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Illinois School Board Journal
May/June 2005

Practical PR: Career-tech programs offer out-reach avenue

by Charles McCormick and Julie-Ann Fuchs

Charles McCormick is superintendent of Kaneland CUSD 302 and Chair of the Governing Board of the Fox Valley Career Center in Maple Park, Illinois. Julie-Ann Fuchs is executive director of the Valley Education for Employment System, a regional delivery system serving a five-county area from Sugar Grove.

An effective community relations program informs the community about its schools in an honest and positive manner and, in doing so, provides opportunities for invaluable interaction between educators and community members.

This interaction is the foundation of a positive relationship that helps support ongoing dialogue between school representatives and the public, with the goal of continuous school improvement. In this process, it is important that educators see themselves as public relations specialists to help ensure effective community relations and school success.

Quality vocational programs provide many opportunities for administrators, teachers and students to interact with the community. These interactions are opportunities to engage constituents, share information and enhance school image.

Vocational programs should reflect the input of employers as to the skills, knowledge and attitudes students must learn in order to be successful in a career field. Getting this input and maintaining on-going communications with employers through business and industry advisory councils or other such entities achieves two main goals: ensuring the school has a current and relevant curriculum, and informing community employers of accomplishments and needs, not only of the vocational programs but also of the schools in general.

Cooperative education programs, job shadowing and internships involve placing students in community work settings. Establishing and maintaining these placements can offer regular opportunities to communicate with employers, especially small businesses. Do not hesitate to use these opportunities to enhance the image of vocational programs and communicate about program and school needs, while also highlighting accomplishments.

Additional opportunities for interaction are available when community members help judge student competitions, participate in career fairs or identify the student of the year. Time should be taken to interact with those citizens who help with these tasks in order to communicate program and school needs, as well as accomplishments.

These interactions with the community should enhance the quality of programs and align them with local employer's needs. They should also get the employers and other community members into the schools to actually see what teachers and students are doing. Restaurant management classes offer the possibility of breaking bread with community members in the context of an educational program.

Most importantly, all these interactions offer a chance for community people to be heard; and schools need to listen!

Informing the community

Vocational programs offer many reasons to inform the public about good things occurring in the schools. These efforts typically involve newsletters, press releases, placing material on Web sites, disseminating information via mass e-mails and photo opportunities. Many resources are available for guidance as to what interests the media, how best to compile and format a newsletter and what types of photographs have the best impact. (For examples, talk to your district public relations specialist or superintendent. You can also review the materials and services available from the Illinois and National School Public Relations Associations).

Informing is great but keep in mind it is only a one-way communication, not a dialogue. And dialogue is what best allows the public to learn and understand as well as to be understood.

Interacting with other educators

The benefits of internal public relations, within the school district or school building, are often overlooked. However, who is a better source of credible support for vocational education programs than other teachers, especially those who teach academic subjects?

It is important for the public to understand that vocational programs are a valuable aspect of a comprehensive educational program. Academic and vocational programs are not mutually exclusive, especially when one considers the concept of life-long learning.

Not all students are ready to attend college directly out of high school. More and more, it is obvious that one can go to college at nearly any time of life. What's wrong with being an electrician or auto mechanic for several years before attending college?

Also, for some students, hands-on (contextual) learning is best, and vocational programs certainly tap into this approach. Vocational educators need to engage in internal public relations efforts to insure the attitudes of all educators toward vocational education are informed and supportive.

Make everyone a PR specialist

Those representing the vocational programs need to know how to organize, communicate and conduct themselves to build the positive image of the programs. They need to be well informed and capable of presenting relevant information in an interesting manner. They should know what the issues and concerns might be about their schools, vocational educations and their specific programs.

They also need to know when an opportunity for a "good story" is before them, as well as when and how to contact the media, which is often interested in the educational process, not just its outcome. So, call them while the building trades students are hard at work, not just after a house has been completed and is about to be sold.

PR work comes very naturally to some people, but most staff would benefit greatly from training and consultation to insure that public relations efforts are as efficient and effective as possible. This is especially important now when the future of vocational education program is in flux and at risk.

Again, INSPRA and NSPRA offer great resources regarding the knowledge and skills one needs to be a more effective in public relations activities.

Every interaction with the public is an opportunity to advance the image of the schools. Don't overlook or underestimate the many community relations opportunities vocational programs offer.

Policies that work: Public Information Programs

The public schools belong to and derive their strength from the people of the community. For a community to be supportive of its schools, the people must be knowledgeable of the aims and efforts of the district.

Therefore, the board shall make every effort to:

Keep the public informed about the policies, administrative operation, objectives and educational programs of the schools.

Provide the means for furnishing full and accurate information, favorable and unfavorable, together with interpretation and explanation of the school plans and programs.

Adhere to a policy of openness and honesty in communicating with citizens, staff, the news media and other organizations.

Make available the background material, which is sent to the Board of Education, to the public and news media through the Office of Communication Services; however, this excludes confidential material, to be defined as materials regarding negotiations, sale or purchase of properties, legal matters and sensitive personnel matters.

Establish and support appropriate and effective communication between the administration and other district employees.

Have publications prepared as needed to keep citizens informed about educational services, achievements, needs, costs, revenues and expenditures.

Source: National School Public Relations Association