BLOG.EDUCOMMUNICATORS.COM

Establishing an Online Dialogue and Discussion for Educommunicators

Educommunicators — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:06:00 GMT

As you know, we completed our survey of Educommunicators members last month. You've given us a lot to think about in terms of content. Delivery was a bit easier. The majority of members sought to establish an online group that would allow for easier information sharing, networking, and general discussion and debate. As a result, we established a Google Group for Educommunicators. Before we get the action started on that Google Group, we need folks to sign up as members for the group. It is an easy enough process. Just visit the following site: groups.google.com/group/educommunicators?hl=en Once we have critical mass on Google, we can begin moving forward with the content pieces. Then you can decide how much information you want (as posted, hourly, daily, whenever you check, etc.) We'll continue to crosspost on Facebook and on the blog for a while, but this migration is what folks were looking for. We're just trying to deliver. Just drop me a note if you have any questions. P

Moving Educommunicators Forward

Educommunicators — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:17:00 GMT

Earlier this month, we released the findings of our first online survey of education communicators. The results were both informative and interesting. The full results can be found here -- blog.educommunicators.com/2009/01/12/the-results-are-in-2008-educommunicators-online-survey.aspx The highlights include:

* Educommunicators are interested in sharing best practices and exploring ways to effectively use new media

* Email is still the most effective way to communicate

* Finding the right message remains our primary challenge in our daily practice

* We're looking for ongoing information on the issues and tools affecting our jobs

The primary question, now, if what do we do with these results? How do we use these findings to help build a better online community, a place where marketing and communications professionals in the education community can find real value and can make a real contribution? These are questions I and the Educommunicators board have been wrangling with for the past week or so.

Based on these findings and the insights individual Educommunicator members have provided me over the past few months, Educommunicators is committed to moving forward the following goals in 2009:

* Establishing an email list (or a Google group) that allow us to easily circulate information across the group and encourage our hundreds of members across the nation to share and contribute on topics and issues important to them

* Collecting best practices. Now is the time to send along your case studies, your stories, and your experiences so we can begin collecting a database for all to learn from.

* Strengthening relationships with other organizations, particularly NSPRA and EWA, to help supplement the services and information they are providing their members

* Providing primers and tools on effectively using new media, conducting media relations, and enhancing community relations as part of our jobs

One of the first steps will be to take the contact info for all of those engaged through Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sources and combine them into one comprehensive e-mailing list. If you know of others who should be on that list, please share their contact information.

As you know, Educommunicators is a social networking experiment. Its success depends on the involvement and interaction of our members. We need you to participate. We need you to share. We need you to be part of the solution. Over the next month, we will build the email list to begin this discussion. In the meantime, please send along your case studies, examples of good work, campaigns, websites, and anything else you think members will benefit from. It will then fall to the Educommunicators board to ensure they are properly shared and used to build a foundation for improving our craft and improving our industry.

Email anything and everything to info@educommunicators.com. And if you'd like to take more of an active role (more active than providing your individual insights) we can use your talents. Just offer them up.

Top 50 Education Policy Blogs

Educommunicators — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:17:00 GMT

Over at Online University Lowdown, the offer a new blog posting on "the top 50 education policy blogs." They lead into their list (they don't actually rank the 50, just list them, with the following:

"Education policy has been the single most consistent issue in the US political discourse for the last 30 years. Historically education policy reform proposals and information have been dictated by think tanks, political parties, and more traditional avenues. Increasingly, however, some of the most interesting and innovative education policy discussions are taking place on the blogosphere. These blogs range from topics on K-12 education up to international policies and higher learning."

The full post, with the top 50, can be found here: www.onlineuniversitylowdown.com/2007/08/top-50-educational-policy-blogs.html

Eduflack is honored that this blog is included in their top 50 list. Are "the most interesting and innovative education policy discussions" taking place on the blogosphere? If recent debates about 21st century skills and national standards are any indication, I'd like to think the answer is yes.

At any rate, congrats to the other 49 on the list. Let's hope we can continue to live up to the perceived expectation that we are key cogs in the policy discussions that will continue to drive education improvement.

(The above was also posted on Eduflack -- http://blog.eduflack.com.)

The Results Are In: 2008 Educommunicators Online Survey

Educommunicators — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:36:00 GMT

The results are in! On behalf of the entire Educommunicators Board of Advisors, I'd like to thank each and every person who took the time to participate in our 2008 survey. What did we learn? Educommunicators are proud of the work they do. They want to continue to improve and learn. And they recognize the important intersection their work plays in education field and the profession in general.

All told, nearly 25 percent of our rapidly growing membership took part in this survey. And that's saying a lot when you look at the hundreds of Educommunicators joining us through Facebook, LinkedIn, the general Internet, and our infant email distribution.

Without further ado, let's get right to the results:

What issues do you want to see Educommunicators focus on in 2009?

* Spotlight communications best practices -- 67.1%

* Discuss ways to use new media -- 64.6%

* Share education news -- 46.3%

* Education policy analysis -- 39%

* Discussion board -- 36.6%

* Webcasts/podcasts -- 32.9%

* Job postings 32.9%

What is the best medium for Educommunicators to engage marketing communications professionals?

* Email -- 60%

* Educommunicators blog -- 36.3%

* Educommunicators website -- 32.5%

* Facebook -- 32.5%

* LinkedIn -- 25%

* Listserve -- 7.5%

* Twitter -- 7.5%

* Yahoo group -- 3.8%

What are the major challenges you face as an education communicator?

* Making use of new technologies in a strategic way -- 62.4%

* Thinking long-term and staying on a strategic course -- 43.9%

* Maintaining conversations with stakeholders -- 41.5%

* Convincing colleagues or higher-ups of the value of your work -- 37.8%

What are your communications areas of expertise?

* Media relations -- 59.5%

* Community relations -- 50.6%

* Marketing -- 44.3%

* Public affairs -- 38%

* Research -- 38%

* Design and creative services -- 27.8%

* Government relations -- 25.3%

* Technology -- 25.3%

What is the most important tool for effective communications?

* The right message -- 43.8%

* Strong network of contacts -- 26.3%

* An issue stakeholders care about -- 18.8%

* Background as an educator -- 8.8%

* Power of technology -- 2.5%

Following are our open-ended questions. Highlighted, you'll find the most repeated answers.

On what specific issues would you like Educommunicators to focus?

* Best practices/case studies

* New media/Web 2.0/digital equity/social media

* Federal policy actions/developments

* Getting the organization to listen to its PR people

* Learning about what is happening in other states, other organizations

What do you consider the most useful resources or information in your work?

* Education blogs

* Colleagues

* Professional organizations

* Web sites

* Print publications/research studies

To what professional organizations do you currently belong?

* NSPRA

* EWA

* IABC

* CASE

* PRSA

* Assorted education content groups

How might Educommunicators add value to your professional work?

* Connecting to others in the field/networking

* Best practices/case studies

* Regular updates on what others are doing in the field

* New strategies

What are the most important education issues the nation will face in 2009?

* Financing/money/economy

* Accountability

* NCLB and other federal policy developments

* Technology

You've given us a great deal to think about and an incredible fountain of information on which to build this professional community in 2009. Over the next week, I'll be posting some specific action steps that Educommunicators will pursue as a result of your feedback. As always, if you have any additional thoughts, please post a comment. You can do it through Facebook, LinkedIn, this blog, or just email Educommunicators (info@educommunicators.com) and we'll get your comments circulated throughout the group.

Here's to an exciting, informative, and impactful first year for Educommunicators!

Let's Forget About Publications

Educommunicators — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:15:00 GMT

(Following is a guest posting from Educommunicators Board Member Paul Baker.)

I’m assuming that publications plays a part in all of our job responsibilities, whether we work in a department of public relations, marketing, alumni relations, or development.

The more I participate in, and read about, social media, I feel uncomfortable with the word, ‘publications.’ I almost daily remind myself that the term is dangerous. It carries too much baggage. We as communicators might do well to stop using the term altogether. Why? Two things.

The term ‘publications’ has such a long history and refers to traditional printed media (brochures, newsletters, reports, viewbooks). We will, and probably must, keep using “dead tree” media well into the future, because many of our audiences (especially alums) expect and like printed products. Some published material is being made available only in electronic form (PDF, FlashPaper), but this practice is still in relative infancy. But because the term ‘publications’ usually does not connote electronic media, I fear that the term locks us communicators into an 18th-century mindset.

Second, the term ‘publications’ connotes one-way communication. I produce a printed piece, and you read it. Period. You don’t write your reactions on my newsletter and mail it back to me.

I’m not suggesting that we end all printing immediately. I would however like to see one-way communication become an ever-smaller slice of our communications mix. We old-timers see the rise of young generations who live in a world of electronic information products. They expect to cut-and-paste their media, create mashups, chat back and forth, and toggle among several electronic media in quick succession. They do that at home and they expect to be able to do that in school. When they graduate they will take those communication habits into the world as educommunicators and as recipients of educommunications.

So I’d like to forget about ‘publications.’ Instead, let’s do communications.

Paul Baker is Senior Communicator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education's Wisconsin Center for Education Research. He is also the author of the EducationPR blog (www.educationpr.org).

A Closer Look at Social Media Reading

Educommunicators — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:44:00 GMT

Last week, we began the discussion on social media and some of the books Educommunicators board member Paul Baker has been reviewing over at EducationPR. Following is guest post from Paul, providing some more information and some more context on his holiday reading:

Most of the books I’ve reviewed for my EducationPR blog were written for communicators in the for-profit sector. I read them as an educommunicator because I’m convinced that any communicator can take away insights and practical tools. Communicators in the for-profit sector will deploy these tools and strategies somewhat differently than we educommunicators, yet there are some important overlaps.

The term ‘education communicator’ encompasses a wide range of job responsibilities. Some, including development and alumni relations, involve meeting financial goals. Others don’t (public affairs, government relations, media relations, outreach, marketing to prospective students).

Given that people in alumni relations and development have responsibility for meeting financial goals, they might benefit most from reading these books. That is to say, they’d need to spend less time translating the business goals that these books assume drive the communicators who read them. Those of us who don’t have financial goals looking over our shoulders can still benefit from these books, as they consistently emphasize the important changes that have already taken place in the ways and means of public discussion. That discourse is increasingly taking place beyond print media and beyond broadcast channels.

These books as a group echo each other in some of the case studies they provide and the sites they link to. Because of that, readers who are absolutely new to social media can pretty much start with any of these titles.

Working with the titles Patrick suggested I will try to recommend these social media books in terms of which seem most suitable for us in the education sector, ranking each in terms of these measures:
Best for those new to social media
Best for those already using social media
Best for those not responsible for meeting financial targets
Best for those responsible for meeting financial targets
The grade A means excellent; the grade B means good.

Now is Too Late2: Survival in an Era of Instant News. By Gerald R. Baron.
A new to social media
A already using social media
A responsible for meeting financial targets
A not responsible for meeting financial targets

The following four are fairly similar
1. Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of Social Media Marketing. By Jim Tobin with Lisa Braziel.
2. Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide. By Amy Shuen.
3. Secrets of social media marketing: How to Use Online Conversations and Customer
Communities to Turbo-Charge Your Business. By Paul Gillin.
4. Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message. By Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba.
A new to social media
B already using social media
A responsible for meeting financial targets
B not responsible for meeting financial targets

Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs by Geoff Livingston.
B new to social media
A already using social media
A responsible for meeting financial targets
B not responsible for meeting financial targets

Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education. By Liz Kolb.
This book focuses on classroom technology and is aimed at teachers, so as interesting as it is, would have limited application for most educommunicators.

You might check out reader reviews on Amazon.com for more detailed information.

Thanks, Paul.

A Final Chance to Give Some Initial Voice

Educommunicators — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:42:00 GMT

The days are winding down on Educommunicators' first survey of marketing communications professionals in the education sector. We'l be keeping our online survey open until Wednesday, January 7. Then we'll begin tabulating the results, with plans to share with all at the end of the week.

So if you haven't participated already, please do. It is important that your issues, concerns, and priorities are heard as we plan for 2009 and get a better sense for the direction our field and our colleagues are headed.

Please visit the survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RJwGYHjuSrZGfXCNcsOEsw_3d_3d

It will only take a few moments to complete. But the information you provide will be invaluable.

Some Required Reading on New and Social Media

Educommunicators — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:20:00 GMT

I've been hearing a lot from the Educommunicator community about how we can better use new and social media outlets to effectively disseminate our message. My gut tells me that we will be hearing a lot of that when the final tabulations of the Educommunicators survey are completed next week. So how do we keep learning?

Personally, I use blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. My blog (http://blog.eduflack.com) is focused exclusively on education improvement issues. My Facebook and Twitter accounts (linked together) focus primarily on my business and my professional interests, with some of the personal getting in there on weekends and throughout the week. And then LinkedIn is LinkedIn.

But I always wonder what else is out there and what mediums I can better use to help me and help my clients better communicate. Thanks to Educommunicators Board Member Paul Baker, we know have some great information to work with. Over at his blog (http://educationpr.org/), Paul has posted a number of reviews on books detailing new and social media opportunities. This includes:

* Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of Social Media Marketing. By Jim Tobin with Lisa Braziel
* Secrets of social media marketing: How to Use Online Conversations and Customer Communities to Turbo-Charge Your Business. By Paul Gillin.

* Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education. By Liz Kolb.

* Now is too late2: Survival in an Era of Instant News. By Gerald R. Baron.

* Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide. By Amy Shuen.

* Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message. By Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba.

I've asked Paul to share which of these is the "must read" to get us started. Hopefully, we've got a guest blog (or a reposting of the original review) on the topic from Paul coming in the near future.

Happy Holidays from Educommunicators

Educommunicators — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:15:00 GMT

On behalf of Educommunicators, I'd just like to wish you and yours a very happy holiday. It looks like we could be in for a big 2009 in the education space, so take advantage of that rest and cheer now!

And one final reminder to take our 2008 survey. Thanks to the many who have taken it already. We'll keep it open through January 5, then will compile and release the results. You can visit at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RJwGYHjuSrZGfXCNcsOEsw_3d_3d

All the best,

P

Seeking Your Input, Needing Your Input

Educommunicators — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:24:00 GMT

Just a reminder to all to take a few moments and participate in Educommunicators' short online survey for marketing communications professionals in the education sector. We'll be keeping the poll open until the end of the month, but I don't want you to forget it as the merriment of the seasons commences in earnest.

The answers you provide will help us build a more effective Educommunicators in 2009. Please take a few minutes now and visit:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RJwGYHjuSrZGfXCNcsOEsw_3d_3d

Calling all Educommunicators

Educommunicators — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:53:00 GMT

As promised, it is time for Educommunicators' first membership survey. I promise this will be short and sweet. Just 10 questions to help the Educommunicators board begin planning and discussions for how this online community can best serve you and other education communications professionals in 2009.

I ask you to please take a moment and take the survey. And please share the link with any and all you think can provide useful information on these important issues.

You can access the survey at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RJwGYHjuSrZGfXCNcsOEsw_3d_3d

Look for Upcoming Educommunicators Survey

Educommunicators — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:43:00 GMT

As we prepare for 2009, the Educommunicators Board of Advisors is preparing an online survey for all members. This survey will focus on your priorities, your interests, and the areas of activity you want to see this community focus on for the coming year. Please look for the survey, please take the survey. I promise it'll be short, and I promise it will be incredibly valuable to our field.

Educommunicators Announces Board of Advisors

Educommunicators — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41:00 GMT

Seeking to bolster collaboration and information sharing among marketing communications professionals in the education sector, Educommunicators today announced the advisory board that will guide the direction and future of the effort.

Educommunicators (www.educommunicators.com) was launched in October 2008 as a social networking experiment targeting PR, public affairs, marketing, design, and public information officials in the education sector. Working through its website, blog (http://blog.educommunicators.com), a Facebook Group, and a LinkedIn Group, Educommunicators has already brought together more than 250 communications professionals nationwide committed to improving best practice and collaboration.

“Effective communications is important, no matter what industry sector you work in,” Educommunicators Chairman Patrick R. Riccards said. “As a nation, we are now turning to the education field to provide us a blueprint to success for the economy and the nation. To get there, we need education communications professionals collaborating, sharing knowledge, and exploring innovation and new ideas. Educommunicators is designed to encourage that process, providing a forum for such engagement.”

The 2008-09 Educommunicators Board of Advisors includes:

· * Patrick R. Riccards (chairman) – CEO, Exemplar Strategic Communications (Falls Church, VA); author of the Eduflack blog (http://blog.eduflack.com); and founder of Educommunicators

· * Paul Baker – Senior Communicator, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research; author, www.educationpr.org blog (Madison, WI)

· * Terri Dunham – Partner, Collaborative Communications Group (Washington, DC)

· * Bryan Goodwin – Vice President of Marketing and Communications, McREL (Denver, CO)

· * Jimmy Kilpatrick – Founder and Editor, EducationNews.org (Austin, TX)

· * Kathleen Schnier – Laureate Education (Chicago, IL)

· * Matthew K. Tabor – Author, Education for the Aughts -- www.matthewktabor.com (Cooperstown, NY)

“We are fortunate to have such a diverse and prestigious group of individuals leading the launch of Educommunicators as advisory board members,” Riccards said. “Through their varied experiences and perspectives, we have the foundation to build a social network that will strengthen the education space and the communicators who serve it. I am excited by the possibilities.”

Over the next month, the Educommunicators Board will set an active agenda for improving engagement and communications across the education field. This will likely include development of:

· * Weekly newsblast of articles related to effective education communications;

· * Weekly blog postings on content, strategies, and tactics important to education communicators;

· * An online directory of print and electronic resources

· * An online education communications job board

· * Webinars and online discussions of key issues and topics

The Board will also re-evaluate the effectiveness of the current multi-platform (Web, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn) approach to Educommunicators and focus on specific efforts to boost membership and gain feedback from the members.

An Open Letter to President-Elect Obama on Education

Educommunicators — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:51:00 GMT

As a general rule, I don't look to crosspost my Eduflack blog postings on the Educommunicator blog. If you want to read my musings on education reform, you are free to just check out the blog. But last night's incredible outcome really got me to thinking and got me to writing. No, education is not going to be a top-three issue for President-Elect Obama. But education improvement provides such a tremendous opportunity to link the issues of instruction with economic development, job creation, national security, and general community building. In short, a lot of great things can and should be done through Obama's Department of Education.

As a former Democratic Hill staffer (Sen. Robert Byrd, Sen. Bill Bradley, Rep. John Olver), I have a keen appreciation for the mandate President-Elect Obama gained and the short window of opportunity he will be given to proven himself. Now is the time, particularly, to elevate OII to assistant cabinet level and to create the Office of Family and Community Engagement I propose.

I hope you will give this posting a read (http://blog.eduflack.com/2008/11/05/an-open-letter-to-presidentelect-barack-obama.aspx) , and I hope you will share it with others as we think about what is possible in the future.

Best,

An Open Letter to President-Elect Barack Obama
Dear President-Elect Obama,

Congratulations on your impressive victory last evening. For the past two years, you have spoken to the nation about the need for hope, the need to dream, and the need to do things differently. Your message of change is not only one that should take hold of government itself, but it is also one that should serve as the cornerstone of your education policy. You now have a mandate for real change, with the Congress and the national will to support it.

Throughout the campaign, you focused on five key education issues: 1) early childhood education; 2) general K-12, 3) teacher recruitment and training; 4) affordability of higher education; and 5) parental involvement. These issues now serve as the tent posts of your federal education policy. And they play an equally important role in shaping your U.S. Department of Education.

Now is not the time to retreat to the educational status quo of a Democratic president. Now is not the time to put power in the hands of those seeking to protect and conserve what was, or those who are troubled by the notion of innovation or new approaches. And now is certainly not the time to refight the NCLB fight, throwing punches that should have been thrown six years ago.

Instead, now is the time to be bold and audacious, as you have called for so many times before. Now is the time to be innovative and offer new ideas for the problems that have ailed our public schools for decades now. Now is the time to build a non-partisan approach based on what is needed, what is sought, and what works. Now is indeed a time for change, and you need to use education to drive that change. The status quoers or the defenders of policies part don't fit with your message. This is time for powerful rhetoric, deep thinking, and meaningful change and innovation.

I will leave it to you and your transition team to determine who the next EdSec will be. If recent history is any indication, the Clinton model works well. Find a strong administrator -- a governor type -- who understands the issues and knows how to effectively use knowledgeable staff. The Mike Easleys or the Janet Napolitanos or even the Phil Bredensens of the world deserve a close look. Sure, your selection will be based in part on who is selected for other Cabinet posts, as you seek the right racial, gender, and geographic balance of the Cabinet. But these sorts of governors have the political experience, management background, and general understanding needed to move the issue forward.

Those jobs further down the line in the Department of Education are the jobs that are essential. Who will be driving policy? Who will implement the policy? Who will collect the data? Who will analyze it? Who will market and sell all of it to the stakeholders that are needed to move change? The assistant secretaries you appoint will be the linchpins of your education policy success. Don't make these patronage jobs. Don't use these to reward friends or organizational friends of the campaign. Get out into the field and find the best people for the jobs. Of particular importance, at least in Eduflack's eyes, is finding the right people to head the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of Innovation and Improvement, the Office of English Language Acquisition (particularly since the Hispanic community was such an important demographic in your victory), and the Institute of Education Sciences. Find the true leaders, the true innovators, and the true thinkers to head these offices and drive policy.

Now that we've gotten the administrative piece out of the way, let's focus for a second on actual policies. In your policy platforms, you've identified a number of issues and areas that you want to focus on, both in terms of rhetorical and financial muscle. Many of these are specific programs, whether they be the continuation of the old or the creation of the new. These are good ideas -- some great, but as your education transition team moves forward, I ask that you make sure a number of issues get their fair shake:

* STEM -- We all know that science-tech-engineering-math is a hot topic these days. But it is also a substantive topic. Education doesn't happen in a vacuum. STEM provides you a tangible program to effectively link instruction to our future economic needs. It tells kids they are career ready. It tells employers we have a viable pipeline in the workforce. And it tells the nation we are doing what it takes to align education with the economy. STEM is your low-hanging fruit, and you can make some immediate gains by focusing on this policy priority, using education as an economic driver in all states.

* Reading -- I have reluctantly accepted that Reading First is dead. But for decades, the federal government has funded programs to boost reading achievement, particularly among minority and low-income populations. We need to continue that commitment, and Title I doesn't get the job done. For all of its flaws, RF has left a legacy of evidence-based instruction and ensuring we are doing what is proven effective. Let's use that to build a new, better reading approach. Scientifically based reading is in place in every Title I district across the country. Now is not the time to change horses. Now is the time to build on successes, showing all families -- from those in our urban centers to those in our most rural of communities -- that we are committed to making sure every child is reading proficient and reading successful.

* Education Research -- Staying on the topic, we need to continue federal efforts to support high-quality K-12 research. We need to do a better job of collecting long-term measurements of student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and the like. And we need to do a better job of analyzing the data we collect. Now is the time to use IES to further shape education R&D in the United States. That shaping requires a true innovator at the helm, with a good sense of research and a better sense of innovation and experimenting on what is new and possible. Few see it, but the IES appointment will speak volumes as to the possibility of new ideas and new educational exploration for the next four years.

* Teachers -- Supporting teachers is more than just supporting the teachers unions. You've demonstrated that understanding in your support to merit pay. Continue to display that independence. Merit pay, for instance, is a terrific tool to implementing best practice in the schools, sharing best practices among educators, and incentivizing closing the achievement gap and boosting student achievement without the strict use of the ED stick. If you need help with this, just give a ring over to your advisor Jon Schnur and ask him about New Leaders for New Schools' lessons learned through the EPIC program.

* Innovation -- All of the great education ideas have not been thought of yet. You need to find ways to invest in experimentation and invest in what is possible and what is promising. That is why OII was originally conceived. Take a look at advisor Andy Rotherham's (and Sara Mead's) study for Brookings on the future of education innovation, and start exploring the ways to use OII as a venture capital fund for new ideas and as an incubator for promising practices. We should even elevate OII to full assistant secretary status.

* Accountability -- Some think you will throw accountability out the window when you take office. Eduflack knows better. From your work in Chicago, you understand the importance of measuring the effectiveness of our reforms. You know we need to see real results if we are to continue real work. We not only need to keep measuring student achievement, but we need to do a better job of applying the data to policy decisions, spending decisions, and instructional decisions. More importantly, we just need to plain know that what we are doing works, and it works in schools like mine, in classes like mine, with kids like mine. There is nothing wrong with accountability if it is a shared responsibility, shared by government, schools, teachers, parents, and the students themselves.

* Choice -- Forget about vouchers, the future of education choice is charters and virtual education. There is a fine line between offering choices to families in need and stripping resources from the public schools. You need to find it. Charter enrollment in our urban centers is at all time highs. Find ways to further encourage it, while requiring higher quality and greater oversight. Virtual education, such as that mandated by Florida, is the future, and needs to be further explored to expand learning opportunities, particularly in our urban and rural schools. Options are key if we are to give every child a chance at opportunity.

* Parental Involvement -- Now for my big idea. I propose you actually establish an Office of Family and Community Engagement, an authorized body at the Assistant Secretary level that can get information into the hands of those who need it most. The most recent regs from ED show that the current infrastructure isn't getting it done. If you're serious about greater family involvement, turning off the TVs, and such, make the commitment to Family Engagement (and we do have to think beyond the traditional mother/father nuclear parent family structure). EdTrust has today's student attaining education at lower rates than their parents. That is a travesty. And the responsibility falls on the family. Parents are our first, and most durable, of teachers. Equip them with information, help them build the paths and help them paint the picture of the value and need for education. Create this new office, have it collaborate with OESE, OCO, and others, and see the impact of effectively collaborating with families and the community at large on education improvement.

Throughout the campaign, you demonstrated a keen understanding for the intersection between policy and communication. That understanding must be applied to your education work as well. On the whole, your predecessor did a poor job when it came to communicating, even with regard to some good policies. Their thinking seemed to be people will realize this is good policy, and if they don't we'll make them because we are the federal government. That won't work for you. You need to effectively sell your policies, and you need to sell them to a broad cross-section of audiences. You need stakeholder buy-in from the beginning, and that buy-in comes from more than just the usual suspects. Through a well-though-out, sustained public engagement plan, you can not only educate Americans on why education is important, you can actually change their thoughts and behaviors when it comes to the above issues and so many others. And if you aren't sure how, just give me a call.

I realize, from recent media interviews, that education is not going to be a top three issue for your Administration. That is understandable. I was heartened to see it comes into the top five. That just means there is more heavy lifting for your Department of Education and for those inside it to do more and make more change with less of the presidential bully pulpit. We share a common goal -- a high quality education for all children. Now we just need to build the team and execute the plan to move that goal into reality. You have that chance. Please take full advantage of it. Yes, you -- and we -- can.

Best,

Patrick R. Riccards (aka Eduflack)

Reaching Hispanic Audiences

Educommunicators — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:20:00 GMT

How do we effectively communicate with the audiences that are most important to us? That was a question posed by a member of Educommunicators over the weekend. More specifically, we are looking for answers as to how the education communications family is effectively reaching Hispanic audiences.

Over the past few months, I've personally spent a lot of time researching and thinking about this issue. Too often, I'm finding the general sense is it is too hard to reach Hispanic families on education issues. First, we think Hispanic families don't care about education concerns. Then, we say they don't use the Internet or read traditional publications. Factor in the language barriers of ELL families, and it is just too hard or too complex to deliver our message to Hispanic families. So we throw together a couple of Spanish-language PSAs, make a few calls to Univision or Telemundo, and then call it a day.

Of course, we know all of this to just be the making of a disappointing urban legend. Hispanic families are just as concerned about education as African-American or white families. Studies have demonstrated that the Internet is just as accessible in Hispanic households as it is in non-Hispanic households. And finding media that effectively reaches Hispanic families is no different than finding the right media to reach teachers, policymakers, business leaders, or African-American parents.

So how do we do it? What effective tactics have you used? What issues are important to communicate directly to Hispanic families? What do you wish you could try, but haven't? What questions remain in effective outreach to the Hispanic community? What do we still need to learn?

Send all of your thoughts to info@educommunicators.com, and I'll assemble the answers into a thoughtful analysis for all. There is no mistaking that the Hispanic community is a major driver in education reform today, from closing the achievement gap to improving school choice to boosting student achievement. We need to start asking the right questions if we are to figure out the best practices.

Recruiting an Educommunicators Advisory Board

Educommunicators — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:34:00 GMT

Educommunicators has already heard from many of you eager to get involved in the shaping of this experiment in social networking. We're now about 200 strong, and the time has come to put a little organization around this educomm test tube.So I am officially recruiting nominations for individuals to serve on a board of advisors.

For now, I am looking for 4-6 people to work with me to shape a calendar for the next 30-60-90 days and help identify areas for online content and discussions. We'll also look at the larger picture of networking events and other activities to meet the member needs.

If you're interested, drop me a quick note at info@educommunicators.com. For those who have already offered assistance, I'm thinking of you on this board already.

And don't worry, this is an informal thing. We aren't looking to build an association of a 501(c)(3). We just want to put some structure around an idea so many of us think can be useful, if properly executed.

Moving Educommunicators Forward

Educommunicators — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:12:00 GMT

Again, I would like to thank you for agreeing to partake in this social experiment we are calling Educommunicators. If we have learned anything from the past two weeks, there is a real hunger to build a social network for those involved marketing and communications in the education space. There is a desire to learn from one another and to gain a better understanding of who is doing similar or complementary work.

After two weeks, more than 150 individuals have joined Educommunicators. With that sort of response, we must now begin to move to action. November 1 will be the launch of phase two of Educommunicators.

What is to come? In the coming months, we all can expect the following:

* Assembly of an online directory of resources (available through www.educommunicators.com)

* Weekly blog postings on key media articles or reports important to our craft (http://blog.educommunicators.com)

* Guest blog postings on topics of particular interest to the members (you alert me of a topic, I'll find a blogger)

* Sharing of education communications job availabilities (again, you make them available, I'll post them on our range of information sites)

As you all know, currently, Educommunicators is operating through Facebook, LinkedIn, and the web (site and blog). For the first two weeks, that seems to be working, with information crossposted as frequently as possible. As we continue to move forward, we will monitor what is working best for the membership.

In the short term, is anyone interested in serving as an informal board member of Educommunicators? Want to help me with the direction of where we are headed? I could use some additional thinking and some additional leadership. If you are interested, just drop me at note at info@educommunicators.com.

The Need for a Public Engagement Campaign on Effective Math Instruction

Educommunicators — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:42:00 GMT

Typically, I don't look to cross-promote my blog postings on Eduflack with what's happening with Educommunicators. But I think this posting is different (http://blog.eduflack.com). For one, it highlights the components that went into an effective public engagement campaign for reading instruction. More importantly, though, it also calls on the education community to do the same for math ...

When the National Reading Panel released its landmark "Teaching Children to Read" report in April 2000, the obvious question to follow was, "what's next?" The federal government releases studies like "Teaching Children to Read" all the time. The report comes out, copies are distributed, and they usually end up in someone's closet, on someone's bookcase to get dusty, or as a doorstop in a state department of education.

As loyal readers know, NRP was a passion project for Eduflack. I was involved from the very beginning serving as a senior advisor to the panel and helping with everything from qualitative research to editorial. For two years, NRP was my life, and I wouldn't change a day of it.

During the NRP process, the we recognized that we needed to do more than just traditionally "disseminate" the findings. Informing key stakeholders on reading research was an important step, yes. But if the NRP was going to have the lasting effect it intended (and the lasting effect, I argue, it has) we needed to reach far deeper. We needed to move beyond simply informing to engaging. And we needed to move from engaging to changing behavior.

Ultimately, we needed to change the way the education world dealt with reading instruction. We needed to change how teachers taught kids to read. We needed to change what parents asked about reading in the classroom. We needed to change how school administrators made decisions on the programs they purchased. We needed to change how local, state, and federal elected officials prioritized funding for reading instruction. And we needed to change how the community at large, particularly the business community, addressed the issue and focused on reading. Most importantly, we needed to change student reading ability, ensuring that virtually every student gained the research-based instruction needed to be reading proficient by fourth grade.

Such change is no small undertaking. Following the release of the NRP report in 2000, we spent two years engaging in a range of communications and public engagement activities. Conference presentations. Interviews with the media. Interactions with key stakeholder groups and influential individuals. Armed with just the massive Report of the Subgroups, the Summary Report, and the NRP Video Report, we began the process of informing, engaging, and changing thinking.

After the tenets of NRP were included in No Child Left Behind (Reading First in particular), a new phase of engagement began. The U.S. Department of Education created the Partnership for Reading, a joint effort led by all federal agencies involved in one way or another with reading. This included ED, HHS, Labor, and NIH. Together, these agencies pledged a shared support to promote a unified commitment to scientifically based reading instruction.

Through the Partnership (another project Eduflack played a leading role in), we were able to launch a national public engagement campaign to ensure that all audiences 1) understood scientifically based reading instruction; 2) knew why it was important; and 3) began implementing it in their schools, classes, and communities. Originally, the work focused on a broad range of stakeholder audiences, including policymakers, the business community, school administrators, researchers, teacher educators, teachers, and parents. During the two-year process, we winnowed down our audiences, seeing the key actors in getting SBRR into the classroom as both the teacher and the parent.

To accomplish this effort, we engaged in a wide range of communications activities, far more than those used following the NRP release. Development of strong, audience-specific messages. Creation of specific materials designed for specific stakeholders. Media relations. Public service announcement campaign (both print and radio, in both English and Spanish). Conference presentations and exhibitions. A speakers bureau. Partnership development. And any and all marketing and communications activities designed to spread the word about the need for and the impact of SBRR.

At the end of the day, I am proud of the results we accomplished. Yes, we secured significant media coverage (millions of impressions worth millions and millions of ad-equivalent dollars). But we also built a strong network of supporters and advocates. Through a working partners group, we brought together organizations like NEA, AFT, AASA, and IRA (organizations not exactly friendly with ED or NCLB at the time) and joined them with NGA, NAESP, BRT, and the Chamber as a sign of shared commitment to scientifically based reading. How? At the end of the day, all of these organizations, regardless of their political leanings, shared a common belief that every child needed to learn to read and we needed to use instructional approaches that worked to get all children reading.

I don't take this walk down memory lane to toot any particular horn or wait for an applause line for the hard work of all of the people at NICHD and ED who helped move this forward, from 2000 through 2005. Instead, I reflect on this experience because of an article in this week's Education Week. In it, Sean Cavanagh reports on the current efforts underway to promote the recently released report from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. The full story can be found here — www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/10/10/08mathpanel.h28.html

The Math Panel is to be commended for its work, and it is especially noteworthy that they were able to pull together a conference earlier this month for policy folks and practitioners to focus on how to move the Panel's findings into U.S. classrooms. The NRP shared a similar goal, but those conferences quickly evolved into RF conferences after the passage of NCLB.

Cavanagh also focuses on efforts to print more than 160,000 pamphlets for parents on elementary and middle school math. Again, a needed step. For change to occur in our schools, parents must be effectively used as a lever for action. Lasting change does not come without real, sustained action from the parents.

EdWeek also notes the work of the ED's Doing What Works website (http://dww.ed.gov) to move the Math Panel's findings into teachable moments for educators and professional developers. (Full disclosure, Eduwife is managing DWW for ED).

But I also hope the Math Panel is thinking bigger, thinking bolder, and thinking more audaciously. Yes, it is unfortunate that ED will soon change hands, and a new EdSec will have new priorities. And yes, it is unfortunate that the Math Wars make the Reading Wars seem like Cub Scout jamborees. But the findings of the Math Panel are too important to fall by the wayside come January 2009. The need to equip all students with real math skills is too important for our schools, our community, our economy, and our nation for the Math Panel's report to hit a dusty shelf come next year, forgotten for the "next big thing."

Someone needs to launch a massive public engagement campaign to reform math instruction. Building from the work, infrastructure, and results of the Partnership for Reading, someone needs to work with parents, teachers, and policymakers to focus on getting what works when it comes to math into the classroom. And, ideally, someone outside of the federal government needs to make this their national priority, allowing such a campaign to move swifter and more nimbly than a government effort.

Interested? I'm happy to give you my cent-and-a-half to get it off the ground.

A Tip of the Hat from Capitol Communicator

Educommunicators — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:57:00 GMT

This afternoon, Capitol Communicator (www.capitolcommunicator.com), one of the premier blogs for PR professionals in the DC area, reported on the launch of Educommunicators. See the full post here -- www.capitolcommunicator.com/Home/tabid/36/EntryID/40/Default.aspx.

We continue to disseminate the message, and more people are joining the Educommunicator community each and every day. Thanks to all for their support and advocacy!

Tell Your Story to Educommunicators

Educommunicators — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:41:11 GMT

As we've stated from the start, Educommunicators is designed to be an online community where we can share information, establish dialogues, and learn from one another. That means we have to engage and collaborate.

Last week, I issued an open casting call for blog entries. That still remains. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, discuss it (or recommend it to Educommunicators, and we'll discuss it for you). Now we're going to expand the call.

This week will be the time for self promotion. Send me your entries to one or many of the following options:

* What do I/does my organization do (related to education)

* What's my proudest project/client story

* What's my one recommendation for communicating on education issues

* Why did I choose education (instead of healthcare, tech, consumer, etc.)

Answers can be attributed or anonymous, your choice. This is also you chance to give us your elevator speech and explain your organization's relevance in the education space.

Also, if your organization is looking to hire, let me know and we can post it.

As I've noted, in the first week, more than 100 individuals have joined the Educommunicators community. We have geographic balance. We have senior and junior communicators. We have people from all corners of the education sector. We're going to start putting together resource guides and information for the membership. Anyone have interest in a membership directory? If you joined through Facebook or LinkedIn, you can see who is a member through those mediums, but not in total. Just let us know.

Send all your thoughts and information to info@educommunicators.com. We'll get it out to the group.