Why Charter School Public Relations Programs Are A Must 

Public education is undergoing a radical transformation, and charter schools are playing a crucial role in this change. For parents seeking alternative academic options for their children, charter schools that offer smaller class sizes, flexible scheduling, and specialized focuses are becoming increasingly popular.

But despite the parental rush toward charters, the competition is fierce. School district public relations executives are charged with winning back families. Cyber charter schools, once looked upon by some as the bad stepchild of the school choice movement, have become increasingly popular since the pandemic building closures. And the competition from other charter schools is increasing as they step up their marketing and communication functions, each vying for the right students and the best staff applicants. 

And so it is more than ever critical that brick-and-mortar charter schools adopt a communications strategy that focuses on sharing student success stories, promoting positive news, and maintaining various PR efforts on a regular basis. 

Why Do Schools Need Public Relations?

Public relations is essential to effectively engage with the school community, the media, elected officials and other stakeholders. Its most important use is for controlling the organization’s narrative, managing its reputation, and building positive relationships with the public.

For charter schools, public relations helps build a case for renewal through the frequent promotion of activities and successes. Charter school communication professionals work story by story, blog by blog, post by post, and news report by news report to shape public attitude and build support.  It is difficult for an authorizer to nonrenew a charter that has become a “household name” due to continuous positive news coverage and social media engagements. And so, long before the renewal application is filed, these communication professionals are already building momentum for parental and community mobilization in the event the authorizer recommends nonrenewal to the Board of Education. 

Best Practices for School PR Efforts

When starting any kind of education public relations services, it is incumbent to first craft a comprehensive strategic communication plan that aligns with the school’s enrollment, marketing, and public relations goals. Working from a plan is also essential to keep a campaign on track and to ensure the right actions are taken to earn public understanding and support as well as to develop a mechanism for evaluation.

A school’s PR program should be guided by industry best practices that cover everything from internal communications to social media posts to media relations. Hiring a PR agency or a school “PR person” is advantageous because in today’s education landscape, strategic communications need to be professionally managed.

The leader in school communication should have a presence in most executive staff meetings for the purposes of having access to information as well as to provide counsel. The communicator’s job description should go well beyond one who distributes press releases and posts updates. The role should be considered a school management function, as the impact of strategic communication can be substantial. During times of crisis, it becomes all too obvious how crucial PR professionals are to the organization as they help your school navigate the press. 

Benefits of Engaging in Public Relations Communication Campaigns

Good PR brings good outcomes–much of which are intangible but crucial. For example, a charter that enjoys frequent news coverage is more likely to attract students whose interests and needs are aligned with the school’s mission. It is also more likely to attract the best job candidates. That’s because frequent news coverage, combined with strategic website and social media updates and engagement, will help the public better understand a school’s uniqueness. 

There are plenty of other positive results and benefits charter schools can reap from engaging in PR campaigns. A few include:

1. Increased visibility: Public relations can help charter schools increase their visibility and reach a wider audience. 
2. Improved reputation: An effective public relations campaign will help charter schools build a positive reputation by highlighting their achievements and uniqueness, as well as demonstrating how they are good stewards of their operating charter. 
3. Enhanced community engagement: Public relations can also help charter schools build and maintain strong relationships with their local communities. 
4. Increased enrollment: By promoting their programs and initiatives, charter schools can attract new students and increase enrollment.
5. Improved funding: Effective public relations can help charter schools secure better fundraising outcomes. 

The Power of Public Relations 

Robust PR campaigns need to include the following components:

• Media relations: This involves going beyond press release distribution. It is important to build professional relations with education journalists. Doing so will result in the media offering the school inclusion in various opportunities over time. 
• Community outreach: This involves building and maintaining strong relationships with the local community, which includes activists, businesses, and elected officials. 
• Online presence: An effective online presence is essential for any digital PR campaign. This must include a frequently updated website, daily social media actions, and providing content that promotes the school and its programs.
• Crisis management: Every school needs a crisis management plan to prepare for the unwanted and the unexpected. Preparing such plans ahead of time can enhance the impact and effectiveness of school leaders, as opposed to attempting to determine the best steps during times of stress and high emotions. Creating a plan will give your school significant advantages. 

Tips for Developing and Implementing a Marketing and Public Relations Strategy

Effective public relations in schools result from implementing a few important standards. And the public’s perception of a school is often guided by a deliberately planned process led by an effective school communicator. 

Let’s take a look at a few of those standards:

1. Define your goals: Before launching a public relations campaign, it is essential to define its goals and objectives. It has been said that public relations is the strategic outcome of knowing what you’re working toward and doing so in a systematic approach.
2. Know your audiences: So many organizations skip this important step. They might name their audiences, but they don’t take the time to know them. It is important to understand who your target audiences are and what they expect from your charter school. Know their goals, their fears, their hopes, and even their dreams, to the extent possible. This information can help you tailor your messages and outreach efforts to effectively reach and engage them. 
3. Develop a high-quality strategic plan: A well-thought-out plan is essential for any successful campaign. This should include an overview of your goals, audience, and the components of your campaign, as well as a timeline for implementation. No plan can be a high-quality plan without a section on evaluating progress and the flexibility to make changes and modifications. 
4. Measure and evaluate your efforts: As implied just above, it is important to regularly measure and evaluate actions to ensure they are achieving the desired outcomes. This can include tracking media coverage, monitoring social media engagement, and conducting stakeholder surveys.
5. Engage the community:  Hosting open houses, distributing community newsletters, and allowing community members to use certain areas in the building or on the property after hours or on weekends are traditional ways of being a good neighbor that still work. Strong community relations and public perception begin with direct communication initiated by the school

Ready to Develop a Winning Education PR Plan For Your School?

By engaging in effective public relations campaigns, charter schools can increase their visibility, build a positive reputation, and secure the support they need during renewal time. Through careful planning and execution, school public relations professionals can develop and implement powerful campaigns that can contribute to lasting positive impacts in many areas.

As we close, it’s crucial we emphasize that effective communication involves both internal and external strategies. We’ve seen too many schools attempt to create campaigns that leave out the staff. Keep in mind, teachers and support personnel are what the public sees most. 

An effective school public relations plan will have staff input and buy-in. Involve adequate staff representation when developing a comprehensive public relations campaign–it will pay greatly.