THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

1
THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Why School Public Relations?
• Suggestions For Improving Public Confidence
• Need For A Communication Plan

2
Why School Public Relations?
1. A school administrator must be able to
communicate with the school board, the school
staff, parents, or taxpayers. This is just as
important as providing excellence in finance and
school curriculum. 2. School administrators
play the role of developer of community support
as well as the role of informant to the
community. 3. Due to competition for public
funds on the local, state, and federal level,
administrators must be effective spokespersons
for education.
3
Suggestions For Improving Public Confidence

• Do an Effective Job, and Let People Know about
  the Successes and Challenges
• The Publics Concern about Discipline Must Be
  Taken Seriously
• School Leaders Must Personalize the Schools More
  to Enhance the Comfort of Those Being Served
• Staff Morale Must Be Improved
• All School Officials Must Use and Insist That
  Others Use Comfortable Words
• Educators Must Stop Fighting Among Themselves and
  Start Building Coalitions
• Working with the Business Community Is Essential
  to Attract Needed Support
• Every Effort Must Be Made to Involve Non-parents
  on the Schools
• The Communication Program Must Be a Two-way
  Process

4
Need For A Communication Plan
According to Albert E. Holliday, a
public/community relations program is aimed at
focusing on the relationships of students and
teachers, administrators, support staff, board
members, parents, and other citizens with the
overall goal being improving student achievement.
4 FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS 1. Promote a
positive and challenging school climate in which
student achievement and staff productivity are
fostered. 2. Encourage maximum involvement of
parents, at home and in school, in their
childrens educational development. 3. Involve
citizens in cooperative learning practices,
partnerships, and other means to make full use of
human and other learning resources in the
community. 4. Build public knowledge of the
purposes, successes, and needs of the school
system, leading to public understanding and
support.