Supes use blogs as outreach tool
Tue, Mar 13, 2007 Primary Topic Channel: Blogs
As school district leaders look to improve stakeholder relations across their districts, some superintendents are experimenting with a tool more commonly associated with tech-savvy students and teachers than administrators: the blog. [ Read More ]

Stop the presses: School newspapers are moving online
Fri, Dec 29, 2006 Primary Topic Channel: Web Resources
For the first time in decades, students at Arkansas' Nettleton High School will not find copies of The Chieftain floating around campus this year. Instead, they'll find the school newspaper online. [ Read More ]

Kentucky program creates online learning plans for all students
Fri, Dec 29, 2006 Primary Topic Channel: Web Resources
You could call it "MySpace" meets "Monster": Kentucky has introduced a web-based program that will help students map out their academic careers and give them an idea of what career path they'd like to explore--all while teaching them how to write a resume and apply for financial aid. [ Read More ]

Attending to student and school success
Mon, Oct 02, 2006 Primary Topic Channel: Safety & security
Just like thousands of other school districts across the country, Kentucky's Newport Independent School District faces a constant battle with tight budgets. In Kentucky, district funding is determined solely by Average Daily Attendance (ADA). The more students who attend, the more state support the school district receives. [ Read More ]

States, firms help school boards go paperless
Wed, Aug 01, 2007 Primary Topic Channel: Stakeholder Relations
Anyone who has had to prepare materials for a school board meeting, and has killed a few dozen trees and hours of staff time in the process, will applaud the latest trend in school board governance: paperless meetings. [ Read More ]

Employee blogs require smart policies
Thu, Feb 01, 2007 Primary Topic Channel: Stakeholder Relations
Employee blogs are growing exponentially in the private sector and also are increasingly cropping up in public schools. While these blogs show great promise from a number of perspectives, it's important for school leaders to adopt sound policies governing their use. Self-initiated and often self-sustaining, employee blogs can speed information sharing, increase problem-solving, and improve productivity within an organization. [ Read More ]

Extend your PR reach by streaming video and audio online
Fri, Dec 29, 2006 Primary Topic Channel:
As streaming audio and video gets easier--and better looking--thanks to new software and the proliferation of high-speed internet connections, making digital content available from school district web sites is no longer a matter of when or why, but how. [ Read More ]

Crafting effective eMail newsletters takes time, attention to detail
Fri, Sep 01, 2006 Primary Topic Channel:
Electronic newsletters, or eNewsletters, are gaining ground in school public relations--and for good reason. Cheap, fast, and relatively easy to produce and distribute, eNewsletters can help school leaders get information out quickly to thousands of readers simultaneously. [ Read More ]

Hurricane Katrina shows power of eCommunications during crisis
Mon, Dec 18, 2006 Primary Topic Channel: Stakeholder Relations
eSchool News columnist Nora Carr commends the state departments of education in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for getting hurricane-related information and news posted so quickly on their web sites, even though staff members were undoubtedly dealing with incredible personal and professional stress. [ Read More ]

Parents today require new forms of outreach
Mon, Dec 18, 2006 Primary Topic Channel: Communication
As you fine-tune your school communications program, you might want to rethink your use of print and cable TV and focus more on eMail. Two recent studies once again show a growing preference for eMail and internet-based communications among nearly all demographic groups. [ Read More ]