Jeff Burgess
EAD 6113
Dr. Michael Arnold
Reflective Paper
Spring 2002

Administrative Communication, Innovation, and Management

Public Relations (ISLLC I, IV)
	Some educators communicate poorly because of a failure to realize that communication is more than dissemination of knowledge.  Communication must be two-way – it must involve a response and evaluation of that response.  Educators are reluctant to compete for the attention of the public, and are unprepared for emerging interest for educational activities.  Many administrators have little training in communication and may minimize the value of outside opinion.  
	Public information from educational administrators must evaluate and communicate quality verses cost, environment verses school life, and family verses school life. School is a political environment with intertwined legal and business issues. Much of the public has a negative perception of the school because it is government – an entity that is distrusted.  Schools deal with the two most important issues in a family’s life – children and money.  Students are consumers, and educators are consumers.  Education must be relevant and important for the public to be supportive.  Public perception of the school be based on factors such as graduate success, facilities, climate, test sores, and extracurricular activities.  Interviews for administrators often include questions about personal philosophy and public relations.  
	A communication plan is necessary to foster student achievement and build citizen understanding that can lead to financial support.  The school climate should be positive, challenging, and encourage parents to be involved.  Citizens should be involved in cooperative learning practices and partnerships.  The public should be informed of the purpose, needs, and successes of the school.
Improving Public Confidence
	Let the public know about successes and challenges – graduation rate, test scores,  and discipline.  Public concern about discipline should be considered seriously.  Parents, teachers, and students should be involved in developing  a discipline policy that addresses concerns such as disruptive classroom behavior, disrespect for authority, apathy toward learning, and absenteeism.  School leaders should personalize the schools and enhance the comfort of those being served by providing for:

•	the needs of the parents
•	friendly and prompt secretarial services	
•	cleanliness and pride of the school environment
•	positive parental contact 
•	positive contacts through counseling and guidance
•	business community partnerships
•	involvement of non-parents in the school 
•	improvement of staff morale – compliment and inform them
•	the use of comfortable language
•	the use of two-way communication where listening is stressed
•	the building of coalitions

Public Character of the School (ISLLC IV)
	Models of public relations:
•	press agentry/publicity (15%) - one way communication with propaganda as its purpose
•	public information (50%) - one-way dissemination of truthful information 
•	two-way asymmetric (20%) - scientific persuasion with feedback from the public,  then persuasion to accept the organizations point of view -
•	letting someone else have your way two-way symmetric (15%) - mutual understanding with the communicator (administrator) as mediator for the organization and its public

	While most districts appear to use public information, all one-way, the best would be two-way symmetric that develops mutual understanding with the community.

Societal trends impacting schools: (ISLLC VI)

•	Graying of America - by 2020 the old will outnumber the young for the first time in history.
•	Browning of America - by 2050 we will be a nation of minorities
•	Change from industrial age to global knowledge / information age
•	Shift from averages to individuals - personal attention, curriculum less limited
•	The millennial generation will insist on solutions to accumulated problems and injustices.
•	Continuous improvement and collaboration replace quick fixes and status quo.
•	Technology will increase the speed of communication - hi tech vocational ed.
•	Knowledge creation / breakthrough thinking will stir new enlightenment.
•	Scientific discoveries and societal realities will force ethical choices. 
•	Competition will increase with a shortage of teachers and administrators	

Understanding the community (ISLLC VI)
	The sociological inventory of a community can de determined by looking at many factors:
•	customs and traditions - help predict behavior
•	population characteristics - level of ed, parental involvement, age/sex
•	distribution, cultural factors, race, religion, occupation 
•	communication channels - how the community gets information - paper, television, radio community groups - Lions, Tigers, Elks, Optimists, Pessimists, Rotary, DAR, Shriners. What groups are there? motives? 
•	social tensions - social, racial, teachers, churches, dating family structures- single parent, ethnic.

	Leadership involves the relationship of what influences verses what is influenced.  Know what is going on - economic conditions, support for education programs, political structure.  More money is spent on education than any other government function - school is a political entity.

Power structures (ISLLC VI)
	An elite power structure is pyramidal with a  small elite group based on religion, political party,  or race.  A pluralistic or diffused power structure has several centers of power each concerned with different issues.  Amorphous is when power is absent or latent - status quo - common in rural settings.

Measuring Public Opinion (ISLLC IV)
	Public opinion can be measured by opinion research, forums and conferences, advisory committees, panels, a key communicator program, public opinion surveys, or electronic polling.
 Communication and Networking (ISLLC IV)
	Keys to Communicating:
•	meet and greet - meet people, smile, be friendly approachable
•	return phone calls immediately 
•	be aware of barriers - emotion, distractions, preconceived notions
•	praise publicly / criticize privately 
•	give credit to / take blame for faculty 
•	respect confidences

	There are four types of verbal communication skills messages:

	1. the message you want to send
	2. the message you thought you sent
	3. the message actually sent
	4. the message that is understood

Importance of Communicating Effectively (ISLLC IV)

	Research shows 93% of what people get is from HOW you say something - vocal qualities and nonverbal cues - 55% from nonverbal cues, and 38% from vocal qualities vocal expression: speed, volume, pitch, tone, and articulation.  Use natural conversation.

Vision (ISLLC I)
	Vision is how you would like something to be – ideal, while a mission is what you expect to achieve.