staff development
and inservice.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:

9. Evaluation measures:
• Expand and improve the district web site.
Action steps:
♦ Redesign homepage for easier navigation by users.
Target audience: Parents; community; potential employees;
web surfers
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Update information on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly).
Target audience: Parents; community; potential employees;
web surfers
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Make publications available online in PDF format.
Target audience: Parents; community; potential employees;
web surfers
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Include marketing components (for schools, recruitment,
Choice Plan).
Target audience: Parents; students; potential employees
Budget:

10. Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Provide a page to respond to rumors and myths circulating in
the community and
promote the web site as a source of accurate information.
Target audience: Parents; staff; community; key
communicators
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
• Continue to develop a “shared leadership” style across the
district.
Action steps:
♦ Close the communication loop on all projects by explaining
rationale for actions
and result of efforts.
Target audience: Staff; parents; taxpayers
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Solicit input and conduct research before making important
decisions. Leadership
Technology equipment and focus groups can be used.

11. Target audience: Staff; parents; community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
• Continue to develop public engagement/outreach strategies.
Action steps:
♦ Hold town halls or forums regionally.
Target audience: Parents; community; business leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Hold study circles on “hot topics.”
Target audience: Parents; staff; community; business leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Provide opportunities for public input that don’t require
attendance at a meeting.
Target audience: Parents; community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Develop collaborative partnerships with county agencies.
Target audience: County service agencies

12. Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Encourage administrative staff involvement in civic and
service organizations.
Target audience: Administrators
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Develop outreach programs to distribute information and gain
feedback on issues
impacting facilities.
Target audience: Parents; minority community members; civic
leaders; faith community leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Build partnerships with ethnic agencies.
Target audience: Minority community members; civic leaders;
faith community leaders
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:

13. Evaluation measures:
♦ Provide visual signs of welcome and appreciation of diversity
at schools..
Target audience: Students; parents
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
Strategic Direction: Effective Efficient Operation
Suggested Goal: Create an annual, strategic communication
plan.
Objectives
• Develop communication goals designed to improve and
integrate effective
communication at all levels and that are tied to the district’s
strategic directions.
Action steps:
♦ Involve the Strategic Communications Advisory Committee in
defining the
communication program and developing specific goals and
action steps.
Target audience: Administration; board; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:

14. ♦ Determine a plan format based on the four-step public
relations process of
research, planning and assessment, communication and
evaluation.
Target audience: Administration; board; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Establish a process to review and update the plan on a regular
basis.
Target audience: Administration; board; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
• Create individual communication plans for any major
initiatives or changes in
district programs or practices.
Action steps:
♦ Assess communication needs and how they relate to the

15. district’s strategic
directions and the overall strategic communication plan as new
efforts arise.
Target audience: Administration; board; staff; Strategic
Communications Advisory Committee
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
• Conduct regular research and evaluation components on
communication efforts.
Action steps:
♦ Use the Leadership Technology Group survey equipment to
assess staff and
community attitudes.
Target audience: Staff; parents; community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Continue opinion polling on a regular basis.
Target audience: Taxpayers
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Conduct readership surveys of staff and parent publications.
Target audience: Staff; parents

16. Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
Suggested Goal: Make school building-level communication the
major
thrust of the communication effort.
Objectives
• Expand and improve school newsletters.
Action steps:
♦ Develop graphics standards.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Train school staff in use of the district Stylebook and how to
prepare an effective
newsletter.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:

17. ♦ Conduct readership surveys of school newsletters.
Target audience: Parents
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Prepare brief updates on district news that can be placed in all
school newsletters.
Target audience: Parents; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Investigate different ways to distribute school newsletters to a
broader audience.
Target audience: Neighborhood residents; local businesses
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
• Develop communication protocols.
Action steps:
♦ Create a committee of staff and parents to develop guidelines
for e-mail and voice
mail communications.
Target audience: Parents; staff
Budget:

18. Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Evaluate the use of automated answering systems to determine
effectiveness and
impact on customer service.
Target audience: Parents; community
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
Suggested Goal: Internal communication must be a priority.
Objectives
• Improve internal communication.
Action steps:
♦ Evaluate effectiveness and readership of Topics and revise to
make it more timely
and useful to staff.
Target audience: Staff

19. Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Investigate feasibility of an electronic newsletter for staff.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Ensure all staff receive complete information and receive the
same information.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Increase opportunities for face-to-face communication with
staff.
Target audience: Administrators; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Maximize use of voice mail for distributing time sensitive or
critical information
to staff.

20. Target audience: Administrators; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Develop a standard procedure for reporting the outcome of
meetings involving
staff.
Target audience: Administrators; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Develop a Management Memo for building communications.
Target audience: Administrators; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Celebrate staff contributions and efforts.
Target audience: Administrators; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:

21. Evaluation measures:
• Emphasize the role of employees as “Ambassadors for
Education.”
Action steps:
♦ Develop an ambassador component for new employee
orientation, both certified
and classified.
Target audience: New employees
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Provide inservice and review ambassador role with all staff on
a regular basis.
Target audience: Administrators; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Recognize employee efforts as ambassadors.
Target audience: Administrators; staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
• Evaluate the use of internal e-mail.
Action steps:

22. ♦ Create a committee that includes staff who represents the use
groups of both e-
mail systems (Places and Outlook Express) to assess the
problems associated with
having two e-mail systems in the district and research possible
solutions.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Have the committee develop guidelines for internal use of e-
mail.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Assess and address staff access to e-mail.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:

23. • Provide communication inservice training for staff.
Action steps:
♦ Develop a series of employee communication workshops and
market them to staff.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
♦ Provide incentive for staff to attend communication
workshops.
Target audience: Staff
Budget:
Timeline:
Responsible persons:
Evaluation measures:
Townview Magnet Center
1201 E 8th St.
Dallas, TX 75227
Communication Plan 2018-2019

24. Mission Statement:
To empower all students to become competent, productive
citizens in a diverse global marketplace, promoting and
supporting academic excellence and personal well-being for all
students. Another objective is to take our students and provide
them with the skills and cultivate their talents so they can have
accepted to the colleges/universities of their choice with the
money to go there and to be successful at those institutions of
higher learning.
Current PR Situation
While looking on the district’s website there is links for various
evets but the Communications specialist information is bland
and doesn’t represent wanting others to visit. Public relations
are supposed to protect the school and district at all cost. The
dynamic of schools now-a-days lack the support from parents
because events or information are not being advertised.
Plan of Action
The two schools in focus were School of Business and
Management at Yvonne A. Ewell
Townview Center and School for the Talented and Gifted at
Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center
from the Dallas Independent School District because they are
magnet campus’s.

25. According to Webster’s dictionary a magnet school is a school
with superior facilities and staff
and often a specialized curriculum designed to attract pupils
from throughout a city or school
district.
The Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center (TMC)
is a complex of schools in Dallas. The school names reflect the
view of Town known as Downtown Dallas.
TMC is a three story building campus that houses six
independent magnet high schools in the
Dallas Independent School District. The six component schools
are: School for the Talented &
Gifted (TAG), School of Science and Engineering (SEM),
School of Government, Law, & Law
Enforcement (LAW), School of Business and Management
(SBM), School of Education and
Social Services (ESSM) and School of Health Professions
(HSHP)
Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center is among the very
few schools in the United States
with high-achieving students while maintaining an ethnically
diverse student population.
The data from the two schools are not too far apart in some
areas but showed differences in
performance in some categories of subject. In the STARR
Percent of Master’s Grade Level of all
students the Gifted and Talented Campus scored a 40 percent
higher than the Business Center.
However, in 2016, U.S. News & World Report named School
for the Talented and Gifted the #1
public high school in the United States so statistically scores
are predicted to be higher.
Strategic Ideas
· New Computers in the Computer lab
· Work on Getting PR involved- creating Facebook page to be

26. more accurate
· Revise study hall to be a class period
· Weekly GPA check-up
· SAT/ACT prep courses required every week
Target Audience
1. Students
2. Staff
· Administrators
· Teachers
· Paraprofessionals
3. School Board
4. The local Community
5. Churches
Action Plan
To address the weakness realized in the TAPR report, the first
step will be to come up
with a team that will work on achieving the goal. The team will
comprise of the school
leadership, the teachers concerned and at least two specialists
that acknowledge the weakest
points. The team will be in charge of restructuring process for
at least a classroom in each grade
level. The team will take the lead in preparing the action map of
the activity that will guide how
the three objectives namely; instruction methods, lesson
techniques, and the overall curriculum
will be implemented in the everyday teaching. Some tentative
changes under the three objectives
include professional development for the teachers, peer review
by the teachers from Dallas ISD
and professional mentorship. Once the action map has been set
the team shall also create a
monitoring plan that will help them come up with specific

27. timelines for individual activities in
the entire process so everyone will be on the same task. The
action plan will be presented as a
report and shared with the school principals and the teaching
staff in the school for input. The
plan will be successful as long as the designated team members
are determined and working
effectively on the goal. “Teamwork makes dream work.”
Timeline of Events
October 30: Plan staff meeting to discuss upcoming events
October 31: Incorporate Plans
November 14: Survey the 2 weeks on how improvements have
been made
November 19: Students take test to see if the improvements
work
Returning from Thanksgiving Break teachers should observe
and ensure that the last few weeks of the marketing period is
different from when they began the improvement process.
Evaluation
The School Board will conduct an annual survey of community
members, administrators,
teachers, and parents on an annual basis to identify community
concerns and to identify
strategies for addressing them in a timely manner. This
evaluation will conclude if the new process was effective or not
to continue in the future.
Reflection
In closing, it takes a team to be successful whether the goal is
good or bad. We are all unique individuals but when a group of
people come together to reach a common goal it will be
remarkable. We all need someone for something, it’s never a

28. one man’s show. School districts, administrators, the
community, churches, teachers, and parents all form a team that
gives proper guidance and leadership to make a student’s
education worthwhile. And for the student they don’t graduate
on their own, it was people helping them along the way.
Reference
TAPR-School of Business
TAPR-Gifted and Talented
SCHOOL FOR THE TALENTED AND GIFTED. (n.d.).
Retrieved October 20, 2018, from
https://www.dallasisd.org/Domain/658
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT AT YVONNE
A. EWELL. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2018, from
https://www.dallasisd.org/businessmagnet