School PR Resources

This page contains several information resources compiled by COSPRA staff and members to assist our membership in dealing with the daily challenges of school public relations.

Colorado Department of Education's Annual Report Guidelines

The CDE Web site offers numerous resources for guidance, templates, samples, and a helpful FAQ section.

http://www.cde.state.co.us/FedPrograms/NCLB/reportcard.asp

The Marketing Mantra

This Power Point presentation was delivered by Gary Aungst, Director of Community Affairs & Marketing, Tempe Elementary Schools, at the spring 2007 COSPRA seminar. It details the successful Tempe Elementary Schools public relations marketing approach.

Download Power Point slide printout (pdf)

School Accountability Report resource book

Download document (pdf)

Three Basic Elements of a Communications Plan

1.Goals--Establish goals, such as:

Increased public awareness of CSAP (who, what, when, where, why and how)
Enhanced position as a leader in your commitment to improving student achievement and providing a quality public education for the youth in your community...

Download document (pdf)

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

The first step is to help your staff understand and recognize CSAP as an opportunity to enhance communication with your community. This is a program they can be proud of, and it will help others understand what you do every day: educate youth to achieve high academic standards. Once staff understands the contents and value of these the CSAP reports, they will become your best ambassadors...

Download document (pdf)

10 Keys for Reporting your School Report Card Results

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, most likely you're going to get a story in your local media which compares you to other schools. So by planning now, you can help shape your headline. Work with your local site council to determine what three things you want people to remember about your school's data...

Download document (pdf)

Media Relations 101

One of the fundamentals of media relations is building a relationship with the media. This isn't done overnight and needs to be nurtured over time. Don't expect good results from the media if you don't feel you can trust them or they don't feel they can trust you. This kind of relationship takes time and effort...

Download document (pdf)

Guide for Communicating CSAP Scores

CSAP scores, alone, will not be enough to inform the public about the quality of public education children are receiving. The scores will not be enough to increase public confidence in local schools and school districts. Nor will the scores provide information about those children and schools that may be "at risk."...

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K12 Online Communications Report

For the past two years, COSPRA has co-sponsored a survey with Relatrix Corporation to gather data from school districts across the country on the online communication practices and opinions. The report for this survey is available for our members to use as they develop their own communications plans.

2007 Report:

Download K12 Online Communications Report (pdf)

2006 Report:

Download K12 Online Comm Rpt (pdf)

Download K12 Online Comm Appdx (pdf)