Effective K-12 Communication: Staying Five Steps Ahead of the Media and the Rumor Mill

CHARLIE GLAZENERExecutive Director, Community

Relations/CommunicationsAsheville City Schools

Charlie Glazener• Communications/Community

Relations• 10 years• Media relations, website,

video, special events• Two-person department

2

• Ghost goes viral• Small, family-friendly, safe• A secret formula• Seven-year marriage• Social media awakening• Media relations – circa 2003• Media relations – now• Some things never change• What’s the forecast?• Value added• The final word

Presentation Outline

3

Ghost goes viral

Aug. 8, 2008

4

Viral fame fades

quicklyAug. 8, 2008

5

Asheville City Schools

10 Schools3,900 Students

60/40 Demographics

SMALL – FAMILY-FRIENDLY - SAFE

6

Relative size

Map of NC – smaller county districts Asheville City is larger than 9 of Asheville City is larger than 9 of the 15 city districts and 28 of the the 15 city districts and 28 of the 100 county districts.100 county districts.

Asheville City is larger than 9 of Asheville City is larger than 9 of the 15 city districts and 28 of the the 15 city districts and 28 of the 100 county districts.100 county districts.

Map of NC – smaller city districts7

2011-12 District Funding2011-12 District Funding

Total Budget $56,557,307Total Budget $56,557,307

8

Building Digital LiteracyDigital Literacy is attained as students use digital tools and resources to gain fluency in the following areas woven into the NC Essential Standards:

Technology Operations, Concepts

Quality of Life

+

=

+

=

Our ‘marriage’ to

Blackboard Connect

Building levelBuilding level

InformationInformation AttendanceAttendance

SurveysSurveys

Survey: Survey: Blackboard Connect Blackboard Connect Results: Results: Inclement Weather Update/Survey Inclement Weather Update/Survey ––12 Jan 2011 at 7:20 PM (EST)12 Jan 2011 at 7:20 PM (EST)

58 outreach 58 outreach messages messages

(total of (total of 85,612 ‘calls’)85,612 ‘calls’)

5 emergency 5 emergency messages messages

(total of 8,278 (total of 8,278 ‘calls’)‘calls’)

Routine eventsMagnet School Forum

Teacher Appreciation WeekElementary ‘Battle of the Books’ (TV)

AMS Choral Program (TV)Beauty and the Beast (TV)

Drug Drop-off DayThe Choking Game

Routine eventsMagnet School Forum

Teacher Appreciation WeekElementary ‘Battle of the Books’ (TV)

AMS Choral Program (TV)Beauty and the Beast (TV)

Drug Drop-off DayThe Choking Game

Special projects1:1 Laptop Program

School Calendar UpdatesEarly Dismissal Schedule

Special Board MeetingFlu Shots

ACAE PresentationStrategic Planning

Special projects1:1 Laptop Program

School Calendar UpdatesEarly Dismissal Schedule

Special Board MeetingFlu Shots

ACAE PresentationStrategic Planning

EmergencyEmergencyClaxton Elementary School EvacuationClaxton Elementary School Evacuation

District Phone OutageDistrict Phone OutageJanuary 3, 2012 Weather ClosureJanuary 3, 2012 Weather Closure

AHS LockdownAHS Lockdown

EmergencyEmergencyClaxton Elementary School EvacuationClaxton Elementary School Evacuation

District Phone OutageDistrict Phone OutageJanuary 3, 2012 Weather ClosureJanuary 3, 2012 Weather Closure

AHS LockdownAHS Lockdown

87 Scripts (2011-12 School Year)

AWAKENING

High Tech – High TouchEngaging our stakeholders in the 21st Century

Prepared especially for the Asheville City Board of EducationAugust 3, 2009

Janis Krums’ Tweet from his cell phone on Jan. 15, 2009 – aboard a ferry on the Hudson River in NYC

If you’re concerned about using social networking tools in Asheville City Schools….

From the White House blog...

“Blogs, maps, photo sites and instant messaging systems like Twitter do a better job of getting info out during emergencies than either traditional media or government emergency

services.”-News Scientist, May 2008

Increasingly, the stories that come across our radar - news about a plane crash, a feisty Op-Ed, a gossip item---will arrive via the passed links of the people we follow.Source: Time Magazine, 2009

Valued Added

1. Social networking2. Live searching3. Link sharing4. Emergency notifications

Google

Slow, anonymous accumulation of authority; pages rise to the top based on how many links point to them, favoring older information/pages.

Twitter

Useful for finding out what people are saying right now.

Twitter

Useful for finding out what people are saying right now.

Valued Added1. Creates another presence online

2. Directs traffic to established site

3. Establishes a relationship with new sectors in our community

4. Provides opportunities for community discussion and engagement

Social Media

Four levels of school communications• Media relations

• Public information

• Persuasion

• Engagement•Parent involvement•Community involvement•Social marketing

Staying five Staying five steps ahead …steps ahead …

In the old days…circa 2003!

2012!!

Media Relations

Characteristics of the New News Media

• Ruled by what’s entertaining, not by what’s newsworthy

• Speed is more important than accuracy (Supreme Court Decision)

• Number of news outlets is steadily increasing• News is now 24/7• Traditional reporter is often being replaced with iNews

and iPhotos.• Localization of national stories is now the norm.• Live streaming is becoming more and more common.

A Report on Reporters

• Personal relationships are the key to effective media relations.

• Reporters are people, too.• Understand that reporters are ruled by deadlines.• Be accessible during good times and bad.• Learn to think like a reporter.• Never tell a reporter what or how to report.• Educate your reporter.• Compliment reporters for a job well done.

Some things never change• Talk about what’s best for our students and staff.• Anticipate the story.• Make instinctive decisions; trust your gut.• Decide the three most important things you want to

convey no matter what is asked.• Bridge back to those main messages as required.• Call the media’s hand when they are wrong AND it’s

important.• If you just have to screw up, never do it on a slow news

day!• Remember…the news media always has the last word.

AHS Lockdown!!

???

FACTS

1:24 PM

1:26 – 1:30 PM

1:46 PM

3 weeks later

Good evening. This is an urgent message from SILSA principal Greg Townsend regarding a serious incident after dismissal on our campus this afternoon.

At approximately 4:00 pm, a parent reported that she observed a young man remove a firearm from the trunk of a vehicle in the student parking lot. This alert parent then notified the main office. Even though we had dismissed school about 30 minutes earlier, we immediately initiated a lockdown and moved all people on campus into secure locations. Our School Resource Officer and the Asheville Police Department responded within minutes and addressed the situation quickly and professionally. The suspect was apprehended quickly and the firearm confiscated. We received the all-clear from APD and lifted the lockdown after 15 minutes.

We learned following the all-clear that the firearm was not loaded. The administration would like to reassure our community that we fully implemented the district safe-schools crisis plan to ensure the safety of all people on campus and to reach a quick resolution to this serious incident.

Thank you, and good night.Blackboard Connect phone call 2-23-12

For Immediate Release

+

=

49

Survey Says!

Family/ParentFamily/Parent 1,3411,341 35%35%

StaffStaff 608608 88%88%

Family/ParentFamily/Parent 1,3411,341 35%35%

StaffStaff 608608 88%88%

Strategic Planning Stakeholder Surveys, Winter 2011

RESPONSE RATES

ACS Evaluation - Families

50

Survey Says!

ACS Evaluation - Staff

51

Survey Says!

52

Hello, this is Charlie Glazener in a recorded message for all Asheville City Schools Families.

If you have responded to our Family Survey to help us with the district’s strategic planning session, thank you. If not, we need your input!

You can respond in one of four ways: (1) By filling out the paper survey we sent you in the mail and returning it to your school with your child; (2) by accomplishing the survey online using the link listed in the district’s web site story; (3) by stopping by any school and filling out a paper survey or using the computer provided to respond online; or (4) by completing a survey located in your neighborhood’s community center.

Please know that all of your answers/comments will be completely anonymous. The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, but it will be a great investment on your part as we all work together to make Asheville City Schools a model for providing our 21st Century learners with rigorous, authentic and life-changing education.

Dec. 8, 2011, 4:45PM

Email/Phone Call

53

Hello, this is Charlie Glazener in a recorded message for all Asheville City Schools Families.

Se puede responder en una de cuatro maneras: (1) Llenando la encuesta que le enviamos por correo y regresarla a la escuela con su hijo, (2) Llenando la encuesta por la red usando la dirección electrónica a través del web del distrito, (3) puede venir a una de las escuela y llenar una encuesta en persona o puede usar una de nuestras computadoras y llenarla electrónicamente o (4), puede llenar una encuesta en el centro de la comunidad en su vecindario.

Dec. 8, 2011, 4:45PM

Email/Phone Call Spanish versionSpanish version

54

Last call to submit your family survey!

We will be wrapping up our family survey on Friday. Are you in? If not:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V5L3GNH Don't delay! We need you!

Jan. 18, 2012, 8:50 PM

Text

55

We will be wrapping up our family survey on Fri. Are you in? If not:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V5L3GNH Don't delay! We need you!

Jan. 18, 2012, 8:50 PM

Tweet

56

Good evening. This is Charlie Glazener in an email for Asheville City Schools’ families. At approximately 4:00 pm today, Thursday, February 23, the Asheville High School/SILSA campus went into a lockdownafter an alert parent called the AHS office to report that she had observed a young man remove a firearm from the trunk of a vehicle in a student parking lot. That individual, as it turned out, was one of our high school students, A number of students, staff, parents and others were still on campus at 4PM and they were quickly moved to secure locations in accordance with the district safe schools crisis plan. The AHS School Resource Officer (SRO) and the Asheville Police Department responded within minutes and quickly apprehended the suspect and confiscated the firearm, which was found to be unloaded. The Asheville Police Department then declared an ‘all clear’ and the lockdown was lifted at approximately 4:15 p.m. AHS and SILSA parents received this information earlier this evening. But we wanted all of you to know that this serious incident was addressed in a professional and efficient manner. As you know, we practice lockdown procedures at each of our schools on a regular basis. That preparation combined with the timely action of a district parent helped ensure a safe conclusion to today’s incident. School safety has always been and will always be our number one priority. Good evening.

Feb. 23, 2012, 4:28 PM

Email/phone call

57

Greetings New Graduates and Families,

It was our honor to celebrate Graduation with you tonight. As you move on now to new challenges and adventures, remember President John F Kennedy's words that I mentioned tonight:“Let the Word Go Forth, from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans”

Congratulations Class of 2012!! Allen Johnson Superintendent

June 7, 2012, 9:15 PM

Text

+

=

PersonalizationGreetings, Asheville City Schools families and staff! This Friday, March 9 and Monday March 12 are Annual Leave days in our district. Our Calendar Committee built these days into the 11-12 calendar as a timely interlude in the 11 week stretch between the MLK Jr. Holiday and Spring Break, the first week of April. I think at the time we all felt like these days would probably be consumed by snow make-up days, never dreaming that Asheville would see only a trace of snow by mid March! By the way, would anyone like a used 'Old Farmer's Almanac? There's a good recipe in there for Maryland "Crab Cake" Mac and Cheese on page 50. Anyway, enjoy the four day weekend, be safe and we will see you back on Tuesday, March 13th for the 129th day of our 183 day school year. Charlie

Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 6:45 PM

AffirmationDr. Grant and the students here at Hall Fletcher School are fantastic and I really just want to do my part in getting the word out there that Asheville City Schools has a wonderful facility that should be the pride of West Asheville…

…hope you can enjoy some more relaxing days as the year closes.

AND, I love your Farmer’s Almanac messages you leave on my answering machine.

Smiles,Melody

In summary…Use Blackboard Connect, social media & good common sense to:•Keep the media informed and happy•Stay ahead of the digital rumor mill•Build greater awareness your district•Follow discussions, complaints, concerns•Build loyalty•Supplement crisis response communications•Follow responses to triggering events

Effective K-12 Communication: Staying Five Steps Ahead of the Media and the Rumor Mill

CHARLIE GLAZENERExecutive Director, Community

Relations/CommunicationsAsheville City Schools