America’s Independent Schools

1. America’s Independent Schools America’s Independent Schools Advocacy Initiative Primer: Time to Tell Our Story

2. Overview • Advocacy Initiative in a nutshell • Why it’s happening • What it’s all about • Implementation • Why you need to be involved

3. Advocacy in a Nutshell • Partnership of over 30 local, state, regional, and national associations representing independent schools. • Address serious challenges facing the independent school community. • Designed to help independent schools tell their story honestly, clearly, consistently, and effectively. • Three-year effort guided by Weber Shandwick

4. Image and Marketing • What’s an image? It’s an enduring concept, a picture, the screen on which a marketing message is projected. • Your image of libraries? Milk? Boarding schools? • And, marketing? It’s not just selling. It’s the way we harmonize the needs/ wants of the outside world with our own purposes/ resources/ objectives. (Kotler) • Libraries? Milk? Independent Schools?

5. Houston, We Have Image Issues • Key Learnings from the 1999 National Public Opinion Poll • Americans have • A clear idea of what constitutes a quality education. • A good image of what an independent school is like. • Strong feelings as to where they would send their children, cost not being a factor.

6. 1999 POP: Features Quality School Top 5 Features of Quality Schools

7. 1999 POP: Features Quality School Top 5 Fea Qual Schl %IS %Pub %NoDif

8. 1999 POP: Sending Your Child to an Independent School • If money were no object and the schools were equally close by…39% send to public, 30% to independent, 28% to parochial, and 3% not sure.

9. 1999 POP: Describing Independent Schools

10. Image Misalignment/Misinformation • Image of what constitutes a quality education and the image of independent schools not well aligned. • POP and current research • Existing negative perceptions… • Out of reach from a financial and cultural standpoint. • Elitist and socially exclusive. • Information gap • Limited awareness of independent school unique value and characteristics.

11. Image Misinformation • Powerful images of independent schools are being delivered by the media (your local paper?) and politicians (your local town or county?). • Why should you care? If the image and understanding is poor, is your school worse off? Our community? • What about…Zoning? Testing? PILOTS/SILOTS? Exempt status?

12. Image: Media Area Private School Rates Endanger DiversityBy Valerie Strauss and Jay Mathews, Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, April 11, 2002; Page A01 Tuition will top $20,000 a year at some of the Washington region's elite private schools next year, a trend that is pushing some education bills into New York City price ranges and creating worries about attracting middle-class and lower-income students.

13. Image: Politicians • “I am personal testimony that private schools are not up to what we do. I am personal testimony that they can’t measure up when we our job well…” U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, February 2001 • “As part of their education accountability programs, states should make extensive school information available online for the public to search, policymakers said Friday.” Education Daily, October 29, 2001

14. Image Misalignment/Misinformation…Why? • Independent education has done little to address this misalignment and misinformation in a cohesive manner. • It has not seen image advocacy as a community responsibility.

15. Our Shared Strategic Issues • Protecting independence requires respect by government/media for the social value of independent education. • Attracting students relies on alignment of our image with that of quality education, accessibility, and affordability. • Attracting superior teachers is a key challenge for all schools.

16. Our Shared Strategic Questions • Have we been consistently successful at communicating… • our social value to the media and government? • tenets of quality education, accessibility, and affordability to future parents/students? • the value and advantages of teaching at an independent school?

17. Our Shared Strategic Goals • Increase understanding of our community…who are we and what’s unique about us. • Create awareness of independent schools among policymakers. • Highlight the benefits of teaching at an independent school.

18. Our Shared Strategic Response:The Advocacy Initiative • Professionally directed strategically purposeful communications. • Designed for local implementation to… • Address public misperceptions and negative stereotypes (the image issue). • Build broader awareness about independent education and define our value and unique characteristics. • Help us tell our story. • Evaluate with an ‘04 POP.

19. Target Audiences • Opinion leaders in media and government. • Prospective teachers. • Future parents with school-age children. • And…general public as well as our own community.

20. Achieving Our Goals • Coordinated outreach -- delivery of consistent messages. • Key messages designed to connect with audiences. • Messages woven into all communications.

21. Advocacy Research • Conducted independent school stakeholder discussions and external focus groups. • Key learnings… • Establish a clear understanding of the term “independent school.’’ • Reinforce perception that independent schools provide individualized attention. • Demonstrate how schools challenge students academically -- while also focusing on personal development.

22. Additional Findings • Emphasize innovative, cross-curriculum learning experiences. • Relate positive personal stories -- a highly effective communications tool. • Avoid absolute language -- it’s discounted and not persuasive. • Stay positive -- use reasoned language.

23. Advocacy Message #1 • Independent schools are close knit communities that are uniquely capable of providing students with individualized attention. • Classes are intimate learning environments. • Teachers are closely connected to students. • Schools promote regular communications between students, parents and teachers .

24. Advocacy Message #2 • Independent schools challenge students to stretch their minds. • Schools set high academic standards and encourage excellence. • Teachers provide hands-on learning opportunities. • Teachers enjoy more autonomy and, as a result, construct unique learning experiences for students.

25. Advocacy Message #3 • Independent schools go beyond academics to develop responsible, independent, and community-oriented students. • Students learn how to develop critical thinking skills and meet challenges, individually and as part of a team. • Education extends well beyond the classroom -- to the playing field, stage, and local community.

26. So, how do you implement the advocacy initiative locally? If you can’t do it all (!!!)… • Go to isadvocacy.org. • Read the Communications Handbook. • Implement based on your capacity. • Tackle the easiest suggestions 1st. • Take the long view.

27. Step One: Access Resources • Visit www.isadvocacy.org • Review the Communications Handbook • Key Messages and Talking Points • Frequently Asked Questions • Spokespeople • Personal Profiles • Coalition Building • Targeting Audiences • Implementation Materials

28. Step Two: Organize Internally • Assemble a working group to guide local outreach -- enlist key individuals. • Review initiative goals -- see how they relate to your school. • Identify local communications goals. • Address strained community relations. • Overcome negative press coverage. • Change perceptions of school. • Shore up support from policymakers. • Attract high-quality job candidates.

29. Step Three: Focus on Message • Review key messages and talking points. • Tailor the messages -- take guidance from research findings. • Determine how your school can bring messages to life -- show, don’t tell.

30. Step Four: Identify Spokespeople • Recruit a diverse range of spokespeople who can tell -- or embody -- your story. • Select people who are believable, persuasive and compelling, e.g., teachers, alums, parents, students, trustees, etc. • Create personal profiles that tell your story.

31. Step Five: Build a Coalition • Develop a targeted list of local organizations, groups, businesses. • Focus on groups that can connect you with target audiences…media and policymakers in particular. • Spread key messages through distribution channels of organizations. • Establish awareness of unique value and characteristics of your school. • Create and use informational materials, e.g., community impact report.

32. Step six: Tell Your Story • Identify a starting point. • Determine priority audiences. • Prospective students / families • Qualified teacher applicants • Policymakers • Media • “Swing into action” -- guided by the Communications Handbook. • Leverage coalition members.

33. Targeting Teachers • Involve current teachers in outreach • In delivering key messages, be sure to: • Emphasize flexibility and autonomy • Directly address compensation • Illustrate satisfaction of current teachers • Host special open houses for prospective teachers -- “welcome to our community” • Tailor materials -- send targeted mailings • Coordinate internship programs

34. Targeting Future Students • Create a brochure for parents of prospective students that communicates value of an ind school education. • Host open houses for future parents. • Ask current parents to share their experiences with the school (testimonials, tours, etc.).

35. Targeting Media • Gateway to the public. • Broadcast • Print • Online • Keys to successful outreach. • Effective media list • Compelling story • Strong relationships • Well-crafted press materials

36. Targeting Policymakers • Engage key spokespeople. • In delivering messages, underscore: • Value school adds to community • Effective educational practices • Community-minded students • Accountability standards • Leverage community impact report -- particularly economic details. • Establish regular communication channels

37. Step Seven: Measure Progress • Build feedback loops. • Solicit input from coalition members. • Evaluate press coverage. • Listen for the “buzz.”

38. Reminders • Stay focused on the messages. • Set attainable local outreach goals. • Identify and prepare compelling spokespeople. • Be creative -- capture people’s attention. • Find new (and different) supporters --continue to build a strong base. • Share experiences -- build on each other’s successes.

39. Summary: Shared Collateral Benefits • As the 1999 POP showed, communications has been our community’s shared weakness. A high-quality project will not only address this specific weakness, but can also change a culture that allowed such a weakness to persist by raising expectations across the profession about what constitutes “good practice” in communications.

40. Shared Collateral Benefits • The advocacy initiative may not only be a cost-efficient solution to a specific problem, but could become a template for future collective action.

41. Advocacy Next Steps: Year One • April – September • Distribution of AI CD-ROM to each school • AI newsletter • Rapid Response Network • Train-the-trainers • Outreach materials: independent education overview, and then four pieces targeted at media, policymakers, prospective teachers, and future parents. • Media hook calendar • Many other products!

42. Take-aways • Two-page description • Key messages • Communications Handbook • isadvocacy.org

43. Why YOU Need to be Involved • It’s about all of us! • We need your support, interest, and involvement. • Secretary Paige’s advice…

44. Resources • www.isadvocacy.org! • Newsletter… www.isadvocacy.org/aicnewsletter

45. Used with permission from The Hill School.

46. Used by permission from Northfield Mount Hermon School. Designed by Helen Merena, written by Deborah Holmon, and photo by Stuart Cahill

47. New Competition: Parents Have Choice Ad for Fairfax County Public Schools Also, voucher schools, charters, on-line schools (k12.com) home-schooling, for-profit chain schools.

48. Media: entertainment (Traffic!), editorials, newspapers, advertisements (like the one below), etc. STEREOTYPE B: THE WASP 1. Rarely associates with other species 2. Formidable sting in its females 3. Either eats its young or sends them to boarding school