Northwest Sampler:
North Clackamas School District 12, Oregon

Description

Like many suburban/urban school districts across the country, North Clackamas School District is undergoing dramatic changes. The number of students in the Free and Reduced Lunch program has tripled in the past 10 years. Special education students have increased by 50 percent in the last 10 years, and English-Language Learners have quadrupled in the last four years.

To meet the needs of this changing student population, community and government relations director Joe Krumm has added more two-way communications efforts - building community connections -to accompany the one-way roles of mass mailings, cable access and the Web site. Krumm has, in fact, borrowed a new definition of "PR" from other PR professionals to mean building "personal relationships" rather than just maintaining public relations.

Ultimately, you have to get two-way conversations started with the community to understand people's real concerns, emphasizes Krumm. Just as any good service organization would, the district should ask, "How can we serve you better?" Krumm and other district leaders have met with several community groups to ask that question. For example, the district now meets with a Hispanic group on a regular basis. The group has told district staff members that they would like more textbooks in Spanish, and that it is really important to have someone in each school who speaks Spanish with whom they could speak.

North Clackamas has developed their communications plan by listening to the community through focus group meetings, surveys, and other community research. The plan has identified marketing strategies targeted to specific audiences based on this research with a goal of increasing participation and awareness within the community. As Krumm mentions in the communications plan, targeted marketing strategies are more effective than strategies that are not targeted to a specific group.

Senior citizens are especially emphasized in the communications plan. The plan lists several ways to enable the seniors to feel more connected to the school, as well as ways to promote relationships between students and seniors. These activities consist of ongoing programs as well as single events. As part of the Willamette View Manor Program, for example, seniors who live in this retirement community provide one-on-one tutoring to students who need help in math and reading. The program started in fall of 1998 and hopes to expand within the retirement community and other communities. Each activity has an "outcomes measurement" built in to make sure the strategy is working. In the case of Willamette Manor, students, staff, and residents were polled to measure the program's success.

One highly successful event that brought seniors and students together was the Living History Day held at Milwaukie High. More than 800 veterans from four wars attended last year. The event, through the hard work of Milwaukie students and staff, has now been expanded to serve other schools in the county and across the region. Anecdotal evidence and surveys showed that if the community has a better understanding of school needs, they will be more likely to support bond proposals. In fact, a bond measure passed soon after this event. "This is an example of the best we can do," says Krumm, "where community connections lead to better student learning."

The district's volunteer program also increases community connections. The program is primarily composed of parents and grandparents. According to Nancy Giersch, coordinator of community involvement, the program has been very effective in showing the volunteers just how many needs schools have and how tax dollars are spent to meet those needs. This understanding has developed greater support for teachers as well.

Building connections between the community and the school is just half of Krumm's job. The other half is internal: being a resource for district and school staff. This means providing support and leadership - demonstrating how public relations strategies can make projects more successful. It does take time for staff to trust you, to feel good about what a difference PR can make, acknowledges Krumm. For a lot of people, PR is low on the priority list. The key is to be committed to building rapport with people - to be visible and accessible to the staff.

Krumm talks frequently with each school's staff about customer relations. He encourages staff to look at public relations from the public's point of view, and to ask themselves, "How are the parents' (or other groups') experiences working with us? How can we improve our relations with them? "

"I am convinced that it isn't just a matter of good ideas, it is a matter of having a real commitment to public relations," says Krumm. "I am an advocate for those who don't get spoken for in our community. Public relations can only be successful if it contributes to the real bottom line: student success."

Outcomes

• Parent approval ratings jumped from 86 percent to 91 percent in two years ending in 2000. A similar increase has been seen among the general community, where 80 percent rated the district excellent or good.
• Regular opinion research practices with students, staff, and parents have aided district accountability and helped the district win grants. Practices help clarify effective communication and instruction methods.
• Parent, business, and community members are involved extensively in student curriculum and instruction, especially through school-to-career opportunities. This is a reflection of close ties between the departments of community relations, curriculum, and instruction.
• Public relations goals are part of Board-approved district short-and long-range objectives.
• People want to work in the school district.

Keys to Success

• Base communication strategies on research.
• Continually evaluate your strategies.
• Build connections with your community by listening and responding to their needs.
• Target your strategies to specific audiences. This is much more effective than mass mailings.
• Be a cheerleader, supporter, and advisor for the district staff.
• Staff members then become ambassadors for the district.