Why School Communication Matters: Strategies From PR Professionals

Why School Communication Matters is an easy-to-use reference for the communication dilemmas that superintendents, principals, and other school leaders face today as they lead faculty and staff, parents and students, neighbors and community leaders. This newly revised edition incorporates the monumental technological changes, including social media that are reframing the way we think and work. The book deals with real life challenges and offers practicable solutions.


Demonstrates how school leaders can design effective two-way communication strategies with their own communities―because one size no longer fits all.Draws from some of the best research in school communication and business leadership.Offers a framework of ideas on which school leaders can hang their strategic plans. Examines real challenges―from battles with angry parents to the effective use of data to the management of a major crisis―and links these challenges to larger leadership issues.Includes up to the minute information and fresh statistics on today’s social media and community outreach.Is a boots-on-the-ground field guide of proven strategies to meet the needs of practitioners who work on the front linesIs a reference book for both new and seasoned school leadersIs a textbook for those aspiring to school leadership positions

Kitty Porterfield is a partner in the firm of Porterfield & Carnes Communications. She directed public relations and communications efforts in public school districts in Northern Virginia for nearly thirty years, most recently in Fairfax County Public Schools, where she led the communications efforts during 9/11 and the sniper incident in the Washington metropolitan area. Her work has received recognition from the U.S. Departments of Education and Homeland Security and the National School Public Relations Association. She and Meg Carnes have also co-authored Why Social Media Matters: School Communication in the Digital Age.She lives in Northern Virginia and can be reached at kitty@porterfieldandcarnes.com.

Meg Carnes is a partner in the firm of Porterfield & Carnes Communications. She was an award winning English and journalism teacher and worked as a communication specialist for Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools when the school division was awarded the Gold Medallion for communication excellence from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). She is nationally accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She lives in Washington, D.C. and can be reached at meg@porterfieldandcarnes.com.