Communication Review Report: - Target Range Elementary School

National School Public Relations Association

Communication Review Report:

Target Range Elementary

School District

Target Range Elementary 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.

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

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Contents

Introduction �� 4

Key Findings �� 9

Observations and Comments ��16

Recommendations �� 19-25

Recommendation 1 �� 20

Recommendation 2 �� 21

Recommendation 3 ��22

Recommendation 4 ��23

Recommendation 5 �� 24

Recommendation 6 �� 25

Appendix �� 26

Target Range Elementary School District

4 |

Introduction

Target Range Elementary School District is a

small, rural district in a relatively afuent area

in Missoula County, Montana. It serves almost

600 students in prekindergarten through grade

8. The district ranks in the top 50% of the

state’s 350 school districts based on combined

math and reading prociency testing data.

Target Range is one of 16 state-funded,

independent elementary school districts

in Montana that serve students in pre-

kindergarten through grade 8, with its own

Board of Trustees and independent decision-

making authority at the local level. It employs

25-30 staff members and 45 teachers, for

an average student-teacher ratio of 16:1,

compared to 14:1 statewide. Target Range has

an elementary school for grades pre-K through

6 and a middle school for grades 7 and 8, both

of which are located within the same building.

Target Range students attend Missoula County

Public Schools for high school (grades 9-12).

The district is a bedroom community to

the City of Missoula, the second largest city

in Montana, which lies to the east of the

district. The region is known for being “rural by

choice”—just far enough outside city limits for

residents to enjoy a more agricultural lifestyle

in a close-knit community. Over the last 10

years, the Target Range district has seen an

overall decrease in population. Although the

numbers periodically uctuate, on the whole it

has been a downward trend.

Approximately one-third of students enrolled

at Target Range live outside the district

boundaries. Non-resident families who choose

to send their children to Target Range help the

district maintain class sizes when the number

of local residents uctuates. The district can

increase or decrease the number of out-of-

district placements it accepts each year in order

to maintain three sections of classes at each

grade level. These out-of-district placements,

while helping to stabilize class sizes, have

caused some controversy among Target Range

residents in relation to education costs. State

law limits how much tuition a receiving school

district can charge a student’s home district,

with the receiving district left to cover the

remaining costs.

Target Range is an economically diverse

community, with almost 29 percent of students

considered economically disadvantaged. In

other respects, the community is less diverse,

with about 5 percent of students identifying as

American Indian, 2 percent as Asian, 5 percent

as Hispanic, 1 percent Black, and 2 percent

as two or more races. Very few students are

considered limited-English procient, with less

than 1 percent of students designated as such.

About 15 percent of students participate in

special education programs and services.

Target Range spends an average $8,875

per pupil each year, about half of Montana’s

statewide average of $16,673 per pupil. One of

the biggest challenges Target Range is facing is

its aging school facilities. In May 2019, district

residents voted 637-823 to reject a 20-year,

$8.47 million safety and learning bond. The

requested funding would have been used to

remodel the school and improve basic safety,

along with an update to the school’s labs and

art spaces, and additional space for robotics

projects, a new cafeteria, plus band, orchestra

and choir rooms.

Target Range is also facing the challenge

of rebuilding relationships and trust with

both employees and families, as many have

identied poor communication and strained

relationships under the leadership of prior

administrators. The district has taken steps

to remedy these challenges by hiring two new

top administrators. Dr. Heather Davis Schmidt

became Target Range superintendent on July

1, 2020, and she has since set the stage for

developing a ve-year strategic plan for the

district. Jessica Pyette became the district’s new

business manager in July, replacing a short-

term business manager who left shortly after

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

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taking on the role in 2019 to replace a long-

term business manager, who was responsible

for human resources and business ofce

functions for 14 years.

The Target Range School Board of Trustees

and Superintendent Dr. Heather Davis Schmidt

are committed to effective communication

between the school system and its employees

as well as students’ families. By contracting

for and approving a communication review

by the National School Public Relations

Association (NSPRA), these system leaders have

demonstrated their willingness to reect on

the district’s communication strengths and

challenges in order to strengthen relationships

with employees and families.

Since 1935, NSPRA has been providing

school communication training and services

to school districts, departments of education,

regional service agencies and state and national

associations throughout the United States

and Canada. Among those services are the

NSPRA Communication Audit and NSPRA

Communication Review, both of which provide:

• An important foundation for developing

and implementing a strategic

communication plan and

• A benchmark for continuing to measure

progress in the future.

In serving Target Range, the goal of this

NSPRA Communication Review process is to

demonstrate accountability and build trust

and support between the district and its

stakeholders. The primary objectives of this

communication review are:

• To uncover any communication gaps that

exist between the district and its parents

and staff; and

• To identify factors affecting the

effectiveness of the district’s

communication program.

The review process also considered the

perceptions of the focus groups and the

resource materials in light of the district’s desire

to develop a new ve-year strategic plan and

to support its vision that all children will learn,

grow and succeed.

In opting to conduct a communication review,

Target Range leaders have clearly indicated

their desire to analyze communication

practices across the school system. That is

why many of the key ndings, observations

and recommendations in this report pertain to

multiple operational areas, departments and

individuals.

Guiding Denition

NSPRA works to advance the cause of

education through responsible public relations,

communication engagement and marketing

practices. In doing so, NSPRA uses the following

denition as a foundation for all educational

public relations programs:

“Educational 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

that earn public understanding and support.”

Opinion Research as a

Foundation

Through quantitative and qualitative

research, an NSPRA Communication Review

provides information about the attitudes and

perceptions of staff and parents as well as about

the effectiveness of current communication

efforts. That research informs the auditor’s

identication of recommendations to move

the district forward and serves as a benchmark

for continuing to measure progress in the

Target Range Elementary School District

6 |

future. The development of any effective

communication program begins with such

opinion research.

Nature and Range of the Study

A communication review of Target Range

enables the district to view its communication

from an outside, independent perspective.

The auditor for this communication review

was Jennie Oesterreicher Kerwood. Her vita is

included in the appendix of this report.

Materials Review

The rst step in the communication review

involved Dr. Schmidt submitting samples of

district materials requested by the auditor such as:

• Communication materials issued to

parents and/or staff,

• School board policies and goals related to

communications,

• Communication plans,

• District and school websites,

• District and school social media channels,

and

• News clips on key issues.

Communication materials were examined

for effectiveness of message delivery,

readability, visual appeal and ease of use. The

auditor’s review of website and social media

platforms also focused on stakeholders’ use

of and engagement with online content.

Communication-related policies, goals and

plans were reviewed for alignment with

the district’s commitment that all children

will learn, grow and succeed, and with

communication best practices. Media coverage

was examined for tone, accuracy and presence

of district messaging.

The core component of NSPRA’s review

process was the listening done by the auditor

during interviews with the superintendent,

principal and three members of the Board

of Trustees, as well as during three virtual

focus groups with parents and parent leaders,

instructional staff (teachers) and non-

instructional support staff. Those interviews

and focus groups were held between October

22 and November 11, 2020. Each focus group

was guided through a similar set of discussion

questions, and each session was approximately

one hour in length. Target Range administrators

identied and invited as focus group

participants those who could represent a broad

range of opinions and ideas.

SCoPE Survey

As part of this communication review,

NSPRA’s partner organization School

Communications Performance Evaluation

(SCoPE) conducted online surveys to collect

feedback from two stakeholder groups: parents

and employees (instructional staff and support

staff). The nationally recognized SCoPE Survey

was conducted for Target Range from October

8-14, 2020. It included questions around:

• How people are currently getting their

information and how they prefer to receive

it;

• Whether they are getting the information

they need;

• Perceptions around their opportunities

to seek information, provide input and

become involved; and

• Whether they perceive the

communications to be understandable,

timely, accurate, transparent and

trustworthy.

The survey also provided an opportunity to

comment on any aspect of school or school/

department communications.

Responses to the SCoPE Survey resulted in

attaining the following margins of error for

each audience, based on the total audience

populations reported by the school:

• Parent Survey: 108 surveys completed;

± 8.7% (not meeting the ± 5% target)

• Faculty/Staff Survey: 55 surveys completed;

± 7% (not meeting the ± 5% target)

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

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This same survey has been administered to

a number of school districts across the United

States, and the Target Range nal survey report

compares the local responses to national

benchmark averages (see SCoPE Scorecard).

The auditor reviewed the data and open-ended

comment results for each survey group in detail.

Virtual Focus Groups and Interviews

The core components of NSPRA’s review

process include the listening done by the

auditor during separate interviews with the

superintendent, school principal and three

members of the Board of Trustees. In addition,

the auditor conducted three virtual focus

groups to gather input from parents and parent

leaders, instructional staff (teachers) and non-

instructional support staff.

Each focus group was guided through a similar

set of discussion questions, and each session

was approximately one hour in length. Target

Range ofcials identied and invited as focus

group participants those who could represent a

broad range of opinions and ideas.

Following the review of district materials,

SCoPE Survey results, focus group discussion

comments and interview feedback, the

auditor identied key ndings and prepared

recommendations for improving two-way

communication and engagement with the

district’s staff and parent stakeholders.

The recommendations are based on proven

strategies used in successful communication

programs by school systems around North

America and are reected within NSPRA’s

Rubrics of Practice and Suggested Measures (copy

of publication issued with report).

The nal report was carefully reviewed and

edited by NSPRA Executive Director Barbara

Hunter, APR, and Associate Director Mellissa

Braham, APR.

Assumptions

It is assumed that school systems undertake

communication reviews because they are

committed to improving communication efforts

and strengthening relationships with staff and

parent stakeholders. It is also assumed that they

wish to view the school district and its work

through the perceptions of others, and that

they would not enter into a communication

review unless they were comfortable doing so.

However, some caution should be observed

regarding the nature of such a review. Whenever

opinions are solicited about an institution

and its work, there is a tendency to dwell on

perceived problem areas. This should not

detract from an institution’s many positives,

though. Improvement is impossible without

information on what may need to be changed.

This report is intended to build on the many

positive accomplishments of the district

and to suggest options for enhancing its

communication program.

Whether or not stakeholders’ perceptions

are accurate, they reect beliefs held by

focus group participants and provide strong

indicators of the communication gaps that

may exist. The recommendations in this report

are designed to address such gaps and to assist

district leaders in their efforts to communicate

more consistently and effectively.

Considerations for implementing

Recommendations

The recommendations in this report address

immediate communication needs as well as

those that are ongoing or that should receive

future consideration as part of long-range

planning. Some recommendations may apply

only to those with formal communication

tasks, and others may apply to all departments

and schools. Some recommendations may

be implemented right away, and others may

require additional staff capacity or nancial

resources to undertake while maintaining

existing programs. This is a long-term effort in

which the report should serve as a road map for

the future.

Communication programs in any

organization are most successful when

treated as a management function that is

planned, evaluated and regularly updated.

With the recommendations in this NSPRA

Target Range Elementary School District

8 |

Communication Review Report, Target Range

now has the data and guidance necessary to

more effectively manage its communication

with parent and staff stakeholders.

Copies to Participants

Focus group participants were generous in

sharing their thoughts and ideas during the

virtual focus group sessions. They were also

interested in nding out the results of the

communication review. Because of their high

level of interest and involvement, along with

the importance of closing the communication

loop to build trust and credibility, the district

should share the results of the communication

review with focus group participants.

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

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Key Findings

The following key ndings reect common

themes that emerged from the virtual focus

group discussions, interviews, SCoPE Survey

results and review of district materials. The

ndings are grouped under the categories of

district strengths, district weaknesses and

opportunities for improvement, change in

district perceptions, common communication

channels, communication strengths,

communication challenges, stakeholder input

and COVID-19 communication.

District Strengths

• Nearly every person who participated in

a focus group or was interviewed as part

of the communications survey agreed on

this key point: The Target Range school

community feels like “family.” Some

attribute this close-knit, supportive

environment to the fact that students

at all grade levels are educated in one

building, while others noted that Target

Range attracts and retains dedicated and

talented teachers and staff who care deeply

about students and their families. On the

SCoPE Survey, teachers most often used

the word “family” to describe the district,

while parents most often used the word

“community.”

• Participants also pointed to the district’s

commitment to maintaining relatively

smaller class sizes and the overall record

of academic achievements as important

district strengths.

• Parents and staff gave the district and its

schools relatively high ratings on the SCoPE

Survey for providing accurate information

they feel they can trust and understand.

• While the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a

wide range of operational and educational

challenges, the crisis also has empowered

administrators and staff to “think outside

the box”—to problem solve and develop

workable solutions quickly. “We are all so

much more knowledgeable of what we can

do,” one employee noted.

• Some crisis-driven solutions will likely

have staying power after the pandemic

eases, participants agreed. An example

shared was classroom teachers all

now using a standardized e-newsletter

template, instead of the wide assortment

of electronic and printed newsletters

used previously, and that the content has

been expanded beyond just classroom

social activities. “We are also telling about

standards and what we’re learning,”

another employee noted, “and we are

checking in to make sure everyone is OK.”

• Parents, staff and members of the Board of

Trustees report operational improvements

since the new superintendent and business

ofce manager took over, and for the most

part, they are optimistic the district is now

heading on a smoother course.

• Board of Trustees members report

signicant improvements in both internal

and external communication across the

district under Dr. Schmidt’s leadership.

In prior years, board members say they

received limited information from district

administrators. “We wanted to learn about

the school and see where the problems

are,” a board member noted, “but we were

not able to get a good understanding

of where the problems are. How the

curriculum is reviewed and developed and

the strategies that were used was obscure

and not communicated well.”

• Across district stakeholders—from

members of the Board of Trustees to

administrators, teachers and staff—there

is consensus that the business ofce

is now running much more smoothly

after a chaotic period marked by poor

relationships and communication and

Target Range Elementary School District

10 |

Two Words That Best Describe the District: Faculty/Staff

Two Words That Best Describe the District: Parents/Family

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 11

by a lack of comprehensive systems in

place to ensure that tasks were performed

consistently and with transparency.

District Weaknesses and Opportunities

for Improvement

• While internal and external

communication efforts are reportedly

stronger in the past six months since

the change in administrative leadership,

many focus group participants and survey

responses indicate more should be done.

For example, the district website has had

some design and content improvements

in recent months, but stakeholders say the

current website is still hard to navigate,

is not mobile responsive, and is missing

key information. Some stakeholders

nd the number of district and school

communications channels in use to be

confusing, time consuming and difcult to

access without guidance or tech support. In

the SCoPE Survey, some parents suggested

eliminating classroom newsletters and

instead having schools post that same

information on the website.

• During focus groups and interviews, some

stakeholders said the district has not done

a good job of building or maintaining

connections with residents who don’t have

children attending school in the district.

“There’s a disconnect,” a stakeholder said,

especially among older residents “who

don’t always wait to get their information

from the school” and who consequently

share inaccurate information with others

in the community. “We don’t have a

channel to reach the full district,” another

participant observed, noting there is also

no newspaper or TV station that regularly

covers Target Range’s educational programs

and activities.

• Many stakeholders see the district’s

facilities as an opportunity for

improvement. “We have 21

century

teaching, but not a 21

century building,”

a focus group participant noted, while

another said, “The school is physically

adequate, but it doesn’t match with the

quality we would like to have.” Stakeholders

pointed to specic building issues—such as

a lack of security cameras, doors that don’t

function properly, speech therapy being

offered in a closet, and no band room,

for example—as issues that would have

been addressed under the capital project

defeated by voters in 2019. Others believe

the school grounds could be better utilized

for outside learning.

• The SCoPE Survey found that staff feel

relatively uninformed about district

nances, goals, plans, successes,

achievements and leadership decisions.

These represent areas of opportunity for

the district to expand and enhance its

communications efforts.

Change in District Perceptions:

Now Versus One Year Ago

• Communication across the board is better

now, many stakeholders report, although

timeliness of communication remains an

issue for some stakeholders, and some

staff say there still is not enough teacher

involvement in key decision-making

efforts.

• While some staff report that what happens

in their classrooms has not signicantly

changed in the last year, they feel more

included and more knowledgeable since

administrators now email them regularly

the same information that is being sent to

parents and students.

• Business ofce functions and procedures

are more consistent, organized and

transparent, participants said, and business

ofce staff are providing more information

than they have in the past. “The new staff

is giving us information we didn’t know

existed or we didn’t have access to,” an

employee explained.

• Parents reported the biggest changes they

have seen over the last year are mostly

linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, how

the school days are structured, and how

Target Range Elementary School District

12 |

much harder it is for them to support their

children when they are learning remotely.

Common Communication Channels

• Parents and staff alike say they often

reach out to teachers, building secretaries

and administrators when they have

questions or want information, rather than

consulting the district website or other

district communications vehicles.

• Now that Board of Trustees meetings

can be watched from home via the Zoom

platform, many stakeholders say they are

getting much more information about

the district by watching board meetings

regularly.

• Most focus group participants said they

rely heavily on email and other forms of

electronic communication that are pushed

out by the district. Almost no one said they

use social media platforms for information

about the district, while the district website

is seen as primarily useful for such items

as lunch menus and calendar information.

The SCoPE Survey echoed those ndings:

> On the survey, parents said they are

most likely to get both district-level

and school-level information from

emails, phone calls and text messages

(both automated and personalized) as

well as from report cards and progress

notes from their children’s schools.

> Staff said they rely most heavily on

email, followed by school and district

calendars, and then word of mouth.

> When asked where they would prefer

to get information, the rst choice

about most matters for both groups

remains emails, except they prefer

text messages for closings, delays,

early dismissals, serious incidents and

school crises.

Communication Strengths

• Stakeholders report that teachers and

support staff generally do a good job

communicating with families about

what’s happening in their classrooms

and about their children’s needs and

accomplishments. They point to both

informal means of communicating—such

as being visible and available to talk outside

the school during dismissal times—and

more formal communication through

digital tools such as the Remind app as

key ways that educators communicate

effectively with parents.

• Board of Trustees communication has

improved in part because of the move to

Zoom meetings, stakeholders say, and in

part because the district has adopted the

use of BoardDocs, an online system linked

to the district website that includes board

meeting agendas and related documents

for upcoming meetings and minutes from

prior meetings. The district’s policy manual

is also housed on the BoardDocs platform.

• The SCoPE Survey found that parents

were slightly more satised with

district communication than were staff,

and parents also had a slightly better

perception of the district based on its

communications. Satisfaction levels and

perceptions were both rated higher among

local parents and staff than the national

average. Respondents’ ratings are shown on

a scale of 1-5, where 5 is “excellent” and 1 is

“poor.”

Overall Satisfaction with

Communication

Target

Range

National

Average

Staff 3�8 3�6

Parents 4�2 3�8

Overall Perception

of District Based on

Communication

Target

Range

National

Average

Staff 4�1 3�7

Parents 4�2 3�9

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 13

• On the SCoPE Survey, both parents and

staff gave Target Range higher scores

for the trustworthiness of district

communications as compared to the

national average. Results are shown on a

scale of 1-5, where 5 is “strongly agree” and

1 is “strongly disagree.”

Trustworthiness of

District Communication

Target

Range

National

Average

Staff 4�2 3�7

Parents 4�2 4�0

• On the SCoPE Survey, parents gave Target

Range schools higher scores for the

trustworthiness of their communications

than staff did, and both groups gave local

schools higher scores for trustworthiness

than the national average. Results are

shown on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is

“strongly agree” and 1 is “strongly disagree.”

Trustworthiness of

School Communication

Target

Range

National

Average

Staff 4�2 4�1

Parents 4�6 4�1

Communication Challenges

• One of the biggest challenges focus groups

reported was inconsistent messaging, with

some stakeholder groups being informed

while others are not. “Some people know

more than others,” a participant noted.

“The same message should get to everyone

at the same time.” Teachers and support

staff report frustration that administrators

send emails with important information

to families rst and then afterwards to

employees.

• Parents perceive the timeliness and

transparency of district and school/teacher

communications more favorably than staff.

District administrators rely heavily on email

to communicate with teachers and staff,

many of whom reported in the focus groups

that they do not have time or access to

computers during the school day to check

their email. When timely information

needs to be shared quickly among teachers

and staff, often it is spread “word of

mouth,” with one group of employees

passing on information to others as they

see them. SCoPE Survey results are shown

here on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is “strongly

agree” and 1 is “strongly disagree.”

Timeliness of

Communications From...

Staff

Parents

District Administration 3�8 4�3

School/Teachers 3�8 4�5

Transparency of

Communications From...

Staff

Parents

District Administration 3�6 4�1

School/Teachers 3�7 4�5

• Another challenge is choosing the right

tool to communicate specic information.

Some information is posted on the district

website, while other information is posted

on the district’s and the PTO’s Facebook

pages. Many focus group participants said

they would like to see the district focus

on a single platform so they know where

to look for the best information, and staff

expressed a desire to be able to devote their

efforts to a single communications tool.

• Information overload is seen as a big

challenge among many stakeholders.

Target Range does the bulk of its formal

communications in writing, including

emails, web posts, newsletters and the like.

> Some stakeholders said they need

more support navigating the district’s

Target Range Elementary School District

14 |

wide range of online communication

channels, from the Remind app,

to Google Classroom and Innite

Campus, Clever, Aesop/Frontline and

the district’s new spin-off Google-

based “Target Range School Remote

Learning” website, which is intended

to be a resource hub for parents,

organized by grade level.

> Parents also reported feeling

overwhelmed by too many emails from

teachers, the schools and the district.

“We stop reading them” when there are

too many, too often, said a parent.

> Parents said they nd it challenging to

access all the online communications

channels now in use in the district,

and that the online tech support on

the district website is not adequate.

• With the recent change in district

leadership, administrators and staff report

some uncertainty about who is responsible

for which communications. Certain tasks

that in prior years were handled by the

principal and assistant principal, for

example, are now also being handled by

the superintendent. Likewise, teachers

report they are now sending out weekly

newsletters to their students’ families at

the same time the two schools and the

district are sending their own emails and

newsletters. “We don’t always know what

we need to communicate versus what

should be school-wide communication.

We need clarity as to who should send

it: the teacher, the school or the district,”

observed a teacher.

• Some stakeholders believe the district

surveys them too frequently, and that

surveys should be done with a uniform

style using a consistent platform. “Anything

from the school should be predictable, easy

to understand and intuitive, or we won’t do

it,” one participant said.

• Some focus group participants said it would

be helpful to be told the “why” of a decision

or change in procedures as well as the

“what,” as that would help explain context.

• Several staff members who participated in

the focus groups said they feel unsupported

by administrators and colleagues, and they

shared communication-related practices

as examples. “I feel damned if I do or don’t,

when I make a decision. I go to others

before I go to administrators,” noted a

participant. Another said, “I am so afraid of

making a mistake. We do go to each other

and try things out.” Some staff members

also observed that school leaders don’t

always tell individuals about issues with

their own performance. “Things are told

to my peers instead of me,” a participant

said. “It’s very embarrassing for me that my

peers hear it.”

• Board members expressed frustration

that they do not have any ready means

to communicate directly with internal

and external stakeholders who don’t

attend board meetings. Board members

also said they would like to develop better

listening tools so they can gain a deeper

understanding of what is happening both

programmatically across the district as well

as in individual classrooms, and they would

like to hear more directly from staff about

their suggestions and concerns.

Stakeholder Input

• Focus group participants were in agreement

that they have not been asked to provide

much input in relation to COVID-19

issues, as they pertain to public schools,

and indicated it was because the district

opted to follow the COVID-19 task force

guidelines.

• Several focus group participants said their

opinions and input were occasionally

solicited by the district prior to the

pandemic, but they felt that feedback was

rarely taken into consideration. “If there

was a disagreement in opinion about what

they got from us, if it didn’t align with their

perspective, then they didn’t listen,” a staff

member observed. SCoPE Survey data,

however, suggests the majority of staff

and parents generally feel their input and

opinions are welcome. Results are shown

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 15

here on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is “strongly

agree” and 1 is “strongly disagree.”

My Input and Opinions

Welcomed and Valued by...

Staff

Parents

District Administration 3�7 3�7

School/Teachers 3�8 4�4

• Staff focus group participants said their

input is more likely to be heard and

taken into consideration at the building

level than the district level, but some

reported feeling unsupported by school

administrators during the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers said they

were asked to help design the district’s

phased responses to the COVID-19

pandemic, but when rolling out some of

those changes became challenging, they

felt that school administrators did not

provide adequate direction to help them

resolve the challenges.

COVID-19 Communication

• Many stakeholders expressed appreciation

for the district’s swift actions to institute

plans for virtual learning in the spring, with

a phased-in return to classroom learning in

the fall. “There are good systems in place.

Families received good communication,”

said a focus group participant.

• Focus group participants noted that the

district has taken a number of steps to

communicate essential information related

to the COVID-19 pandemic, but many feel

the shared information is too much and too

confusing. Some wish that information was

easier to nd and offered up in fewer places.

• Information related to the COVID-19

pandemic is primarily shared through the

district website, including information

about the district’s operational changes

as well as resources related to the disease

itself. While many stakeholders say it is

helpful to have this information all in

one place, some say the information is

difcult to wade through, understand

and/or retain, and others say the district

relies too heavily on referring people

to the posted information rather than

answering questions directly, engaging

in conversations or providing in-person

trainings about the district’s guidance,

procedures and protocols.

• In the SCoPE Survey responses, some

parents expressed frustration with school

ofcials’ perceived lack of transparency

around decisions the district has made

in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parents in the focus groups said they

would like more information when positive

cases of COVID-19 are found in the school

community such as which grade or

classroom is involved.

• Teachers and staff said they would like to

be informed rst, before families are told

about COVID-19 positive cases within the

school building, noting they are caught

off guard when contacted by community

members about positive cases they had not

yet been told about by school ofcials.

• Several focus group participants said that

certain information is shared only at board

meetings, and they expressed a desire for

such information to be communicated

directly to them. As an illustrative example,

a participant said the district’s business

manager mentioned during a recent

meeting that Target Range had instituted a

hybrid learning schedule to help maintain

social distancing. “That was the rst time

I ever heard that,” the participant said,

explaining that she had been unhappy

with virtual learning prior to hearing that

because it was disruptive and hard on her

family, and she hadn’t understood why it

was important.

• Some staff said they get mixed messages

about what they should do if they

have potentially been exposed to the

coronavirus. While the guidance is to stay

home, staff say they have felt criticized and

an unspoken pressure to return to work.

Target Range Elementary School District

16 |

Observations and Comments

NSPRA offers these general observations

and comments following the conclusion of the

communication review process:

1. Target Range Elementary School

District has an opportunity to develop

and strengthen trust among internal

and external stakeholders. With the

district’s change in leadership in July

2020, momentum is already building

for improved trust between and among

members of the Board of Trustees,

administrators, teachers, support staff,

families and the community as a whole.

Stakeholders for the most part agree that

communication almost immediately

improved under the leadership of the

new district superintendent and business

ofce manager, and most say they believe

additional communication improvements

are likely to occur. However, because

there have been instances in the past

where communication was not clear,

forthcoming or timely—and because

stakeholders say they continue to feel

unheard or excluded—district leadership

should focus on building trust as an

important next step.

Current district leaders must be more

transparent and forthcoming with

information that stakeholders need

and want than past administrators.

Make it a practice to actively listen to

stakeholders when they offer suggestions,

ask questions or voice concerns. Trust

will be strengthened as stakeholders feel

more heard and included; when they

receive accurate, complete and timely

information; and when they feel safe to

speak honestly and openly about their

concerns and experiences.

2. The COVID-19 pandemic is a

change agent toward improved

communication. Like school districts

everywhere, Target Range has faced

enormous challenges in retooling

educational practices, policies and

procedures so that students can keep on

learning during the pandemic. As part

of that process, district leaders and staff

have strengthened their communication

efforts out of necessity, at a time when it

is not “business as usual.” Disruption is

an opportunity for change and growth for

those who are willing to change and grow.

Target Range administrators, teachers

and staff have appeared willing and

able to pivot as needed, both in terms of

how the schools will operate and also in

terms of how, what and how often they

communicate.

3. Target Range would benet from

a more strategic communications

approach. The superintendent has

said she plans to begin the process of

developing a ve-year strategic plan

to guide future district decisions and

directions. Similarly, Target Range would

benet from developing a strategic

communication plan that aligns with

the district’s mission and vision and

that will support the development

and implementation of the new ve-

year strategic plan. While it is not

feasible for the district to develop a full

communication plan in the middle of this

school year, district leadership can develop

a focused communication plan around the

district’s COVID-19 pandemic response

and then use that model to develop a

districtwide communication plan for the

2021-2022 school year.

4. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a

polarizing force in the community. In

truth, the pandemic has been a polarizing

force across the entire nation, so it’s

to be expected that sentiments within

the Target Range community will also

vary widely. While many stakeholders

appreciate the district’s efforts to

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 17

communicate the changes brought on

by the pandemic, others are unhappy

with specic decisions district leadership

have made. While it is not possible to

please everyone, the district should make

a concerted effort to build informed

consent—or the grudging willingness to

go along because I understand it, even if

I don’t like it—for the decisions that have

been made already and for the changes

that undoubtedly are still coming.

5. The district is not using its

communication channels effectively.

Stakeholders report feeling overwhelmed

by the number of district, school and

classroom-level communication channels

they need to check in order to remain

informed—and many report they don’t

always know where to look. School

leaders should take inventory of current

communication tools in use to determine

which are most effective and which are

less effective or duplicative; include

in that inventory the daily volume of

communication issued via each tool

and how consistent the key messages

are across the different tools. Consider

stakeholder preferences, as outlined in

this report and the SCoPE Survey, and then

strategically decide which tool(s) to make

the authoritative source(s) for district and

school information.

Simplifying and streamlining which

communication channels are used for

specic purposes will take an initial

investment of time and resources, but

will ultimately prove to be a time saver.

This is essential at Target Range where

administrators, teachers and staff share

responsibility for communication on

district, school and classroom matters, in

addition to their regular responsibilities.

Consider offering annual professional

development and training in effective

communications, including social media

use and website authoring, for all staff.

6. The district website is hard to navigate,

is missing key information, appears to

only target families (thereby missing

other key audiences), and does not

offer opportunities to engage visitors.

Target Range’s website should be seen as

the rst and best source of information

about the district, its schools and its

students. With a limited amount of staff

support available to update and maintain

the website, it should also be relatively

simple to author. Currently, neither of

those things are true.

While Target Range’s website is seen as

a good place to nd certain information

(lunch menus and event details, for

example), most stakeholders go elsewhere

when they have questions or want

information. District administrators who

author the website say it is not user

friendly, is time consuming to update,

and does not allow the district to post

information or photos in a visually

appealing way. Much of the posted

content is served up as linked PDF or

text les, which are not user friendly,

mobile responsive or accessible to those

with visual or hearing challenges. These

original source documents are generally

not written in a reader-friendly style

and are often visually unappealing,

which makes them daunting and time

consuming to read. The website makes

inconsistent use of alt tags and screen tips,

which help with accessibility, and much

of the posted content is wordy and not

inviting to read. While some impactful

photos are posted on the website, the

district could strengthen its efforts by

posting more and better photos as well as

video content when time and resources

become available. The district also does

not have written objectives or a formal

plan in place to guide web development

nor does it use analytics programs or

software to assess the use of its site.

Reimagining and redesigning the Target

Range website should be a top priority

Target Range Elementary School District

18 |

for the district to pursue. Investing in a

website redesign now would ultimately

lead to a more cost-effective use of future

staff time and communication dollars. It

also would allow the Target Range website

to serve as a primary communications

vehicle for the district and its schools. As

part of that redesign effort, Target Range

should choose a web template that is

mobile responsive and compliant with

federal accessibility guidelines.

The Target Range superintendent reported

in mid December 2020 that she is actively

pursuing a contract with a different

website provider as a way to reduce web

software and hosting costs while utilizing

a more attractive and robust platform

that is far simpler to author and maintain.

She anticipates web redesign efforts will

commence in February 2021.

7. The district can make better use of

its social media channels, after other

communication channels have been

addressed. The district’s Facebook page

was created in March 2020, and by mid

December the page had 291 followers.

The page appears to have been hastily

put together in response to the COVID-19

pandemic, which forced school buildings

to close last March. Although there were

some initial posts that generated limited

public engagement, no activity was posted

on the district’s Facebook page from May

20 until December 4, 2020. The district’s

Twitter account was launched in 2013,

with 53 followers as of mid-December

2020. The district’s last tweet was on

November 19, 2019.

While social media is one way for

school districts to engage families and

community residents, having an effective

presence for Target Range on Facebook

and Twitter will require more staff time

and training as well as administrative

time and resources to develop appropriate

social media policies and guidelines. Based

on both focus group feedback and SCoPE

Survey responses, social media does not

appear to be a high-priority source of

information for district stakeholders. Thus,

strengthening the effectiveness of other

communication channels should be given

higher priority in the coming months. The

school principal could place a pinned post

at the top of the district’s Facebook page

to let visitors know the page is being used

minimally at this time, but to expect more

regular news and photos beginning in fall

2021—or whenever district leaders feel

they can devote more time and resources

to the page.

8. The district relies almost exclusively

on electronic communications, which

represents missed opportunities to

reach some segments of the voting,

taxpaying community who may

prefer printed materials. As part

of this communications review, the

superintendent provided links to a recent

superintendent letter and a principal’s

newsletter, both of which were emailed to

stakeholders, and a full-color, two-sided

fact sheet about the 2019 capital project

vote. While electronic communications

are generally faster and cheaper to

produce, complex information is often

easier to grasp when provided in a well-

designed, well-written printed publication.

Focus group participants noted that

the district does not have a method for

communicating with residents who do

not have children in the school system.

Target Range may be able to better inform

and engage residents who don’t have

children in the district through printed

newsletters, brochures or iers that can

either be mailed or strategically placed in

community locations.

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 19

Recommendations

In the Target Range Elementary School

District, communication efforts are guided

by the district’s administrative team, who

are responsible for virtually all formal

communication from the district and its

two schools. While Target Range is a small

district with limited resources, it is unlikely

to achieve maximum communication

effectiveness for a school system of its size

if the superintendent, building principal and

business ofcial are the only personnel with

formal communication responsibilities. To

realize meaningful improvements, the district’s

communication efforts will require commitment

and participation from staff beyond the

administrative team.

The following recommendations are listed

in a suggested order of priority, but the

district may choose to implement different

recommendations at different times. Each is

linked to online resources from NSPRA that will

help school leaders gain a fuller picture of steps

to improve over time. Some recommendations

can be implemented immediately, and others

may take several years. This is a long-term

Summary of Recommendations

1. Develop a strategic communication plan.

2. Prioritize transparency and two-way listening when communicating with staff and parents.

3. Conduct communications training for district and school staff.

4. Streamline communication efforts.

5. Improve the website user experience through a focus on mobile responsiveness and

accessibility best practices.

6. When stafng levels allow, develop and maintain a social media presence to better tell the

district’s stories and engage external stakeholders.

effort, and new communication components

will need to be introduced when the district’s

budget, resources and staff capacity allow.

Also, keep in mind that these recommendations

are in some ways intertwined and mutually

interdependent in order for the district to

achieve the best communications outcomes

possible. For example, without both a strategic

communication plan and a districtwide

commitment to transparency, two-way

communication and building informed consent,

it will be harder for Target Range to create an

open dialogue, deliver key messages that are

important to stakeholders, or build support

for programs and initiatives. Likewise, in order

to systematize and simplify communications

efforts, key staff should receive training in

basic principles of public relations and effective

school communications so they can then

make informed decisions about streamlining

communications efforts at the classroom,

school and district levels.

Target Range Elementary School District

20 |

Recommendation 1:

Develop a strategic communication plan.

To build strong, positive relationships with

parents and staff, as well as community

stakeholders, school districts must do more

than compile and share basic information.

Effective communication efforts also should be

timely, written in clear and engaging language,

relatively efcient to achieve, and directly tied

to the district’s mission, vision and strategic

goals. This ongoing effort is best conceptualized

in a strategic communication plan that includes

measurable objectives aligned with district

priorities and goals as well as strategies and

tactics to reach target audiences with key

messages. Such plans should also include

timelines for implementation, designate

responsible staff, and provide specic

evaluation criteria for each strategy.

Target Range has neither a formal

communication plan nor an overarching

strategy to guide its public information

and community engagement efforts. With

limited staff and nancial resources available,

Target Range might be inclined to continue

communicating on a piecemeal basis

without clear direction about what should be

communicated, by whom, how often, via what

communications platforms or tools, and for

what purpose. However, such practices easily

become ineffective, especially if there are

no checkpoints in place or key performance

indicators to help district leaders evaluate

progress, so they can retool communications

strategies or evolve as circumstances change.

With a new superintendent at the helm

since July 1, 2020, the district has undertaken

this communication review as a key step in

improving district communications efforts.

Target Range ofcials also will soon begin

crafting a ve-year strategic plan. If Target

Range commits to developing a comprehensive

communication plan, that plan can help shape

the ve-year district strategic plan and build

informed consent for the vision it outlines.

For now, Target Range is facing an urgent

need for strategic communication related

to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its

effect on local education. So as a rst step,

the district should consider developing a mini

communication plan focused on its continued

response to the coronavirus as soon as possible.

(Find resources to assist the effort in NSPRA’s

COVID-19 Communications Tool Kit.) A more

comprehensive, districtwide communication

planning effort should then follow, building on

the strengths of the pandemic communication

plan, with adjustments and enhancements as

needed to meet much broader communication

needs. That will help Target Range keep its

efforts on track and focused on both informing

and engaging stakeholders.

NSPRA Online Resource:

Create a strategic communication plan

For guidance in developing a communication

plan using the four-step strategic PR planning

process of research, planning, implementation

and evaluation (RPIE), visit www.nspra.org/

comms-review-resource/create-strategic-

communication-plan.

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 21

Recommendation 2:

Prioritize transparency and two-way listening when communicating

with staff and parents.

To forge stronger relationships with staff

and parents while building support for

district programs and initiatives, Target Range

leaders should focus on regular, transparent

communications and two-way listening.

This may require developing new processes so

school leaders routinely remember to:

• Empower staff to serve as district

ambassadors by communicating internally

before externally, so they are the rst to

know about what’s happening in schools,

classrooms or throughout the district;

• Be the rst and best source of

information on district and school

issues so staff and parents know where

to turn for timely, accurate and reliable

information; and

• Actively seek out and listen to

stakeholders’ unique experiences, opinions,

preferences and needs as part of ongoing

planning efforts.

When leaders demonstrate a sincere interest

in listening to stakeholders, they create good

will and strengthen relationships. This does

not mean giving away the authority to make

decisions, though. Some key points to remember:

• Seek stakeholder input when the district

and schools are facing a challenging or

controversial matter and:

> Decisions have not yet been made;

> The outcome is not predetermined by

law, statute, policy or other binding

guidance; and

> District leaders are genuinely willing

to consider stakeholders’ ideas,

suggestions, fears and concerns.

• Build public understanding when

the district is facing a challenging or

controversial matter and:

> A decision has already been made or

the outcome is predetermined by law,

statute, policy or other binding guidance;

> The decision makers already

understand what decision is necessary

based on their knowledge of the

situation or their professional expertise;

> Stakeholders may not fully understand

the underlying issue, history of

the issue, or legal ramications or

requirements of the situation; and/or

> Stakeholders may not understand

the benets of the chosen solution

as compared to other solutions or

outcomes that were not selected.

• Make clear how the nal decision

will be made, by when, and who has the

authority—and the responsibility—to

make that decision.

• Have a plan for how information about

the decision-making process will be

shared with those who provide input.

Remembering these key points and following

the preceding steps will help the district build

trust, informed consent for new initiatives and

stakeholders’ perception of its transparency.

NSPRA Online Resource:

Build employees as ambassadors

For guidance in empowering employees to

share organizational messages accurately and

honestly, visit www.nspra.org/comms-review-

resource/employee-ambassadors.

Target Range Elementary School District

22 |

Recommendation 3:

Conduct communications training for district and school staff.

Target Range relies on its administrative

team to serve as the district’s primary

communicators, who provide oversight,

coordination and content for the district

website, newsletters, social media and other

forms of electronic communication. This

approach may seem necessary in a small school

system, but empowering teachers and support

staff to serve as communicators on the front

lines can be effective and impactful. It can also

increase opportunities to communicate and

build relationships with district stakeholders.

Communication efforts can have a direct

impact on school operations, how stakeholders

feel about their local schools and, ultimately, on

the quality and effectiveness of the education

district students receive. Thus, it’s worth

investing district resources to help staff at all

levels develop the skills they need to be good

communicators. This is especially true in Target

Range, which does not have a trained public

relations/communications professional.

As a rst step, Target Range should focus on

technical trainings so administrators and staff

can more effectively use the district’s electronic

communications channels, including the

district’s website, newsletters, and parent and

teacher information hubs. Important topics to

cover include which communication tools are

preferred for staff use, how to use those tools

and any expectations for frequency of use. The

trainings might be offered as virtual webinars,

live online instruction or in-person professional

development programs. Programming could be

delivered quarterly, semi-annually or annually

by in-house information technology experts,

by teachers with experience and expertise to

share, by contracted consultants from a local

pubic relations or communication technology

rm, or even by inviting virtual presentations

from members of nearby state school public

relations associations such as NSPRA chapters

Washington SPRA, Oregon SPRA and Idaho SPRA.

Once a foundational level of technical

knowledge is established, the district should

consider expanding its training to cover broader

skills such as customer service best practices,

creating and sending classroom newsletters,

fair use of copyrighted materials, how to garner

positive news coverage from local media outlets,

crisis communications and the like.

NSPRA Online Resource:

Communications training for

district employees

For guidance in developing communication

training programs for district employees, visit

www.nspra.org/comms-review-resource/comm-

training.

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 23

Recommendation 4:

Streamline communications efforts.

Target Range uses a wide range of electronic

tools to push out information to district

stakeholders, including the district website,

personalized emails, e-newsletters currently

sent through Constant Contact, the Remind app,

Google Classroom and Innite Campus, Clever,

Aesop/Frontline and the district’s new spin-off

Google-based “Target Range School Remote

Learning” website, which serves up information

related to student learning during the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is that a lot of

communication tools for administrators and

staff to manage, it’s also an overwhelming

number for parents and staff to navigate.

Target Range would benet from streamlining

its communication efforts by eliminating

or reducing redundant tools, by identifying

a preferred list of tools for staff use and by

prioritizing those tools best suited for the

different types of information being shared. For

example, static information that rarely changes

is best served up on the district website. Time-

sensitive or urgent information should be shared

in person where practical or via email, phone

calls and texts—with consistent messaging

echoed on the website as news items that have

dates and are regularly archived. (Texting also

is more immediate by nature, which may help

Target Range improve the perceived timeliness

of communications.) Engaging stories and

photos from the classroom can be posted on

the district’s website for now, and later as time

and resources allow for more social media

management, on Facebook and Twitter.

Weekly emails from classroom teachers

are often dense with text and full of dry

information about learning standards and

curriculum. These emails could be more

engaging simply by including more white

space and photos or other graphical images.

Consider using these emails to tell descriptive,

personalized stories of learning in action, and

where necessary, linking to static information

on curriculum and learning standards placed on

the district website.

Other suggestions include:

• Soliciting feedback from parents and staff

to understand their communication needs

and preferences before choosing which

communications channels to prioritize

and which to eliminate or use less

frequently (see key ndings).

• Making written information easier to digest

by writing in simple, declarative sentences.

• Personalizing information delivery. Some

complex, time-sensitive or potentially

controversial information is better

communicated one on one, with small

groups of people or during community

meetings (virtual or in person).

• Assigning specic tasks to designated

people and clarifying who is responsible

for what to boost efciency and avoid

redundancy.

NSPRA Online Resource:

Standardize parent communication

processes

For guidance on how to streamline and

standardize parent communication channels,

visit www.nspra.org/comms-review-resource/

standardize-parent-communication-processes.

Target Range Elementary School District

24 |

Recommendation 5:

Improve the website user experience through a focus on mobile

responsiveness and accessibility best practices.

Target Range administrators are keenly aware

the district website is time consuming for them

to author and maintain, and that it is decient

in other key ways. To address these issues, they

are working to secure a vendor who can provide

a content-managed web platform and hosting

service for the district’s website. While the

selected vendor will likely have an established

process it uses when working with new clients,

district leaders should also take proactive steps

to help ensure the nal web design is both

author- and user-friendly, and that it adheres to

best practices related to mobile responsiveness

and accessibility.

As part of the initial planning process, the

district should take an inventory of all content

posted on the current website and make note

of what information needs to be updated, what

needs to be edited for clarity and readability,

what linked PDF and Microsoft Word documents

should be replaced with content placed directly

on web pages, and what information should

be deleted altogether. District staff should also

make a list of all content that still needs to be

created and then develop a work plan for who

will be responsible for what as the new site is

built and then later maintained.

The new web design should be visually

pleasing, easy to navigate, with clear links and

other navigational tools to help visitors quickly

and easily nd the content they are seeking.

Photos should be prominently displayed for

visual impact, to draw visitors in and to help

tell the district’s stories. To communicate that

same information for visitors who have visual

impairments, website authors should correctly

and consistently use alt tags and screen tips for

all photos and graphics placed on the district

website. This is just one of many steps that

the web designer and web authors will need to

take, as all school districts in the United States

are required by law to ensure their websites are

accessible to the disabled.

Choosing a mobile-responsive design is also

imperative since so many web visitors today

rely on hand-held mobile devices at least some

if not all of the time. Websites that are hard to

navigate on a mobile device are frustrating for

visitors, causing many to leave without getting

the information they need.

By improving the district’s website design

and by making it more accessible for all users,

the district will ensure that parents and staff

can easily access important information. More

importantly, this will help ensure parents and

staff want to consult the website for the latest

news and information about Target Range.

NSPRA Online Resource:

Create a mobile-responsive

and accessible website

For guidance on how to undertake a

website redesign process focused on mobile

responsiveness and website accessibility, visit

www.nspra.org/comms-review-resource/mobile-

responsive-accessible-website.

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 25

Recommendation 6:

Develop and maintain a social media presence to better tell the district’s

stories and engage external stakeholders.

This recommendation is provided last because

enhancing the district’s social media presence

can wait while school ofcials address higher-

priority communication needs. It is included,

however, since social media is a useful tool

for engaging stakeholders and driving two-

way communication and conversations about

student and staff achievements, activities and

classroom stories.

Here’s why: Social media is popular, with

about 72% of adults in the United States

regularly using some type of social media. Other

than staff time, there is relatively minimal

cost to using social media channels. Parents

and staff, as well as community members, also

can access district social media sites anywhere

through any Internet-, Wi-Fi- or mobile data-

connected device.

Currently, Target Range has a minimal

presence on Facebook and Twitter, with little

content posted at this time and, consequently,

limited engagement. This represents a

missed opportunity to expand stakeholders’

connections to the district, which in turn would

enhance community pride and help deepen

stakeholders’ understanding of the value of

education in Target Range.

When the district is ready to strengthen its

social media presence, administrators should

determine who will be responsible for the

district’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and

ensure those staff members receive training

on social media best practices and the use of

analytical tools to understand the effectiveness

of those communications efforts. Target Range

should also research and develop its own

social media policies and posting guidelines

to ensure its social media presence aligns with

and supports the district’s vision, mission and

goals, and to help ensure a safe and inviting

experience for all.

NSPRA Online Resource:

Formally support social media use

For guidance on how to begin effectively

using social media to engage and inform district

stakeholders, visit www.nspra.org/comms-

review-resource/support-social-media-use.

Target Range Elementary School District

26 |

Appendix

Focus Group Discussion Questions ��27

SCoPE Scorecard �� 28

What Is NSPRA? ��29

Auditor’s Vita ��31

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 27

1. How would you describe the Target Range

School District to someone new to your

community?

• What do you think are the school

district’s strengths?

• What areas need improvement?

2. Do you think the district is pretty much

the same, better or worse than it was a

year ago? Why do you feel that way?

3. Where do you go most often for

information about the school and the

district? Why do you rely on that source of

information?

4. What does Target Range do well when it

comes to communicating with you?

5. What could Target Range do better when

communicating with you?

6. When school leaders make important

decisions that will likely affect you, do you

feel they truly listen to your input and

consider it before decisions are made?

7. Think about how Target Range

communicated its response to the

COVID-19 crisis as it relates to school

operations.

• What did the district do well in those

communication efforts?

• How might Target Range improve on

its crisis communications in general?

8. From your perspective, what is the

greatest communication challenge facing

the district?

9. Is there anything we didn’t cover that

you’d like to comment on now?

Additional Question: Employees

10. As a staff member at Target Range, what

do you see as your role in communicating

with families, your colleagues, and the

wider community?

Focus Group Discussion Questions

Target Range Elementary School District

28 |

SCoPE Scorecard

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 29

Since 1935, the National School Public

Relations Association (NSPRA) has been

providing school communication training

and services to school leaders throughout the

United States, Canada and the U.S. Department

of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools

worldwide. NSPRA’s mission is to advance

education through responsible communication.

We accomplish that mission by developing and

providing a variety of diverse products, services

and professional development activities to our

members as well as to other education leaders

interested in improving their communication

efforts. The vast majority of NSPRA members

are school communication professionals

working in public school districts. Members also

work in educational service agencies, education

associations or state departments of education.

With over 80 years of experience, NSPRA

is known for providing proven, practical

approaches to solving school district and

education agency communication problems.

We offer useful communication products and

workshops as well as an annual NSPRA National

Seminar, maintain best practice resource les

and conduct communication accountability

research. We also sponsor national awards

programs that recognize individuals, districts

and education agencies for excellence in

communication.

In keeping with our mission, NSPRA provides

school public relations/communications

counsel and assistance to school districts, state

departments of education, regional service

agencies and state and national associations.

For many of these organizations, we have

completed comprehensive communication

audits to analyze the effectiveness of their

overall communication programs and to

recommend strategies for improving and

enhancing their efforts.

The NSPRA National Seminar, the most

comprehensive school communication

conference in North America, is held each

July. This four-day conference offers expert

speakers on dozens of topics in the areas of

school communication, PR, marketing and

engagement.

NSPRA members can continue their

professional development year round through a

variety of electronic and print publications:

• The NSPRA Network e-newsletter tackles

major education communication issues

and offers proven strategies to address

them.

• Our e-updates, NSPRA This Week, The

NSPRA Counselor and NSPRA Alert, offer

summaries of breaking national education

news, in-depth studies of issues and

trends, and updates on Seminars, products

and services available.

• PRincipal Communicator is a monthly

building-level print newsletter that

provides practical communication

tips for school principals to help build

relationships between the school, the

home and the community.

• Communication Matters for Leading

Superintendents is an e-newsletter

targeting issues and topics related to

communication for school leaders.

At www.nspra.org, NSPRA offers a multitude

of school communication resources on the

public website and more in-depth information,

resources and archives in a Members Only

section.

The members-only benet NSPRA Connect

is an online community forum that allows

members to connect with and learn from

one another while sharing ideas, uploading

resources and providing counsel through a

robust discussion forum.

NSPRA has 33 chapters across the United

States that provide local professional

development and networking opportunities for

What Is NSPRA?

Target Range Elementary School District

30 |

members. We maintain collaborative working

relationships with other national education

associations along with a network of contacts

and resources among corporate communication

professionals and their companies.

The Flag of Learning and Liberty is a national

education symbol developed by NSPRA during

its 50th Anniversary Year. On July 4, 1985,

the Flag of Learning and Liberty ew 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 Learning First

Alliance and the Universal Accreditation

Board, and the association works with all

major national organizations to help improve

educational opportunities for the nation’s

young people.

Join NSPRA

To join this vibrant, national association and

reap the benets of being an NSPRA member,

visit www.nspra.org/membership.

NSPRA Communication Review Report 2021

| 31

Jennie Oesterreicher Kerwood

Consultant auditor

Jennie Oesterreicher Kerwood is a recently

retired communications and public relations

professional, who has provided extensive

communications support, strategic consulting

and management services for public school

districts. She now serves as a part-time grant

writer, working on behalf of public schools, and

as a consultant auditor for the National School

Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

For more than two decades, Kerwood played

key roles in shaping messages, building

credibility and engaging the communities of

public school districts as a program manager

and public information specialist with the

Capital Region BOCES Communications Service

in upstate New York. During nearly 13 years

as a manager, she supervised up to 24 public

information specialists while maintaining

oversight for dozens of client school districts’

communications needs.

Auditor’s Vita

Her state and national award-winning work

also included serving as the sole producer for

more than 50 school budget/election campaigns

and about a dozen school construction

campaigns. Under her guidance, the service’s

School Communications Portfolio produced

dozens of ready-to-use communications

products, campaigns and message points each

year to help schools communicate about a wide

range of crucial topics.

Kerwood oversaw recruiting, onboarding and

mentoring programs for new staff; launched an

editing team to provide support for colleagues;

and planned and delivered staff development

presentations on a wide range of topics.

Her communications career began in

newspaper reporting and editing, upon

completion of her bachelor’s degree in

journalism and sociology from Eastern

Washington University in Cheney, Washington.

Communication Review Report

National School Public Relations Association

the Target Range Elementary 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.