Taking PR to School: A Case Study of Three Private School Public Relation Departments by Indest Christine
Taking PR to School: A Case Study of Three Private School Public Relation Departments by Indest Christine
In this article Indest (2002) investigates how private high schools have used public relation as a tool to attract students and consequently get the required resources to fund the schools’ operations. According to Indest, public high schools rarely receive financial support from the government and therefore are largely dependent on students’ payment and donors to keep their school running. Indest (2002) has identified that tuition fee paid by students is hardly enough to support the education of students. It therefore becomes very important for the schools to maintain a good relationship with their relevant public in order to attract sufficient number of students and other donors into the schools and deal with ever growing competition from the rising numbers of private schools. This means that public relation is therefore an important part of the private high school.
In this study, Indest (2002) had hypothesized that the age, size and complexity of the private high schools will affect the schools’ public relations. Indest had theorized that as public schools become old or bigger in size their operation become complex and thereby affecting the operation of the public relation departments in these schools. Indest (2002) identified three schools in the state of Louisiana for the purpose of this study; Catholic high school, Jesuit high school and Saint Thomas More High School. Data was collected through an in-depth interview with officials from the three schools. Indest Study proved his theory right. According to the study, two of the school were over 100 years old and had laid more emphasis on public relation than the remaining school which was only 25 years old.
Effective Communication: Opening Lines of Communication with Email by Blackerby John
This study by Blackerby (2005) sought to investigate whether email could be effective tools in enhancing communication between parents and schools. According to Blackerby (2005) the current means of communication between parents and schools involve newsletters, reports, telephone calls and personal visits. This communication tools promote the flow of information in one direction whereby the schools are the sender of information while parents are reduced to mere recipients. Such kind of communication does not meet the criteria for effective communication. According to Blackerby (2005) communication between parents and schools can be made more interactive when the use of emails is adopted.
Blackerby (2005) research targeted parents of students from kindergarten school to the 5thgrade in the identified school. A survey was conducted on these parents to find out their most preferred mode communication with the school. Three fifty one parents for students distributed randomly among the above mentioned classes were involved in the survey and were divided into an intervention group. The intervention group included parents who had submitted their email address during the survey. Through this process, 146 parents were identified and placed into the intervention group. The school kept providing the identified intervention group parents with updates for the next four weeks and in the fourth week another survey was sent to them to find how many parents had access to the messages sent and how they felt about the email system. The first survey discovered that most parents preferred telephone call and school visits as a means of communication with the schools. Most of the parents involved in the second survey did not appreciate the use of email as means of communication and also preferred the traditional method of telephone calls and visits. The parents did not share the view that communication was one way but instead they shared the thought that communication between parents and school is mostly initiated by the parents rather than by the schools.
Communication Strategies for Effective Communication by Hollingsworth Heidi
In this article, Hollingsworth (2001) has focused on effective communication in integrated schools. The education sector in the country has changed in terms of how students with special needs are treated. The sector is moving from having special schools for students with special needs to having integrated schools that cater for all students. However, this has introduced a challenge whereby special needs and general students will not be able to communicate effectively due to the complexities involved. It has therefore become paramount to identify means of enhance communication and interaction between students with special needs and general students. Hollingsworth (2001) has outlined a number of strategies that could be used to bring about effective communication schools. Among the strategies identified in the article include; forming study groups, need assessment, conduction small-group dialogues and producing newsletters. Hollingsworth (2001) has also identified various communication areas that schools may need to improve on in order to facilitate interaction between special need students and general students. These areas include; use of technology, specification of teachers role, development of models for integrated learning and adjustment to the behavioral and academic practices in the schools. According to Hollingsworth (2001), effective communication is not only required among students but also among the teachers and between the teachers and students. He has therefore identified strategies that could be use to enhance communication network among students. This especially between teachers for special needs students and teachers for general students. Every member of staff needs to be at par with what is expected of them for there to be effective communication. Hollingsworth (2001) has also identified ways of enhancing communication between the teachers and students.
Effective School Public Relation by Ediger Marlow
This article by Marlow (2001) has discussed the important facets of effective public relations. Marlow (2001) states that it is important for school to maintain a good relation with its public who include; parents, lay public, business community, senior citizens, civil clubs, religious organizations and other groups. This is because the effective operation of the school is dependent on these different types of publics. The school needs; parents for support with students’ education, the business community for financial support and the support of the lay public in ensuring the peaceful existence of the school with its environs. Schools make mistakes by assuming that the role of public relation should be left entirely to the department of public relation (Marlaw, 2001). Every body within the school setting is responsible for maintaining a good relationship between the school and members of the public. Teachers, students, subordinate workers, administrators and other entities who are part of the school are expected to be proactive in improving the schools relations. By the teachers ensuring that he is providing his best services he create a favorable image of the school in the public. The same applies to a student when he chooses to behave in the right or wrong manner. In order to ensure effective public relation, it is also important to enhance the school mode of communication with its public. The school must find effective ways of informing the public of what is going on in the school. The may be through tools such as local new papers, newsletters, websites and email messages.
Collaboration and Communication as Effective Strategies for Parents Involvement in Public Schools by Mestry Raj and Grobler Bennie
The aim of this study by Mestry and Grobler (2007) was to investigate whether increased collaboration and communication with the parents will lead to better involvement by the parents in their children’s education. The researchers also explored on the importance of parents involvement in the education of their children. This study is based on the idea that parents’ involvement in their children study translate into better performance by the students. However, Mestry and Grobler have observed that parents in South African public schools are not meaningfully involved in their children’s education reducing the quality of this education. These two have hypothesized that it parents are allowed to actively participate in the school administrative issues they will develop interest in the education of their children thereby improving the quality of education.
This study took the form of a quantitative research where identified schools from Gauteng province, South African were involved. A sample of 400 teachers and principles were identified for the purpose of this study. Data was collected by use of questioners which were self administered by the 400 identified respondents. Statistical techniques were used in the data analysis process. The study identified that parents who were actively involved in their students school work such as assisting in homework and attending meeting contributed to better performance of the students. The study also identified that schools where parents are actively involved in school administration matters were more likely to be actively involved in the children’s education. This study therefore supported Mestry and Grobler (2007) hypothesis that increased collaboration and communication between the parents and school, would lead to better involvement by the parents in their children’s education.
References
Blackerby J. (2005) Effective Communication: Opening Lines of Communication with Email. June 25, 2011. Retrieved on http://teach.valdosta.edu/are/vol3no1/pdf/jblackerby-article.pdf
Hollingsworth H. (2001) Communication Strategies for Effective Communication. Teaching Exceptional Children. 33 (5), 4-8
Indest C . (2002). Taking PR to School: A Case Study of Three Private School Public Relation Departments. June 25, 2011. Retrieved from http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-0416102-155145/unrestricted/Indest_thesis.pdf
Marlow E. (2001). Effective School Public Relation. June 25, 2011. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3673/is_4_121/ai_n28860284/pg_2/?tag=mantle_skin;content
Mestry R. and Grobler B. (2007). Collaboration and Communication as Effective Strategies for Parents Involvement in Public Schools. Education Research and Review. 2 (7), 176- 185
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