NSPRA`s - Rockwood School District

Transcription

NSPRA’s
Communication Audit Report
Prepared for the
Rockwood School District
Wildwood, Missouri
January 2007
National School Public Relations Association  15948 Derwood Road  Rockville, MD 20855  www.nspra.org
Copyright © 2007 by the National School Public Relations Association. All rights reserved. With the exception of
the Rockwood Public School District, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means without permission from the National School Public Relations Association, 15948 Derwood Road,
Rockville, MD 20855; www.nspra.org.
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2
Key Findings and Professional Observations ............................................................................ 8
Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 11
Perceptions of the Focus Groups .............................................................................................. 34
Appendix A: Sample Questions for Employee Focus Groups ............................................... 64
Appendix B: Sample Questions for Community Focus Groups ............................................ 65
Appendix C: Principals’ Checklists .......................................................................................... 66
Appendix D: What Is NSPRA? .................................................................................................. 79
Appendix E: Auditors’ Vitae ...................................................................................................... 80
NSPRA Communication Audit
1
Introduction
The goal of the communication audit
As one of Missouri’s premier school systems, the Rockwood School District (RSD), bases its
history of educational excellence on continuously striving to improve in all areas of district
operations. RSD is also fortunate to have a supportive and involved community and staff that
work collaboratively with the school system to provide a quality educational environment for
students.
The Board of Education and Superintendent, Dr. Craig Larson, recognize this and are
committed to improving communication throughout the school system to sustain these
relationships and continue to serve all students and constituents as changes and new challenges
come before the district. This communication audit demonstrates a Board’s willingness to
address these challenges and improve educational opportunities for all RSD students.
The challenges of maintaining public confidence, embracing changes in demographics, reaching
broad consensus on the local value and priority placed on education, and communicating
effectively with all stakeholders – internal and external – affect not only the school system but
the communities served by RSD as well. Throughout the focus group sessions with a variety of
internal and external audiences, it was obvious to the auditors that a tradition of great pride
exists in RSD as well as a desire to sustain its reputation as an outstanding school system.
The goal of this communication audit was to seek data, opinions, and perceptions, and from
these, to provide information with which to evaluate the department’s current efforts as well as
make recommendations to improve the effectiveness and management of public relations,
marketing, and communication throughout the school district. The recommendations presented
in this audit are designed to improve two-way communication with the district’s internal and
external stakeholder groups.
The observations and recommendations included in this report should be reviewed carefully.
Whether they pertain to the work of the district’s communication office or any other department
or school, they are intended to improve communication in a school system that is committed to
continuous improvement, maintaining quality and excellence, and serving the needs of all its
students and constituents to the best of its ability.
It is difficult to measure public relations overall. However, you can assess individual elements.
You can determined whether specific program goals and objectives have been met. The real
2
measure of success for any program, however — including a communication program — is to
determine whether it is helping the organization work toward its stated mission. Accordingly, in
developing the recommendations, the auditors reviewed the perceptions of the focus groups and
resource materials in light of the district’s goals and objectives.
Opinion research as a foundation
A communication audit of RSD provides an important foundation for refining the district’s
current comprehensive communication plan. The audit gives you information about attitudes,
perceptions, and the effectiveness of current communication efforts, and offers
recommendations to enhance the overall community relations program. The audit also gives you
a benchmark for measuring progress in the future. Developing any effective communication
strategy begins with opinion research.
Scope and nature of the study
This report presents the findings and recommendations from a series of 19 focus groups with
some 150 participants who represented both internal and external groups. In addition, the
auditors interviewed members of the School Board, the communication office, and the
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Craig Larson.
Participants in the focus groups were invited by district officials to represent a broad range of
opinions and ideas. The focus group sessions were approximately 50 minutes long and were
held on October 23 and 24, 2006, with the following groups:

Maintenance /Grounds/Facilities/Custodians

Central Office/Annex Secretaries

Secondary Principals

Nurses/Social workers/Counselors/Community Ed

Elementary Teachers (2 groups)

Middle School Teachers

High School Teachers

Parents/Patrons (3 groups)

Coordinators/Directors

Religious Leaders/P&P/RSF/Business Leaders (2 groups)

Food Service/School Secretaries

Members of Board of Education
3

Communication Staff

Presidents’ Forum

Cabinet

Elementary Principals
Processes and procedures for this audit
A communication audit conducted by the National School Public Relations Association
(NSPRA) enables a school system to view its communications from an “outside” perspective.
This communication audit was designed to:

Assess the effectiveness of the district’s current communication programming;

Solicit and evaluate key facts, opinions, concerns, and perceptions of focus group
participants who represent various internal and external stakeholder groups that
are important to the success of district communications; and

Suggest strategies and tactics for enhancing communication with key audiences
and for improving the management of public relations, marketing, and
communication activities for RSD.
Seasoned communications professionals with many years of experience in educational public
relations and communications performed this audit. The consultants for this communication
audit were:
 Richard D. Bagin, APR,
executive director of NSPRA, and
 Susan Hardy Brooks, APR,
NSPRA consultant.
Background information on each auditor is included in the Appendix of this report.
Step 1: Analyze materials
The first step in an NSPRA Communication Audit occurs when the communication office
submits samples of materials used to communicate (i.e., newsletters, e-newsletters, brochures,
reports, videos) with various audiences. These are examined for effectiveness of message
delivery, readability, visual appeal, and ease of use.
The auditors also review the district and school websites and items such as news clippings,
demographic data, and communication budget information. In addition, the auditors reviewed
4
the School Board strategic plan, communication policies, and surveys, including previous
community relations and communication surveys.
All RSD principals were also asked to complete a Communication Audit Checklist for School
Principals. An analysis of the results was completed and influenced recommendations in the
report. A copy of the completed survey is enclosed in the Appendix.
Step 2: Conduct onsite focus groups
The core of the audit is the onsite focus group component designed to listen to and gather
perceptions from the school system’s internal and external audiences. In the audit of Rockwood
School District, the auditors met with 19 focus groups and conducted individual and smallgroup interviews with key district leaders and communication staff. The auditors guided each
focus group through similar sets of discussion questions. Participants’ responses are reported in
Perceptions of the Focus Groups section of this report.
Step 3: Prepare recommendations
After reviewing the materials and focus group perceptions, the auditors prepared
recommendations, which are presented in the Recommendations section of this report. The
recommendations concentrate on strategies that your district can use to organize and prioritize
key communication resources and activities to deliver key messages as effectively as possible
and improve overall communication practices.
NSPRA’s guiding definition
Since 1935, NSPRA has worked with school systems, education organizations, and agencies
throughout North America to advance the cause of education through responsible public
relations, information and communication practices. In doing so, NSPRA uses the following
definition as a foundation for all educational public relations programs:
E
ducational public relations is a planned, systematic management function,
designed to help improve the programs and services of an educational
organization. It relies on a comprehensive, two-way communication process
involving both internal and external publics with the goal of stimulating better
understanding of the role, objectives, accomplishments, and needs of the organization.
Educational public relations programs assist in interpreting public attitudes, identify
and help shape policies and procedures in the public interest, and carry on
involvement and information activities which earn public understanding and support.
5
Our assumptions
NSPRA assumes that school systems undertake communication audits because they are
committed to improving their public relations/communication programs. We also assume that
they wish to view the system and its work through the perceptions of others, and that they
would not enter into an audit unless they were comfortable in doing so.
However, some caution should be observed about the nature of such a review. Whenever
opinions are solicited about an institution and its work, people have a tendency to dwell on
perceived problem areas. This is natural and, indeed, is one of the objectives of an audit.
Improvement is impossible unless information exists about what may need to be changed. The
auditors also noted a very large number of positive comments during the review of the
Rockwood School District’s communication efforts. Considering our experience of completing
more than 100 school communication audits in recent years, the number of positive comments
the auditors heard was significantly above the norm.
Some of the comments noted in the focus group summaries may reflect concerns that will not be
included in the recommendations, but they may be issues RSD leaders will want to address to
help resolve employee or community concerns.
Identifying perception and communication gaps
Another purpose of an audit is to discover communication gaps. Often our auditors hear
completely different “facts” about the same program from internal audiences and external
audiences. Frequently, the internal audience knows the facts and can’t believe what’s reported
by the external audiences. But both audiences are stating what they know and believe. This
situation falls under the maxim that, “Perception is reality.” More importantly, it pinpoints a
content communication gap, calling for a communication solution.
Another type of gap deals with the understanding and knowledge of communication programs
and activities. For example, in a recent audit in Virginia, external audiences said that the district
did not have a partnership program when, in fact, the district is proud of the accomplishments of
its partnership program, illustrating that a gap exists between perception and reality. That
district’s communication effort needs to make more audiences aware of its partnership program.
Learning about perception gaps and ways to fill them is another component of the
communication auditing process. In RSD, the auditors found a few of these gaps that should be
easy to fix.
Recommendations
In response to the key findings, this report contains recommendations for improving
communication with RSD’s internal and external stakeholders and specific comments and
6
recommendations for the communications office. The recommendations are based on proven
strategies used in successful communication programs by similar school systems around the
country.
Supportive quotes
The auditors took notes in each focus group session, but assured participants that their
comments would be anonymous and would not be directly attributed to them. Consequently, the
focus group summaries are a synopsis of what people said in each group. Some comments are
direct quotes from participants, while others are paraphrased for clarity. Any direct quotes will
appear inside quotation marks, without personal attribution.
Copies to participants
Focus group participants were extremely interested in sharing their thoughts and ideas in the
focus group sessions. They were also interested in finding out the results of the communication
audit. Because of their high level of interest and involvement — along with the importance of
closing the communication loop to build trust and credibility — we recommend that each focus
group participant receive a copy of this report for review and feedback. If it is not possible to
send the full report, we recommend sending a summary of the report for their review.
7
Key Findings and Professional Obser vations
 Communication has always been a top priority in Rockwood School District.
RSD has one of the most comprehensive communication programs we have ever
reviewed in a communication audit. You have a comprehensive plan in place,
along with adequate staffing and funding to support communication. The staff is
competent, experienced, and committed, and the quality of RSD’s publications,
websites, and outreach is excellent.
RSD is one of the best structured communication offices we have reviewed in
recent years. Its strengths are numerous and the office’s leadership provides a
positive, forward-looking, and productive approach. You deserve recognition for
the results it delivers for RSD. NSPRA will be using RSD as a model of
organization and results when people ask us how a communication office should
work for a school district your size. As we complete audits around the country we
normally uncover glaring holes in districts’ programs and recommend numerous
items to change or initiate. As you will see in the next section, we do recommend
ways to improve, but your approach and commitment are commendable.
 Rockwood School District maintains a long-held reputation for excellence and
innovation. Continuing the tradition of quality and student achievement will
become increasingly difficult as the demographics and dynamics of your district
change in coming years. Several focus groups are aware of the changes and want
the district to be proactive in preparing for the future.
Internally, keeping everyone on the same page for curriculum changes will be
critical. And closing the achievement gap among some student populations may
require new strategies where communication can also play a role.
Externally, gaining bond issue support from households without children in the
public schools is a growing challenge. (Consider the number of empty-nesters,
seniors, and households with children in private schools.) With a growing
population of residents who do not or no longer have children in the schools,
finance elections will become more difficult in the future.
However, a
fine line exists between successfully implementing new initiatives and taking on
too much. Some internal groups believe that your district may be juggling too
many priorities and that it is taking a toll on your frontline employees.
 The drive to be the first and best is evident internally and externally.
8
 The main communication concern among the focus groups involved the content
of your district’s communication. Several focus groups said that they would like
to see more content and dialogue on the real and complex issues in RSD, instead
of always focusing on the positives. More issues-based content and forums for
two-way communication may strengthen RSD’s communication efforts. It is time
to strike a better content balance in your messages.

For the most part, participants in the internal and external focus groups believe
they receive the information they need and that they have opportunities for twoway communication. In some cases however, a few participants said they didn’t
receive needed communication based conditionally on the school their children
attended or the internal person they reported to. Internal and external groups
prefer face-to-face communication to other means of communication and believe
the message and the audience should drive how communication is delivered.
A
certain level of tension is typical in school districts between the administrative
offices and the schools. However, some aspects of the distrust may be attributed
to the stress of implementing new mandates and requirements. Trust issues among
support staff may be due to inconsistent communication or a lack of
communication from principals and supervisors. We like to say that all employees
have communication responsibilities in a school system and some seem to do it
much better than others. Inconsistency is a factor we address in the
recommendations.
 Some distrust exists between internal groups in Rockwood School District.
 Technology has provided Rockwood School District with several outstanding
mechanisms for improving communication with parents, students, and
employees. The district website received considerable praise from internal and
external groups. Most internal groups are concerned about over-communication
due to the improper use of e-mail messages. Infinite Campus is considered an
extremely positive tool, but some concerns exist about the consistency of
implementation and the increased workload for teachers. Some groups believe it
will be important to manage expectations by both teachers and parents as Infinite
Campus expands. Teachers were telling us that their “old prep periods” are now
turning into “e-mail periods.”
The integration
reads well on paper but we found a few pockets of resistance or “dragging of feet”
on the role communication should play in your district. Most leading school
districts now use the communication office to help parents and staff better
understand and support instructional reform initiatives in their district. By
working with content specialists, they also assist in providing materials for
 The communication office plan fits well with your strategic plan.
9
websites that are directly related to instruction. Communication can be the
lifeblood of your system, but it will take more than the communication office to
make that happen.

We also found that many participants in the focus groups felt that generating
publicity is the major role of communication in your system. This is common,
but in today’s world, it is not as critical as it used to be. As you will see later in
this report, we will recommend some changes in this arena. Everyone likes great
publicity; it makes them feel good and does feed the general feeling of pride we
found in your schools.
But our research on effective communication and those of others in the
communication industry indicates that more critical activities will help you move
forward at a faster rate than spending a great deal of time on minor media
relations “hits” about your schools. Participants did not see your newspapers and
broadcast media as a primary source of information, and when these media
covered bigger issues, participants also did not see them as credible sources. So
by cutting back on some of that effort and replacing it with other tactics, you may
be more effective than you were in the past. Since your history of communication
activities has been well entrenched in publicity, this is an area of change that may
not rest well with some people in your system.
 External groups did not seem concerned or interested in the everyday work of
the school board or central office. Your finance election approval and other
surveys indicate support for RSD. Our experience shows that this also means the
board and central office are trusted and operationally things are running well. But
if major changes are planned and community support is needed for these changes,
you will need to become more proactive on these issues. The changes in your
population, with more “empty nesters” watching their “fixed incomes,” may
create a more vocal and influential force in your budget deliberations.
 Some participants noted that the Fenton area needs to be seen as an equal
player when it comes to school district programs and plans. They felt that
Fenton was not represented or treated as an equal to other localities in your
system.
 One perception gap that needs to be woven into your messages and other
content areas is that a majority of focus group participants mentioned “growth”
as a key future challenge for your system. It is an easy perception to fix, but it
does create other issues of understanding and financial support, as many saw
“growth” as an answer to your future tax revenue needs.
10
Recommendations
The following recommendations for improvement are based on the review of RSD materials,
focus group and interview input, and the experience and expertise of the NSPRA auditors. As
mentioned in the previous observation section, you already offer a comprehensive program that
is one of the best in the United States. You cover the organizational communication and
operational information functions extremely well. Once patrons or parents become aware of
your efforts, they can find answers to questions from your wide array of publications and
website offerings. Most school districts do not even come close to RSD in matching your
comprehensive approach.
Many of the following recommendations focus on looking at what RSD is doing from a
strategic and relationship perspective. We are also asking you to determine whether any of your
current program activities can be eliminated, reduced, or replaced with additional strategic and
relationship-building activities. We have touched upon a few, but you need to conduct
readership surveys and other evaluative measures in order to say with certainty which items
should be dropped or reduced.
Because the scope of communication vehicles RSD offers is so large, we could not assess the
impact of each vehicle. We have commented on those that were mentioned through the focus
group process. You need to analyze these recommendations to see how they may be a fit with
your strategic plan.
One final note: We’ve given you more recommendations than you can accomplish in the next
year. Select those that have the most merit and build on them in your plan for next school year.
Recommendation:
Incorporate key issue content and management into your
communication effort.
People appreciate hearing the “good news” about their schools, but you build trust and
credibility through open communication about the business of your school system – both good
and bad. The public is interested not just in what decisions you are making about the education
of students, but also in the rationale behind the decisions, particularly in the area of funding and
fiscal expenditures. It is important to foster open communication so that Rockwood School
District is perceived as a system that shares all the news and goes beyond promoting your
schools to create genuine trust, understanding, and credibility.
11
Key issues such as redistricting, funding, and new curriculum that will influence relationships
with the public and the image of your district should be looked at in numerous ways and then
reduced to key, consistent talking points or messages that will help shape the future of RSD.
One effective strategy is to create teams based on identified key issues to help assess just what
should be said and how it should be communicated. We recommend, however, that you leave
the “wordsmithing” to the communication office. For each issue’s hot buttons, you may want to
consider a single fact sheet – produced in both print and electronic versions – that could then be
used in numerous ways. As an example, a fact sheet outline on building equity and space needs
might include the following:
Issue at a Glance
Description
School Building Needs
Population movement continues to require changes in
school facilities and school boundaries.
  List key messages or talking points on this issue.
Work to Date
Explain programs underway to make progress in this
area. Planned timelines for changing building needs.
  This saves staff time in explaining what has been
done on this issue in the past.
Barriers to Progress
What’s Next
Your Involvement
Further Info
  List items such as budget, time, community groups,
approvals, etc.
  Explain work yet to be completed. Support and call
for action by various groups. List next meeting
dates, if appropriate.
You can help the Rockwood School District with this
issue by …
  List contacts.
12
You could release these fact sheets periodically in numerous ways. You could place them on
your website as key issues. With a click, patrons could access the fact sheets easily. You could
also e-mail them to your key opinion leader network. You could adapt your messages to use
them in other regular internal and external communications, thus ensuring that consistent
messages on key issues are being disseminated and reinforced.
You will need to update these fact sheets as changes are made, but they could become a “go-to”
resource on key issues for all school staff, board members, community and parent leaders, and
other involved individuals.
Recommendation:
Develop key messages and talking points about RSD
Your key messages should also support initiatives that RSD is undertaking for the year. This is
the area where you talk about your success and your vision for RSD improvement. The public
values your system and your leadership team is committed to making your school district even
better. By defining these messages and offering a balanced approach to telling what’s great and
what needs changing for the future, you will begin reducing the “fluff” descriptions we heard
when we asked participants about some of your publications.
You need to focus on key talking points about RSD, related to your strategic goals, which can
then serve as the content for the tactics designed to reach your target audiences. Consider using
the following questions to generate talking points for your plan:
To generate your talking points,
answer these questions

What is it that RSD wants to be known for?

What is it that frustrates board members and
other school leaders about what key
audiences do not know about RSD?

What are the values that drive RSD?
These are three seemingly simple questions that can help develop the talking points or key
messages about your schools. Key messages go beyond the operational communication
13
approach and begin setting the stage for strategic discussions and engagement with your key
audiences.
One focus group member noted that RSD brags about being one of the area’s top achieving
school districts with one of the lowest costs to its local patrons. It is a great accountability and
value message, but this participant was worried about framing this issue with that message
because future budget needs may require more effort to maintain or improve programs. At some
point in the future, your current tax base revenue may not be able to meet the needs of your
system, and increases may be necessary.
You need to plan to strategically create messages for selected audiences on the continued value
RSD offers all community members – empty nesters included. The messages can also become
discussion points and serve as agenda items in the public engagement programs you now offer.
The time to begin creating these messages is now because they can help pave the way for
setting the content of your messages in the year ahead.
It is important to note that internal understanding of key issues is critical before they can
successfully be delivered to the public. Some suggestions for disseminating key issues and
messages include:

Share key messages with key communicators.

Communicate messages in speeches to senior citizens, business or civic groups,
Realtors, legislators, parent groups, etc.

Communicate messages to staff through staff meetings, internal newsletters or
e-mails, etc.

Include messages on district and school websites and publications.

You may want to complete a PowerPoint presentation or video on a topic such as:
RSD
… Here Is What We Stand for Now
… Help Us Keep Our Commitment to Our Schools and Our Communities.
You can use this tool in numerous ways at service club meetings with RSD representatives or
as a stand-alone on your website. It would give you an opportunity to prove how good you are
and to explain what it will take to get even better for the future.
In addition to any key messages for the year, whenever RSD needs to communicate specific
information (i.e., special initiatives, crisis responses, program and policy changes), you should
develop key messages to share with all staff, board members, and opinion leaders in the
community. By being proactive and getting complete and accurate information into the hands of
those who are on the front lines of communication, RSD can ensure that clear and consistent
messages will be communicated on a more regular basis.
14
Whenever board members or administrators are asked to respond to the media or speak to
community groups, they should have a list of talking points related to their topic, or, if they are
giving a general overview of the system, a list of programs and initiatives that directly support
the district’s strategic goals as well as information on progress toward those goals.
Recommendation:
Improve communication with employees.
The internal framework of communication is the infrastructure that supports all external
communication efforts and is an essential component of any communication plan. It is critical
that employees understand and support the programs, services, and people of the school district.
As frontline communicators, employees should receive important information before the media
and public. For the most part, employees in the focus groups recognized the ambassador role
they each play in shaping RSD’s reputation, but when communication from supervisor to
employee is inconsistent, they sometimes lack the information they need to represent RSD
effectively.
RSD administrators need to always remember to “close the information loop” by explaining to
staff the genesis and rationale for specific actions and projects and then reporting back to them
with the results of these efforts. Here are some suggestions:
 The communication team, working with the superintendent and other
designates, must focus on internal communication, and set some priorities to
develop an internal communication plan. You do so much and most if it is
exceptional. But we sensed that some internal audiences were at times on
information overload. Consider setting some standards and a bit more direction
for the internal program.
Rockwood School District should research current
e-mail use patterns in the schools and Central Office and involve staff in revisiting
the guidelines to keep e-mail communication manageable. These guidelines
should include setting reasonable timelines for responding to requests and
restricting the distribution of “all user” messages and non-essential information.
 Evaluate the use of e-mail.
Most focus groups said e-mail was among their preferred sources for delivering
information, so it is important to ensure that it remains a useful tool and not a
time-wasting burden. Some school districts create policies for external e-mail
requests by putting together a task force team of teachers, principals, and parents
to create reasonable timelines for responding to e-mail. The key word is
reasonable as a parent who sends six messages a day is not reasonable, nor is a
15
teacher who waits seven days to get back to a parent. Reasonable e-mail policies
help teachers, principals, and parents set and meet expectations.
There are many ways to
provide information, but changing perceptions and behavior – and building trust
and employee morale – requires two-way communication. Research shows that
employees prefer face-to-face communication from direct supervisors instead of
memos and newsletters, and the focus groups reflected this as well. We suggest
that all administrators who plan and run meetings work to create more
opportunities for discussion and interaction. An opportunity to talk and ask
questions promotes better understanding of issues and problems and, in turn,
creates better ambassadors for the schools.
 Increase opportunities for face-to-face communication.

Insider was listed by most internal groups as a very good and credible source of
information for employees. They see it becoming the “go-to” resource for
employees, and the communication staff should be commended for keeping this
offering fresh and as up-to-date as possible. As mentioned earlier, you need to
revise some of the content to keep everyone informed about issues and to give
employees the information they need to work at RSD. Although it is one of the
better Intranet services provided by school districts, some staff members wish
they could access it from home. “Insider” was one of the most-frequent responses
we received when we asked employees where they get their information about
your district.
 Encourage principals to include support staff in faculty meetings, when
appropriate, or to find other ways to meet with these employees. While it is not
always possible for support staff to attend faculty meetings due to work hours and
responsibilities, making it possible for them to attend some meetings each year
will reinforce their sense of being valued as contributing members of the school
team. Along with school-related topics, principals should also cover important
district information at meetings. Share key messages at all staff meetings so that
people are clear and comfortable with their communication roles.
 Develop a standard procedure for reporting the outcome of meetings involving
staff. Some school representatives are more conscientious about reporting back
than others, so there is often a lack of consistency in the amount and quality of
information distributed. One way to address this problem is to designate one
person who regularly attends a specific meeting to keep a grid of the discussion
that includes the topic, decisions made, responsible parties, timelines, etc. You
can share this grid with meeting participants, place it on the employee section of
the website, and use it to report actions and outcomes from the meeting. A grid
16
makes it easier to track the discussion as it takes place and eliminates the need for
lengthy minutes. An example looks like this:
Agenda Item
Recommendation:
Who Is Responsible
for the Next Step
Action Taken
Deadline
Improve communication with support staff.
Some participants in the support staff focus groups said that they often feel out of the loop and
undervalued. Other participants had high praise for their supervisors’ efforts to communicate
with them.
Support staff employees are often the first point of contact for your district and serve as a source
of information for people outside the school district. It is critically important for this particular
group of employees to be informed and motivated because they interact with parents, students,
taxpayers, and other employees.
Based on these findings, RSD should create an ongoing series of efforts to:

Increase communication and information-sharing with support staff.

Improve support staff members’ level of understanding of the strategic plan and
their vital role in its success.

Provide opportunities for professional development.

Help support staff feel like valued members of the school family.

Recognize and nurture them in their role as school ambassadors.
 Include support staff members in staff meetings whenever possible, and be sure
to include them in the distribution of district information, memos, and other
communication. In some RSD schools, principals bring administrative and board
meeting information back to the staff. In other schools, this type of informationsharing is not happening.
A good way to create dialogue with support staff when sharing information is to
ask questions such as, “How does this affect you and your work?” and “How does
17
this affect our school?” Support staff members should be a part of these
discussions.

In addition, encourage principals to share minutes or information on key issues
with their teachers, secretaries, and other key staff. Some participants said they
receive this kind of information from their principals, but others did not. Again,
inconsistency hinders communication.
Also try to involve
support staff representatives on task forces and committees that plan professional
development activities, determine support staff policies and procedures or review
software purchases, copier purchases, and other tools or processes that affect
them.
 Involve support staff members in decisions that affect them.
 Identify ways to recognize support staff members for their commitment and
hard work, whether it is a phone call, a handwritten note, or public
acknowledgement in a meeting. When you are thanking teachers for their work on
a school event or for academic achievement, be sure to acknowledge the
contribution of support staff as well. Catch them doing something right, like
providing “above and beyond” service. Although your overall awards program for
employees is admirable and one of the best we have reviewed, our intent here is to
have supervisors add the personal human touch to making staff feel great about
working at RSD.
 Host “brown bag” meetings for support staff with the superintendent.
Give them
the opportunity to ask questions and to hear his thoughts on the future direction of
your district and how it is progressing toward its goals.
 Create a “Support Staff Advisory Council” that meets four to six times a year
to
provide leaders on the support staff an overall orientation on different projects,
programs, operations, and initiatives of the district.
18
Recommendation:
Conduct additional communications training for staff.
The communication office does a very good job of training principals and the volunteers who
assist with websites, publicity activities, and building newsletters. Your training materials and
templates are some of the best we have seen in a system your size.
You have also begun making communication a part of the new teaching staff orientation. We
applaud this as it helps new professionals know which communication vehicles are designed for
them and it also reinforces the priority that your district gives to communication. We
recommend that you begin offering this training to all employees.
Recent studies show that new teachers feel less prepared for parent conferences and open
houses than any other function in their first year of teaching. That’s why we recommend that
you give additional training to new teaching staff on a number of items which will help the
overall communication effort of your district. Some training to consider:
Parent-teacher conferences and
open houses are often critical first impression opportunities for good
“ambassadorship.” Training teachers in how to conduct an effective conference
and how to prepare for an open house presentation can have a major impact on
parents’ perception of the quality of the school. Some school districts provide
templates, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials to help teachers prepare
for their first round of open houses and parent conferences. Major impressions are
made at those sessions and you should want them to be as effective as they can be.
NSPRA can provide some sample materials upon request.
 Parent-Teacher Conferences and Open Houses.
You can also develop
individual classroom communication plans using newsletters, Infinite Campus,
and messages sent home in various ways. Middle school teachers could work with
their teaching teams in making some of these available. The best way to train new
staff is to demonstrate by example what some of your teachers are doing
throughout the year to communicate with their parents. Individual classroom plans
also give new teachers a sense of what needs to be done on a regular basis.
 Developing classroom communication and PR plans.
 Some principals asked for help in developing a year-round plan. They ranked the
current training program effective in media relations and crisis communication. The
best way to start such training is to begin with a few principals and then build
upon their successes.
19
Recommendation:
Consider revising your media relations effort.
As noted in the observations, RSD offers a comprehensive media relations program that rivals
many established corporate media relations efforts in the private sector. You have a history of
excellence in media relations and it seemed to be the most symbolic function and highest
expectation of the communication office by internal groups.
The media relations function is still a critical component of a comprehensive communication
program. Maintaining and nurturing positive and trusted working relationships with the media
normally results in fair, balanced, accurate, and factual reporting. In times of crisis, it is one of
the stronger tools you have to assist you through a difficult time. And what your communication
office now does at this level needs to be maintained and even enhanced where possible.
Generating healthy, positive relationships with all media outlets, being responsive to their
requests, and being proactive on placements which fit the strategic needs of your system are still
part of the media relations program we recommend.
You currently use a clipping service to help track your hits, their comparative relative costs if
they had been placed as advertisements, and details on the type of placement and the placement
process. We have been told that RSD takes great pride in the media relations placements as you
have more placements than the other districts in your area. Your system of having school
volunteers serve as building coordinators is also admirable and it, too, is successful.
If you wish to continue this approach for traditional reasons, please do so. But our opinion is
that the cost of administrative tracking services and staff time devoted to tracking and
distribution can be better spent on other priorities. In addition to the cost and time, it is easy to
challenge the strategic impact this activity provides because most of your audiences do not use
your local media outlets as sources of information about your schools. Focus groups rated them
very low, and they do not find them to be credible when an issue affects your system. This
reaction also follows a national trend as more school districts are taking control of their own
communication as you do through your e-newsletters, websites, and print newsletters.
It would be better to spend the time and money that you now spend on documenting the media
hits on some other strategic items for your schools. Only a small number of people pay attention
to them. (Of course, that small number of people and their relatives notice when their names
are mentioned in the positive stories about items such as kindergarten Thanksgiving parties and
student awards)
The entire tracking process tells you little about the effectiveness of your communication office
when it comes to the bigger strategic items you are facing. It tells you about the “feel good”
items and other coverage in newspapers and other outlets that attract fewer “eye balls” than ever
in the past.
Yet this has been a tradition in your schools. In our focus groups, from board members to
elementary teachers, everyone seemed to enjoy reading “feel good” stories about your schools,
20
but most indicated that they only heard about them or saw them from the clips that the
communication office provided.
Our recommendation is to keep the higher-level media relations effort going, but to stop the
administrative tracking and labeling of the media relations hits you receive. You can do much
more for your system on other priorities that should generate better understanding and support
for your schools.
Recommendation:
Continue rumor-control efforts.
Our focus groups indicated that few rumors last very long because most had their internal
sources to verify rumors. Participants’ immediate supervisors and the communication office are
the two resources they use most in confirming a rumor.
As we have noted throughout this report, you are once again ahead of most school districts
because rumors often plague productivity, especially in larger systems like yours.
Your superintendent’s askthesuperintendent@Rockwood also received high marks from
participants and you should continue it. Through e-newsletters or in your website the
communication office may want to publish a collection of questions and answers, when
appropriate, to help others understand more about RSD and, thus, indirectly market the
openness and transparency of your system.
Recommendation:
Expand communication with the non-parent public.
In RSD, as in most school systems today, the non-parent population constitutes a significant
portion of the community, so it is vital that your system develop communication strategies for
reaching this group. You have a number of outreach and engagement activities that appear to be
working. But we think it may be beneficial if you can recruit some non-parent participants
from activities like Point Rockwood to give testimonials on RSD as well as mentioning why it
is important for non-parents to stay involved to ensure that RSD remains a great school district
for all the children in all your communities.
Some additional activities to consider are:
Most
organizations that publish regular newsletters are always seeking interesting
information as filler. The communication office could prepare short news updates,
 Provide news inserts for business and community publications.
21
as you do for your building newsletters, about the schools and system that
businesses and civic groups can use in their employee and member newsletters.
 Understand that Rockwood retirees are a possible advocacy group for RSD
within their communities. Some school districts ask selected retirees to be part of
their outreach program by keeping in touch through newsletters and other devices
with their fellow retirees. They can be helpful in building relationships and
carrying your RSD messages within their circle of influence.
 Explain to business groups like the Chamber how they can be plugged into E-
News so they can receive the latest news about RSD activities, public engagement
opportunities, and the success of the school district.
 Revitalize your external Key Communicators Network to build it into more of a
relationship-building program. Continue to meet with representatives in smaller
groups to seek feedback and discuss future issues. You can even take this program
a step further by asking key communicators to hold “Coffee Sessions” in their
homes and invite neighbors to meet with school officials to talk about the future
of RSD. This is not to compete with your town hall sessions, but these sessions
are more informal and the setting in their neighbors’ homes makes it less
intimidating. Continue using e-newsletters aimed at key communicators as it gives
them a sense that they are leaders in the community.
Senior citizens are a growing and
important resource for today’s schools. Not only can they provide a variety of
services as volunteers, tutors, and mentors, but as voters they also have a great
impact on the school system. Your school system can benefit by finding ways to
serve the growing population of seniors while also providing them with
opportunities to work directly with students. You have a number of relationshipbuilding programs now that those in our focus groups appreciated.
 Improve communication with seniors.
Some other ideas to consider that work for systems like yours are:

Encourage student groups, such as computer clubs and honor societies, to teach
seniors computing skills at senior or recreation centers.

Make annual presentations at senior organizations on what schools are teaching
and include students from different grade levels in your presentation.

Include representatives from the senior community in your Key
Communicators Network.

Allow senior volunteers to join students for breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria.
22

Urge schools to send performing groups to senior centers and meetings.

Send extra yearbooks and school publications to senior centers and organizations.

Contribute school information to senior community and organization newsletters.

Provide informational materials for doctors’ and health center offices in areas
of the district with a high number of senior residents.

Communicate the value of successful public schools for taxpayers in economic
development, real estate, and quality of life.
Recommendation:
Create “Shadow Day” programs for key community leaders.
Another outreach program that helps build a positive relationship with community leaders is a
“Shadow Day” or Principal for a Day program. This tactic is built on the maxim that, “The
closer you get to our Rockwood Schools, the better we look.”
One of the most effective ways of demonstrating the quality of the educational program is to let
people see it in action. Shadow Day opportunities allow community leaders to spend a day at
school “shadowing” a principal or an assistant principal in RSD. This first-hand experience is
especially enlightening for those who have not been in a school for a long time. Most
participants emerge from a Shadow Day experience with positive new insights into the strengths
of public schools as well as a better understanding about the challenges they face today.
Suggestions for implementing Shadow Days include:

Identify community leaders, such as business owners or chief executives, state
legislators, local business-organization leaders, area government leaders, etc., who
are influential in creating positive or negative opinions in the community. We
recommend that each of your schools participate in this program on the same day.

Invite leaders to spend a day at a school shadowing a principal. Make sure to
schedule them for a day that offers a typical schedule so that they experience the
true operation of the school.

Hold a debriefing at the end of the day to discuss their observations and answer
any questions. Or even better, invite all participants to a follow-up breakfast and
videotape their responses to the experience. You can later use these in an
informational or marketing video of the district, entitled “Here’s What Our
Community and Business Leaders Are Saying About Our Rockwood Schools.”
The video is a credible testimonial marketing tool that you can use in many ways.
23
Recommendation:
Create your own “No City Left Behind” program.
Develop a database of local area government and civic association leaders and
begin a “No City Left Behind” program. Focus group participants noted that the
Fenton area and some others felt that they were not seen as an equal to other
areas.
Consider offering a series of “open conversations” in each governing area to
discuss quality-of-life issues in those communities.

What’s important to the citizens in those communities?

What do they expect from their cities?

What do they expect from their schools?

How can we all work together to make the cities and the schools collaborate on
mutually beneficial issues?
Our experience tells us that it is best to work the city managers and not the
elected officials to begin any collaborative venture with the cities. The No City
Left Behind Program would place emphasis on citizens’ well-being in their
communities and not place major responsibilities or duties on the school.
However, it would establish the school district as an advocate for better life in
these communities and open dialogue about the importance of the schools to
those involved. NSPRA can provide some additional information on the
“community conversation” format if you need it.
Additional activities include:
 Create an “Adopt a City Leader” program.
Have a school from their area of
representation “adopt” each elected official. The school should invite the leader to
all special events and encourage him or her to participate in the school as a guest
reader or tutor or to play a role in student recognition events, such as by
presenting awards at assemblies. The goal should be to let the official see today’s
schools in action.
Send all publications that you
produce in your district — both print and electronic — to the leaders. Be sure to
include information that outlines actions taken to meet AYP as well as student and
staff success stories.
 Send district publications to all city leaders.
 Offer student artwork to officials for their local offices.
24
Recommendation:
Create individual communication plans for implementing any
major initiatives or changes in system practices and programs.
In addition to the annual, strategic communication plan, you should develop specific
communication plans in detail for any major changes, initiatives, or projects that the Board is
planning. These would include:

the opening or closing of schools,

school or grade-level reorganizations,

new curriculum efforts,

scheduling changes, or

policy or program changes that impact staff, parents or the community.
The communication office needs to work closely with those who will be planning and
implementing these types of changes. Timing is also important as the communication function
needs to be represented at the early stages of the planning process. Communication strategies
often ease the pain of implementation when handled effectively.
Although it may seem time-consuming to develop individual plans, good communication
planning usually takes much less time than dealing with controversies that arise due to poor
communication.
Recommendation:
Solve the inconsistency factor.
Most large organizations are riddled with pockets of inconsistency. The same is true of school
districts. Parents and staff in our focus groups noted a pattern of inconsistency in
communication, especially at the school building level. Parents were quick to point out that the
tone and quality of communication were set by the principal and some principals were much
better at communicating than others.
To solve this problem, some school districts have provided additional training for principals,
sometimes making these sessions mandatory. We realize that you conduct such training, but
parents told us that some pockets of inconsistency at the building-level still exist.
The RSD communication office currently does more than most school districts by giving
principals the tools, training, and assistance to help them improve communication. But even
with these in place, some parents noted that some schools communicate better than others. The
communication office can only do so much in providing the tools, training, and evaluation
techniques to help schools become more effective in communication and community relations.
25
This inconsistency was also found in other supervisory areas where some staff were aware of
changes, but others did not because their supervisor did not relay the information to them.
The key to eradicating inconsistency is the effectiveness of the evaluation process. If
inconsistent communication behavior is ignored, nothing will change. When principals and
supervisors don’t communicate, they create a communication void and parents and others
normally fill it. A culture of non-support for the principal and — sometimes for the school —
begins creating a negative image that is often difficult to resolve. The central administration
must hold principals accountable for their communication effort. Some systems make
communication part of the evaluation which is also tied to monetary merit considerations for
administrators.
Recommendation:
Review communication vehicles.
No single channel of communication reaches every member of the public. The challenge is
making sure that interesting and important information is regularly available in convenient
formats and that people know where to find what they need. Your Access Rockwood publication
is an excellent piece that other school districts should emulate.
And once again, we are pleased to note that your communication office does more than most in
both print and electronic formats and they seem to be penetrating their target audiences.
The Insider continues to build its audience and you are one of about 10-15% of school districts
that have launched an Intranet (which is one of our normal recommendations for other school
districts). You should continue to make sure it remains focused for its audience and does not
offer so much that it becomes overwhelming for staff members to use. And, as we mentioned
earlier in this report, the content should also become more “meaty,” when appropriate, as your
district tackles the relevant challenges ahead.
Your website received positive reviews by participants concerning graphics, content, and
navigation ease. Switching between the district website and a school’s website did not come up
as a problem as it normally does in these types of reviews.
Your launching of e-newsletters is also a positive step that will benefit your program because it
boosts timeliness and they are budget-friendly. Our experience shows that e-newsletters
normally start slowly as some readers prefer “paper,” but that segment of our population is
shrinking and a majority of today’s parents seem to prefer receiving e-newsletters because they
can access them at any place and at any time. Using e-newsletters as you do for your Rockwood
E-News, Legislative Network and coverage of board meetings is a valuable component of your
communication program.
Your district publications are attractive, well written, concise and professional. Rockwood City
Link and Newsworthy are well-written, designed as a quick-read, and set a positive tone for the
26
district. If you have topics that require more space, we urge you to continue using your current
format and then link those topics to a spot on your website where people can read a full report
or find a policy that they may need. Keeping it simple, informative, and concise is what you are
doing in an attractive format; that is definitely the way to go.
Eventually, as some of your e-newsletters seem to be building in readership, you may want to
reduce the number of issues of Newsworthy, as you deem appropriate. Your annual report is
also well done and an item that you would want to keep doing in both an electronic and print
format.
As time moves on, we recommend implementing readership surveys on your array of
publications – both print and electronic. It is important to keep inquiring about what works,
what doesn’t, and how to best tweak the vehicles to keep them relevant to your internal and
external audiences. Perhaps surveying readers of two vehicles each year will keep everyone on
their toes to make your communication vehicles the best they can be.
The Cable TV segment of your communication effort did not seem to be on the radar screen of
most participants. That is normally the case with most school districts around the country —
except for those who have invested in staff, programming, and equipment. Unless you are
committed to allocating a great sum of funds for this venture, we recommend against moving in
that direction. But once again, your communication office seems to have met the needs of your
target audiences much better than most school districts around the country.
The only overriding major recommendation on your current communication vehicles is the
content and message issue listed in an earlier recommendation.
Recommendation:
Help parents help their kids.
A new major trend in the school communication business is for the communication office to
work with curriculum coordinators and others in instruction to help parents become more
involved with their children so that they can be successful in school and life. This initiative calls
for additional work by the communication office, but ties its work to student achievement.
We recommend that the RSD communication office increase its work with curriculum
coordinators, counselors, and others to complete such projects as:
In a clear,
concise, and attractive format, some school districts have started listing
instructional steps on their websites for parents of elementary students to help
them help their children with math, reading and science achievement. For
example, one school district lists the math instruction program for grades K–5.
They list what will be expected of children in different units and then give parents
some additional tactics and sample exercises to help them understand their child’s
 Develop a Helping Parents Help Their Kids Section on your website.
27
assignments and to encourage them to possibly work with their children on
improving their math proficiency. We recommend that this type of assistance
begin with the elementary level and then proceed up to middle schools. NSPRA
can provide an example of this approach upon request.
 Offer training to parents on the best ways to communicate with teachers about
their child. This initiative could be a program offered at a school’s parent group
meeting. Perhaps you could give a PowerPoint presentation to each parent group
president at the Presidents’ Forum meeting so they could show it at one of their
local school meetings. You could also give it to each principal to use in an
orientation packet for new students and parents.
 Conduct training sessions for teachers on the best ways to communicate with
parents about student achievement. This workshop on communication and
achievement will help teachers save time and improve productivity of their
students. NSPRA has also materials on this topic if you choose to implement this
idea.
Recommendation:
Implement a “Be There” campaign.
A new campaign has been designed to reach parents about “Being There” for their children in
everyday life situations as well as the school setting. This campaign helps build the concept that
schools cannot do it alone and the more we have parents, teachers, and students connecting
together, the better our children will be. Again, NSPRA can provide material on this campaign
as well.
28
Recommendation:
Continue your engagement efforts.
The concepts of public engagement and transparency are compelling for education because they
require us to engage our stakeholders in meaningful ways that create a civic investment in our
schools. However, public engagement is only successful when the process involves stakeholders
in all phases of decisionmaking, from start to finish. This requires a timeline that allows for real
dialogue and shared ownership of results.
Our work with the Kettering Foundation with a series of public engagement activities and
studies taught us that no two public engagement activities are alike. We also learned that public
engagement is hard work and often difficult to sustain. Both parents and non-parents are quite
busy today and it takes special topics to motivate them to come to meetings. They also need to
know that the time they spend with you will be worth their investment, otherwise, you will
possibly turn these advocates for schools and communities into educated critics of your system
and leadership.
Timing is also critical to successful engagement initiatives. In order to include opportunities for
parents and community members to participate in dialogue with the board and administration on
major initiatives or program and policy changes that affect the schools, the district must factor
this into decision-making timelines. While it is difficult to put exact start and finish times on
any given issue under discussion, one way to begin is by determining the outside deadline for a
final decision, and then work backward from that point. The bottom line for planning is to
ensure that stakeholders are involved from the very beginning of the process and not just
brought in at the approval stage after the bulk of development work has been done. It is also
important to evaluate what works and what doesn’t to refine the process so that it works
effectively and generates increased visibility and participation in the future.
The community and staff participation in setting the future course and direction of RSD through
your Long Range Planning Process received positive remarks by participants in our focus
groups — with only a few exceptions about closing the loop in the communication process.
We applaud your outreach activity with the Town Hall Meetings because this is an attempt to
offer residents an opportunity to discuss more far-reaching issues without an immediate timeline
for action. We urge you not to be discouraged if sparse attendance becomes the norm, especially
in the early stages of this type of program.
Dr. Larson received accolades from the religious, private school, and other community
partnership groups because they felt that he and other leaders truly listened to their needs and
saw all children in your community as part of the greater RSD community. Participants
commented that the positive collaborative approach felt comfortable in the openness of your
leadership. Such testimonials normally do not flow as easily in other systems as they do in RSD.
The amount of interactive sessions you have with your internal professional instructional
audiences also seems appropriate as, for the most part, staff members have many opportunities
29
to be involved at various level throughout RSD. The non-instructional staff needs to have some
additional activities, as we mentioned in another recommendation.
Your Presidents’ Forum seems to be an excellent way to continue open dialogue with your
parent leaders. Many recommendations in this report can be assisted by feedback from this
group. If you decide to adopt some of the ideas involving parents, it may be good to seek
feedback from this group as you begin molding implementation of the idea.
It is always a good idea to remind participants that they have a responsibility to relay the
information learned at the Presidents ‘Forum back to their schools’ parent groups. We learned
of some disconnects in that process through our focus groups.
If you decide to involve community members in studying a specific issue, we recommend that
you investigate using Study Circles because they have been successful in communities
throughout the country in helping school districts collaborate with their communities. NSPRA
can provide much more information about Study Circles if you wish to pursue that process for
RSD.
Our assessment is that, for the most part, parents and community leaders alike view your system
as being accessible and collaborative at most levels. Keep experimenting and improving your
public engagement activities as you will also be building a reputation for listening to your
community and staff.
And finally, what is critical to the success of any public engagement strategy is the board and
administration’s commitment to listening to input and recommendations and their taking action
based on all the information at their disposal. While this does not mean that you will implement
every recommendation that a citizen or staff committee makes, it does mean that you will
consider such input in the context of how it furthers your district’s mission, goals, and
objectives. And remember that an important component is to ensure that the communication
loop is closed by reporting back to the community and staff on progress being made toward
resolving issues and providing the rationale that supports the board’s final decisions. Such
closing communication ties a bow to the public engagement process.
30
Communication Office Staffing Observations
The RSD communication program, one of the best in the country, rests on the support and
commitment given by the Board and Superintendent Larson. The Director of Communications
Kim Cranston is committed to delivering the best data-driven program she can implement year
after year.
This audit serves as a time to assess the staffing needs of the office and look at ways that may
impede progress in your communication effort. In talking with the communication staff and
reviewing topics such longevity of staff and the job descriptions of the staff, we developed some
recommendations:
 Turnover is a problem that reduces productivity of the office.
Turnover of the entry-level positions creates wasted time in resources and cuts down on
productivity. Hiring new staff, training the newly hired, and then monitoring the new
person’s work can take a large portion of the Director’s time that should be spent on seniorlevel tasks. When vacancies occur for periods of time, the work has to be completed
regardless of the need for more help; it is normally done by the director and other staff
members.
It may be time to look at what you can do to keep these entry-level recruits within the RSD
family. We were told that entry-level people often leave because of low pay or the feeling
that there is no place for advancement or no career path within the RSD communication
office. We recommend that the Director, superintendent, and HR representative look for
creative solutions to solve this problem.
Three recommendations include:

Cross train and rotate positions so that more staff have opportunities to learn
more functions and make their jobs perhaps more interesting while they
become more valuable to RSD. They may also be able to fill in when other
staff members leave.

Create a new level of employment, perhaps a “Specialist Two” position so
that after gaining some experience, new employees have an opportunity to
grow financially as they become more valuable to your system.

Seek outside funding for special projects like the Helping Parents Help Their
Kids recommendation and create special project coordinator positions or
opportunities for the current staff to advance.
31
Recommendation:
Review and possibly revise some job functions within the
communication office.
The Director needs to spend more time on senior-level work that calls for analysis, planning and
strategic thinking. Her plate is overwhelmingly full compared to other communication directors
around the country. We believe that she needs to focus on framing key issues, developing
messages and talking points, and planning a roll-out on each of the key issues. She also needs to
develop more training modules and lead and teach others to deliver that training as well.
To free her time to do these senior-level activities, she needs assistance by:

Solving the turnover problem mentioned problem above or finding ways to
cutback on the department’s other activities so some additional staff members can
assume some other responsibilities (See the recommendation on cutting out some
of the lower-level media relations activities.), or

Hire additional assistance as full- or part-time help.
Recommendation:
Reorganize the office so that someone other than the director
has the responsibility for internal communication.
The internal communication program needs a staff person who is responsible for ensuring that it
is organized for content deadlines and that quality work is completed. This position still has
other responsibilities but also oversees the internal effort. One possibility of addressing the
problem is to develop the “Specialist Two” position for this type of responsibility.
32
Recommendation:
Smooth some bumps in the communication road.
NSPRA auditors also discovered some minor “bumps in the road,” that, if corrected, will make
for a more productive office.
Some “bumps” to consider smoothing are:

Gathering timelines such as start dates for RSD employees is difficult because no
database exists that can assist the communication office in seeing who meets the
criteria for longevity awards within RSD.

Including a search engine on the website.

Making more accountability efforts so that school websites are updated.

Offer a voluntary critique service of building newsletters; your workshops make
them better than most in other districts, but they still have a long way to go.

Solving inconsistent customer service responses at school buildings. NSPRA can
provide some information on a “mystery shopper” program for schools where
“mystery parents” call or show up to register a special ed child or to find out
additional information about the school their child may attend. Some districts use
these data to demonstrate just how important customer service can be to an image
of a school district. By using the service for just a few schools, customer service
normally improves at all schools.

In most large, high-performing districts like yours, the communication office, or
at least that of the Director’s office, is often nearby the Superintendent’s office as
it enhances immediate discussion of breaking situations in the district. You
understand the feasibility and fellow employee ramifications of this better than we
do, but we have seen it lead to a more productive communication office in
districts around the country.
33
Perceptions of the Focus Groups
This section gives you an overview of the perceptions that the auditors identified in the focus
group sessions held during the onsite visit on October 23-24, 2006. This section is not a
verbatim report of responses to our questions. Rather, it contains comments that appear to
identify participants’ significant beliefs, concerns, and suggestions.
Many comments led to recommendations in this Communication Audit Report. Other comments
may be helpful to the communication office, Board of Education, and administration in
addressing staff and community concerns in other areas.
Group: Board Members
Strengths
Image

Student achievement has steadily
improved.

Stakeholders universally value education
and hold the district accountable.

Partnerships between administration,
faculty, parents, and patrons.

Proud.

Board is focused on kids.

Large, but manageable size district.


Innovative.
Quality image reflects continuous
improvement philosophy.
Improvement Areas
Information Sources

Some parent groups don’t feel as involved
as others.

Newspapers have an impact on district’s
messages and reputation.

Need to be more focused. Potential to get
scattered by juggling too many priorities.

E-mail.

Website.

Board is working to improve
communication and dialogue.
34
Best Way to Communicate

Need to use multiple messages and tools to
reach people.

Complexity of issues requires dialogue.

Do not need the compilation of column
inches and details of newspaper coverage.

Key Communicators Network.

Special events that unify the district.
Greatest Challenges

Budget issues

Changes in demographics.

Decrease in the percentage of households
with kids in school.

No Child Left Behind proficiency.

Potential lack of unity among stakeholders.
Priorities for Improving Communication

Board report in district newsletters is
ineffective. Need honesty and
transparency.

More discussion and dialogue is needed.

More substance and relevance in
publications.

Analyze the role of communication in the
district.

Re-establish role as “go-to” district for
education coverage.

Form better relationships with schools.
35
Group: Presidents’ Forum (PTO)
Strengths

Parental feedback is encouraged and acted
upon.

Accessibility to superintendent and board.

District communications tools.

Financially sound.

Willingness to go to the community for
funding needs.

Long-term planning.

Conduct research before implementing new
initiatives.

Use parents, faculty, and students as
resources.
Image

Very positive.

Surprised at how many families move their
children from private to public schools.

Rockwood offers lower pay, yet teachers want
to work in the district.

Rockwood takes good care of teachers
through professional development and
support.
Information Sources

Presidents’ Forum and the chance to hear
directly from leadership.

E-mail communication among PTO
presidents.

Website.

Word-of-mouth.
Improvement Areas


Size is becoming an issue. Some areas are
becoming territorial.
Boundary changes weren’t researched well.
“My kids have been to three different
elementary schools because of where I live in
the district.”

Lack of equity among schools.


Teacher satisfaction. Some work well beyond
the workday.
Infinite Campus is a “great tool” for finding
out grades, assignments, etc.

Losing experienced teachers to neighboring
districts who pay more.
Need to “cut the fluff” in newsletters and on
the website.

Communication within district committees is
good.


Would like to see more national comparisons
and data.
36
Greatest Challenges

Need clarification and consistency in
implementation of Infinite Campus.

Finding the right mix of technology and
traditional communication and learning tools.

Managing expectations and requirements for
teachers using Infinite Campus.

Handling communication when test scores
slip. Can’t always have big improvements.

Helping individual schools create an overall
message that reflects the big picture.

Parental access to everything all of the time
presents challenges for teachers.

Changing demographics.
37
Group: Cabinet
Strengths
Improvement Areas

Quality, dedicated staff.

Need competitive teacher salaries.

Student achievement.


Efficient operation.
Some sub-groups of students are not
achieving at grade level.

Community involvement.


Known for outstanding facilities.
“Most people don’t understand that we
deliver a top-notch product at a bargain
basement rate.”

Nationally recognized for professional
development.

Perception that Rockwood is a wealthy
district when it is not.

Recognized leader in community and
character education.

Lack of community understanding about
school finance.

Sought out for “best practices” in a range
of areas.

Finding adequate funding internally for
technology.

Work well as a team.


Strong trust and collaboration.
Meeting demands and expectations about
technology.

“A superintendent who is honorable,
ethical, and committed to kids.”

Meeting high expectations and remaining
“the best” takes its toll.

Role and effectiveness of Communication
Department.

A great resource for the Human Resources
department: Never told, “No.”

Service-oriented.

Unsure about the role of communication.

Offer a variety of communication tools.

Accessible and available to “bounce things
off of.”

Consulting role is valued.

“They make sure our messages are
understandable and not communicated in
our lingo.”

Need to clarify role and function of the
Key Communicators Network. Cabinet
needs to be more in the loop.
38

Sometimes need someone other than the
communication person to serve as
spokesperson on complex issues.
Greatest Challenges

Redistricting.

“People think we are growing when we are
not.”

Town Hall and Key Communicators –good
two-way tools of communication.

Need a financial communications strategy
to help the public understand how school
finance works.

Build communication from our base…
school-by-school; parent-by-parent.

Issues management planning (new high
school schedule, bond issues, staff
compensation, graduation requirements).
39
Group: Elementary Principals
Strengths

Professional development for new
teachers.

Involved families.

Dedicated administrative staff.

Dynamic and dedicated teachers.

“Everyone is focused on students.”

Student achievement is high.

High expectations.

Well-developed curriculum.

Good gifted program.

High results at a low cost.

“Kids come ready to learn.”

Choice program.
Image

Outstanding.

Considered the best in the state.

Teachers want to teach in the district.

Known for excellence.
Information Sources
Improvement Areas

E-mail.

Networking with one another.

Sharing school newsletters.

Insider.

Board minutes.

Closing achievement gap.

Face-to-face or by phone.

Tighter focus needed. Too many
initiatives.

Don’t need any additional communication.
On information overload.

Perceived inequality among four
quadrants.

Support schools rather than adding new
things.

Balancing the “branding” with the need to
preserve schools’ uniqueness.

Lack of consideration about how
implementing projects affects front lines.

Unrealistic expectations for teachers.

Principals serve as a filter and sometimes
others’ expectations are at odds with
reality.

Sub-optimization. Sometimes implement
things that prevent success of other things.
40

Website managers for schools.

Internal messages are consistent and
credible. More concerned about external
sources.

More consultation before decisions are
made (phone system recordings and
letterhead).

“For years Rockwood has had excellent
PR.”

Need the same level of support when
negative things happen.

Growing non-parent population.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Palm-integrated student records.

Careful planning to manage future.

Help manage parent expectations for
instant responses. Need realistic standards.

Voluntary Transfer Program.

Avoiding staff burnout.
Greatest Challenges
41
Group: Central Office/Annex Secretaries
Strengths

Academics.

Strong leadership.

Website.

Insider.

Counselors get a lot of support.

Frequent newspaper and television
coverage.

Grapevine.

Website.

Monthly “round-robin” session in
finance/purchasing to discuss what is
going on.

Don’t get any feedback on what happens
in Cabinet meetings.
Improvement Areas

Salary structure.

No motivation to excel. Incentives needed.

Support staff not respected in some cases.

Understaffing in some areas.
Priorities for Improving Communication.
Image

Need to know more about personnel
changes in the schools.

Directory is out dated.

Respected.

Include departmental reports in Insider.

People want to move into the district.

Visits from the superintendent.

Mentor district to other school districts.


Beautiful schools.
Signatures needed on all e-mail
communications.

Go the extra mile to satisfy parents.

More rationale should be provided on
decisions.

Take time for individual students.
Greatest Challenges
Information Sources

Attitude adjustment. Mutual respect is
needed.
Community education catalog.

Deciding who gets what information.

Intranet.


Newsworthy (not much valuable content).
As district grows, communication becomes
more difficult.

Website.

42
Group: Nurses/Social Workers/Counselors/Community Education
Strengths
Information Sources

Academics.

Channel 5 and Channel 2.

Curriculum and instruction.

Website.

Variety of ways district communicates
important information.

E-mail.

Insider.

Parental communication.

Custodians and secretaries.

Facilities.

West News.
Improvement Areas

Health education. More nurses needed in
schools.

Dress code is not reinforced consistently.

Inconsistency in guidance and discipline
practices.

Schools all handle attendance differently.

Drag feet when hiring and sometimes lose
early candidates for jobs.

Nurses are not considered “professional.”

Lowest support staff pay in the area.


“At will” employees are reminded that
they are “dispensable.”
Need updates on HR policies and better
communication in that department (“Had
to talk to five people to find out about sick
leave”).

Fix inconsistencies in Student Information
System.

More preparation was needed on Master
Schedule.

Improve committees. Most committees
“aren’t worth your time.”
Image

Positive.

Great for academics.

Rockwood is for top students.

Not a place for average students. (Depends
of school).
43

Cautious about newspaper coverage.

Letters home to parents are good, but
should be timelier.

Board meetings are open.

Participating at the building level.
Greatest Challenges

Size of district makes it hard to “get
everyone on the same page.”

Too worried about image and not the real
needs of district.

Preparing non-English speaking students.
44
Group: Coordinators/Directors
Strengths
Image

Staff development.

Excellent in St. Louis area, state, and nation.

Achievement in all areas.


Progressive.
Respected. “People say that the state looks
at Rockwood first.”

Diversity.

Get a lot of positive press.

Collaboration.

Districts call on Rockwood for information
on improving test scores.

Strong community support.


Easy access to experts.
Largely white. Forty cultures are
represented, but not by many students.

Low per-student expenditures.

Very competitive at all levels.
Improvement Areas
Information Sources

Involve too many people in decisionmaking.

Employees.

“Competing forces reduce the effectiveness
of so many initiatives.”

E-mail.

Too much on teachers’ plates.
Weekly meetings with boss.


“Departments should think in terms of
customer service rather than gatekeeping.”
Insider.


Lack of resources for difficult students.

Intense competition among high schools.
Should work together.

“Hidden” dropout rate is comparable to
other districts but not made public.

Closing the achievement gap.

“We pump our own chests too much.”
45

E-mail.

Weekly departmental meetings.

One on one conversations.

Updates after board meetings.

“I get very little feedback, period.”

Superintendent does a good job on big
issues.

Definite hierarchy. Must go through
channels.
Greatest Challenges

Sometimes get too much communication.
Need prioritization.

Reducing overwhelming demands on
teachers.

Lack of recognition for support staff.

Establishing priorities.

Better management of e-mail.

Maintaining continuity, stability, and trust.

Need more realistic communication and less
fluff.

Collaboration and consensus building.

More use of high school multimedia
programs.
46
Group: Private and Faith-based School Leaders
Strengths
Image

Good reputation.

Great reputation.

Strong academics.


Financial strength.
Surrounding districts want to know what
Rockwood is doing.

Communicating within the community.

Plentiful resources, especially for special
needs students.

High test scores.


External newsletters—print and electronic.
Real estate values are strong. Homes are
easy to sell.

Employees.

Serve all levels of students.
Information Sources
Improvement Areas

Involve more people in the communication
process.

“Their hands are tied in handling difficult
students.”

Communication with non-public schools.

Teaching to the test vs. creating better
thinkers.

Explanation of differences in cost per
student in public and private schools.

Provide insurance for food service workers
and others to attract best workers.

Children.

Electronic communication.

Quarterly forums.

Media coverage.

Website.

Public access channel.
47

Principal sessions.

Face-to-face meetings.

Print and electronic newsletters that drive
readers to the website.

Quick to share information upon request
about testing, school funding, etc.

“The issue isn’t communication, but
conversation.”

“Communications does a great job in a
crisis situation. The director shows
compassion and caring and is a great
ambassador.”
Greatest Challenges

More information on school funding in
layperson’s terms.

“Students who don’t fit the mold in
traditional classrooms.”

Recognizing the difference between
“putting information out” and
“communicating.”

Funding. The need for more transparency
and understanding regarding financing.

Community and relationship-building with
private schools.
48
Group: Food Services/School Secretaries
Strengths

Outstanding academics.

Authentic Science Research (ASR).

Technology.

Image

High achieving/high test scores.

People move into the community for the
schools.
Students are well prepared for college.

Innovative and challenging.

Quality in hiring.

Students at all levels get a good education.

Parents are welcomed and involved at all
levels.

Parent-friendly.


Tech support.
It is good that middle schools don’t have
cheer and athletics.
Improvement Areas
Information Sources

Lax dress code in some schools.

Website.

Inconsistency in supervision of children in
cafeterias.

School newsletters.

Insider.

Internal communication about after-school
programs.

PTO.

Principals are out of the buildings too
much.

Early-out day varies by school.

Recommend staff development be held in
the AM with a late start.

Substitute problems arise on Mondays and
Fridays for curriculum meetings.

Better communication is needed with the
transportation department.
49

Not through the newspapers.

Weekly office meetings.

Friday Focus from principal.

Website is current.

E-mail. (It is good that custodians now get
e-mail).

Telephone conversations.

Principals should spend more time with
teachers and parents.

Restore uniqueness rather than having all
fax sheets and voice mail messages the
same.

Communicating with people who don’t
have computers.

Infinite Campus training and support.

“Spend time on the front lines.”
Greatest Challenges
50

Perceived inequity among schools.

Media issues.

Hiring quality people and then supporting
them with training and adequate staffing.
Group: Elementary Teachers
Strengths
Image

Financially stable.

Outstanding.

Focused on student achievement.

Positive.

Outstanding, highly qualified teachers.

Real estate sells.

Solid curriculum that is constantly
improving.

Progressive.

Growing.

Benchmarks established outside of
education.

Strong student focus.

Demand for excellence from community.

Accreditation with distinction.

Support for new teachers.
Improvement Areas
Information Sources

Consistency between schools.

E-newsletters.

Depend on PTO for equitable resources.

Insider.

Level of respect and appreciation shown to
all employees.

Meetings.

Large class sizes.

Smaller schools are needier and at a
disadvantage.

Student numbers don’t drive needs.

E-mail. (Sometimes too much).

More support for students who don’t meet
special education criteria but need help.

Faculty meetings.

New teacher communication is great.

Forms links on the website are helpful.

District communication is sometimes
delayed at the building level.

Phone calls and voice mail messages.
51
Priorities for Communication
Greatest Challenges

Need consistency in communication from
principals.

Issues regarding parent access to teachers’
e-mail addresses.

Principal meeting highlights, with
information that impacts teachers,
librarians, etc.

Managing expectations and balance
between electronic and interpersonal
communication.

Access to Insider at home.

Clarifying the role of communication.
52
Group: Parents/Patrons
Strengths

Strong academics.

Teachers.

Sense of community at elementary level.

High test scores.
Improvement Areas

Parent/teacher communication.

Security at schools.

Parent e-mail addresses should be
published, with permission, in directories.

Communication between the special
school district and teachers.

Better arrangements with students busing
in from St. Louis.

Should require student uniforms at all
schools.

Image.

Great reputation.

District is accommodating.

Principals set tone.
School and district newsletters.

Infinite Campus.

School websites.
Telephone system that calls parents (paid
for by PTO).

Website.

E-mail.

“Rockwood did a good job on redistricting
process.”

Changes in the music program were not
well-communicated.

Calling system to parents should be
uniform across district.

Need updates on how bond issue funds are
being used.

Information for parents on test-taking tips,
studying support, etc.

Preparation booklets for next grade.
Greatest Challenges
Information Sources


53

Providing the tools students need to
achieve at higher levels.

Advances in technology.

Class sizes in a growing district.

Too much focus on test scores. “I want a
healthy, well-rounded child.”
Group: Maintenance/Grounds/Facilities/Custodians
Strengths
Image

Good teachers and kids.

Good district.

Kids come first here.

Population is changing.

Support staff included in awards.

Good for now unless a tax increase occurs.

Respect for each department.

Not enough communication between
district and public.

“Artificial turf” became an image issue
because people did not go for it.
Needs Improvement

Department needs consistent directions
and more clarification in communication.

Use of e-mail by workers not always
consistent; supervisors use, but workers
can’t.



Information Sources
Timing of assignments – requested a
ladder for 7:30 meeting at 7:00 — could
have been done evening before.
Clarity on who makes assignments —
supervisors, principals, staff running
meetings?
Why is communication different to them?
Example: safety committee materials much
longer for them, creating a sense that they
were not seen as equal to others.
54

Insider.

TV media with bad publicity.

Secretaries.

Supervisors.

Head custodians.

Insider Link — Buff and Shine — but
somebody needs to use a “spellchecker.”

Insider only has positive stuff.

Check out rumors with co-workers.

Info on board decision process — the less
we know the better we think we are; not
aware of info before something is passed.

Best way to communicate to supervisors is
“from afar”; fear of reprisal is reason.

Make an effort to include info from
quarterly meetings.

Would like some attention from
supervisors; sense that they are not in
touch with what they do.
Greatest Challenges

System growth; need for more schools.

Enough staff to service needs of school;
Example: 33 buildings and 1 locksmith.

Part-time employees do not seem to care
about their jobs; some good schools start
getting dirty and they are no longer
considered good schools.

Listen to their requests; right now they
give feedback and nothing seems to
happen. They give feedback on materials
to purchase, but no changes are made or
reasons given why they can’t receive
recommended items. They claim their
backpacks create back pain. These items
are voiced but nothing happens.

Stronger consistent communication with
supervisors.
55
Group: Secondary Principals
Strengths

Insider.

Communication department materials.

Communication department is responsive
and credible.

Teaching staff.

Facilities.

Student achievement.

E-mail from colleagues.

Safe and orderly.

Best ways to communicate.

Parental support strong, for the most part.

Meetings with peers and supervisors.

Character education.

E-mail with peers.

Staff development.


Good place to work.
Employees have a full array of ways to
learn what is going on in district.
Improvement Areas

More funds for staff development.

Encourage more out-of-box thinking.

More concentration on achievement gap.

Need more time to discuss issues, more
interaction before they are finalized.

Priorities should aim at key issues for the
system. “Changes in modular scheduling
will call for more communication because
a modular schedule does not look like a
school.” Is it a school schedule or a student
schedule? It will be confusing.

Parent communication is good but
important to maintain that level for
continued support of system.
Image

Very good, high-achieving school district.

Teachers want to teach here.

Families want to move here.

High expectations for kids and staff.
Greatest Challenge
Information Sources

School newsletters.

Website.

Word of mouth.
56

Maintaining the community support as
property values and taxes rise.

Accountability issues with AYP process
and explaining how even very good
schools cannot measure up to AYP
standards of NCLB.
Group: Religious Leaders/P&P/RSF/Business Leaders
Strengths

Internet access to communication vehicles.

College prep courses and programs are
very good.

Principals are accessible.

Communication is strength of system.

Very open leadership.

Private schools have a great, open
relationship with district.


Information Sources
Meetings with private schools very
productive.

Website.

E-news.

TV program.

Daily announcements in schools.

West News Magazine.

Post Dispatch.

“Media outlets are often too depressing;
makes me look more to the website.”

Newspapers are least credible of
information sources.
District is intent on reaching out.
Best Ways to Communicate
Improvement Areas

“Average student curriculum.”

Extra attention needed for average
students.

Athletics on Sunday mornings (before
noon).

Websites – school and district’s.

E-communication via e-mail – especially
breaking news items.

Alerting them of something to look for on
the website before it is there so they
remember to check it.
Image

Top-notch.

Excellent.
57

Maintaining transparency and continuing
outreach efforts with non-public schools.

Providing opportunities for access and
discussion-type meetings.

Continuing to provide the information
district is now providing.

Greatest Challenge
Provide better communication to students
and parents when they enroll in Rockwood
schools. Example: some parents were not
aware of all the communication vehicles
available to them on district and buildinglevel news.
58

Growth of the district.

Growth in Eureka/Wildwood area.

Demographic changes.

Consolidation and reduction.

Remember that, “Fenton is part of
Rockwood.”
Group: Middle School Teachers

Strengths

Good resources and technology.

Time to plan and work with other teachers.

Facilities.

Staff development.

Assistance provided with staff
development.

Parents district-wide want to be involved.

Support from administration.

Openness to parent involvement.
Best Ways to communicate
“Just about everything we said is positive
could also improve to make the district
better.”

Parent involvement begins dropping in
middle schools.

E-mail with staff.

Infinite Campus.

School Notes.

E-mail with parents.

Team newsletters with parents.
Improvement Areas


Fear that some populations may not be
receiving e-communication; need to keep
that in mind.

Set up consistent measures in each school
for workshop days and other matters;
communication is lacking at times with
administrative steps.

“If you seek our input, please let us know
what you are doing with it. Even if it is not
used, it would be good to communicate
why.”

Tell me “the beef.” Be brief, concise;
bullets are better than paragraphs.
Image

Highly respected.

Image is a great selling point to Realtors.
Most credible are colleagues, Insider,
Principals, and NEA representatives.
Information Sources
Greatest Challenge

E-mail\Insider.

Local papers.

Website.

St. Louis Dispatch.
59

Technology and how to use it.

Need to communicate to larger population
rather than just to parents.
Group: High School Teachers
Strengths
Information Sources

High expectations.

E-mail from district.

High test scores.

Superintendent.

Family and community support.

Staff newsletters.

Professionalism of staff.

Head secretary.

Most administrators are supportive.

Insider.

Insider.

Principal.

Credible sources: colleagues, head
secretary, e-mail, teacher union paper.
Improvement Areas

So much going on; often spread too thin.

Seems like an initiative or two or ten are
always going on.

Many new teachers are overwhelmed;
more assistance is needed.
E-mail from staff, but prep periods are
becoming e-mail periods.

Insider but needs to be more than
celebrations.


“Our messages to the community need to
change; we need to do more than celebrate
all the time. We also need to show where
our gaps are and that we need more
revenue to close them.”

Need to discuss more issues, visions for
district, admitting gaps and plan to address
them, etc.

More consistency of communication in
buildings; some administrators are better
than others.
Image

Very good, very high.

Great programs.

One of the best in the state.

Luxurious.

Great facilities.

Image split between North
Rockwood/South Rockwood; Fenton area
viewed as step child of district.
60
Greatest Challenge

Keeping up with growth especially at
elementary level.

Keeping a sense of balance in what the
district communicates. Discuss real issues
so public understands the needs of district.

Items like artificial turf do a great deal of
harm for the future funding of the district.
61
Group: Parents/Patrons
Strengths
Information Sources

Accelerated classes.

Friday folders.

Teacher attention to kids.

Rockwood newsletter/e-mailed to me.

Great staff.

Website.

Good emergency and safety procedures.

Principal’s monthly e-mail.

Variety of advanced placement classes.

School website.

Presidents’ forum.

Kids.

Infinite Campus.

School principal newsletter.

Credible source: Items from local school
— from principal and parent group.
Improvement Areas

No real organized program serving as a
feeder for school basketball programs.

Selection process for accelerated program;
parents provide tests from own
psychologist while others cannot afford.

Teachers need to know how to teach to the
standardized test, not always the case now.

E-mail.

Building newsletters talking about issues
as well as regular information.

“More e-mail communication by teachers;
not just when I contact them.”
Image

Positive.

Great leadership.

Moved from Parkway because of the
schools.
62
Greatest Challenge

More on what’s not being said about issues
— need real information not just
celebratory items.

Talking about kids in a personal way; need
to see how programs work by showing
what they do for children.

Better organization of website; some items
are hard to find.

Growth issue.


Better explanations of issues like
redistricting; more transparency.
More face-to-face opportunities to meet
with school officials.

More discussion forums on things like
everyday math.
63
Appendix A: Sample Questions for Employee
Focus Groups
1.
What are the strengths of the Rockwood School District?

2.
What do you think the district’s current image is in the community?

3.
Are there areas that need improvement?
How would you describe the district to someone who just moved here?
What is your best source of news and information about the district?
Unaided at first… then:

Specific publications

Electronic communication – Internet, electronic newsletters, Intranet

Print media – Journal, West News Magazine, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Broadcast media
4.
Which are the most credible sources for you?
5.
Do you receive the information you need to perform your job duties?
6.

What additional information would you like to receive?

What is the best way for you to receive information?
Do you receive information about the board or district’s decision-making processes?
7.
In the workplace, are you communicated with in a manner that makes you feel valued and
respected?
8.
How are you most comfortable communicating with the district?
9.
What one thing could the school district do to improve communication?
10.
What is the greatest communication challenge facing the district in the future?
NSPRA Communication Audit —
DRAFT
64
Appendix B: Sample Questions for Community
Focus Groups
1.
What are the strengths of the Rockwood School District?

2.
What is the current image of your school district?

3.
Are there areas needing improvement?
How would you describe the district to someone new to your community?
What is your best source of news and information about the district?
Unaided, at first, then:

Specific publications

Electronic communication – Internet, electronic newsletters, Intranet

Print media – Journal, West News Magazine, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Broadcast media
4.
Which are the most credible sources for you?
5.
Do you receive the information you need from the district/schools?

What additional information would you like to receive?

What is the best way for the district to communicate with you?
6.
How are you most comfortable communicating with the district?
7.
How do you receive information about the boards or district’s decision-making process?
8.
What one thing could the school district do to improve communication?
9.
What is the greatest communication challenge facing the district in the future?
65
Appendix C: Principals’ Checklists
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
Appendix D: W hat Is NSPRA?
S
ince 1935, the National School Public Relations Association has been providing school
communication training and services to school leaders throughout the United States,
Canada, and the U.S. Dependent Schools worldwide. NSPRA’s mission is to advance
education through responsible communication. We accomplish that mission through a variety of
diverse services that we provide to our members and to other school leaders who contract with
or purchase products from us.
With more than 70 years of experience, we have a reputation in the field for practical
approaches to solving school district and agency communication problems. We have useful
communication products, offer workshops and seminars, maintain resource and research files,
have contacts and resources within the corporate communication industry, and have 34 chapters
throughout the country that provide local networking opportunities for members.
In keeping with our mission, NSPRA provides workshop assistance to school districts, state
departments of education, regional service agencies, and state and national associations. For
many of these groups, we have completed research-based communication audits to analyze the
communication flow, targeting, content, and effectiveness of their communication messages.
The NSPRA National Seminar, the most comprehensive school communication workshop
anywhere, is held each July. This 4-day session offers more than 70 topics on a wide array of
school communication issues. The July 2007 Seminar will be held in Phoenix, Arizona.
NSPRA’s monthly membership newsletter Network is seen as a communication resource for
school leaders, not just our members. Each edition tackles a major problem and explains how
communication can play a vital role in solving it. PRincipal Communicator is our building-level
PR newsletter which provides practical help to school principals and other building-level
leaders. The calendar and variety of communication topics are helping many to effectively
improve communication at the community level. Our five electronic newsletters — NSPRA This
Week, The NSPRA Counselor, NSPRA Alert, Opportunities, and Communication Matters for
Leading Superintendents — provide summaries of breaking national education news, in-depth
studies of issues and trends, and updates on seminars, products and services available to
educators.
The Flag of Learning and Liberty is a national education symbol, developed by NSPRA in
its 50th Anniversary Year. On July 4, 1985, the Flag of Learning and Liberty flew over the state
houses of all 50 states to launch the rededication of America’s commitment to education and a
democratic, free society.
NSPRA is a member of the Educational Leaders Consortium and works with all major
national organizations to help improve educational opportunities for the nation’s young people.
In addition, NSPRA is a sponsoring agency of the Educational Research Service (ERS). The
association also sponsors four national awards programs to bring recognition for excellence in
communication to individuals, districts, and agencies. More information about NSPRA is
available at www.nspra.org.
NSPRA Communication Audit —
DRAFT
79
Appendix E: Auditors’ Vitae
Richard D. Bagin, APR
Rich Bagin, APR, executive director of NSPRA since April 1992, has more than 30 years’
experience in school and corporate public relations and communications.
In school public relations, Bagin served for eight years as the communication director and
assistant superintendent for a suburban Philadelphia school system. In that capacity, he was
responsible for internal and external public relations programs and dealt with crisis situations
ranging from employee strikes to federal indictments of school district architects and legal
counsel. Before that, Bagin was a secondary school English teacher, coach, and yearbook
advisor in Pennsylvania. He has also served as Director of Communications and Development
for the Council of Chief State School Officers.
Bagin has conducted numerous communication audits for school districts and corporate clients.
He was instrumental in initiating the NSPRA communication audit process in the mid-1980s
and has written articles on the auditing process that have appeared in various educational and
communication periodicals. Bagin is the author of NSPRA’s:

Making Parent Communication Effective & Easy: Communication Guidebook for
Teachers and Their Schools;

Evaluating Your School Public Relations Investment;

Planning Your School Public Relations Investment; and

101 PR Ideas You Can Use Now! … And More!
He also wrote Principals in the Public… Engaging Community Support, jointly published by
MetLife, NAESP (National Association of Elementary School Principals) and NSPRA. In
addition, Bagin serves as a workshop leader for major education associations and school
districts throughout the United States and Canada.
In the corporate sector, Bagin was senior vice president/general manager for two national and
international public relations firms. He has counseled corporate 500 firms on strategy and
implemented bottomline-oriented public relations and marketing communication programs in
the private sector.
Bagin is accredited by the Universal Accreditation Board of the North American Public
Relations Council. He is a member of PRSA’s counselor’s academy and also holds a master’s
degree in educational public relations. He serves as a board member for the Educational
Research Service (ERS) and the National Association for Industry-Education Cooperation. In
2002, Bagin received NSPRA’s prestigious Presidents Award, the highest award given to a
professional in school public relations, for a lifetime of achievement in school public relations.
80
Susan Hardy Brooks, APR
Susan Hardy Brooks, APR, has counseled school leaders on a range of marketing
communication issues and strategies for more than 25 years. Since starting her company, Hardy
Brooks Public Relations in 1998, Susan has provided strategic communication counsel to more
than 50 clients, including K-12 school districts, community colleges, universities, state
education agencies, and other organizations that support public education.
From 1981-1998, Susan served as marketing director for three career technology centers,
including Metro Tech, Canadian Valley Tech and Francis Tuttle. She served as Francis Tuttle’s
marketing director for 10 years.
She is currently serving as Executive Director of The Citizens’ Policy Center, a public policy
research and education organization (think tank) dedicated to creating better opportunities for
individuals and families. Support for public education is among the Center’s top priorities.
Susan has presented public relations and marketing workshops in 25 states. Her strategies have
been featured in pr reporter, the National School Public Relations Association’s Network
newsletter, Techniques magazine and several other national journals. She is a frequent presenter
at state and national marketing conferences and has received more than 100 awards for her
marketing campaigns, publications, projects, and events.
Susan has a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Oklahoma and a
bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University. She is accredited in public
relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America.
81

NSPRA`s - Rockwood School District

Transcription

Similar documents

Rockwood Brand

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Andy Kern Managing Director

Volume 7 - ANAF Rockwood Unit 303

TRANSLATION Independent Auditors` Report TO

Tis the Season - Rockwood Bank

Presentation

Pamphlet of the Hotel

Newsletter Elementary - Rockwood School District

Trans-tasman regulatory findings