THE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

A comprehensive district communications plan for Common Core State

Standards is one of the best investments you can make to create support and
understanding among your staff, parents and community.

A communications plan template is outlined below. Use this as a guide, but

evaluate each part for its relevance to your stakeholders. The key is to be
flexible and thoughtful in developing a roadmap before you start  think about
where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. Here is how to do just
that.

STEP 1
Begin with the end in mind: GOALS & INTENDED OUTCOMES

Start with this question: What do the Common Core State Standards ultimately seek
to do/change in your school district?
Your district’s response is the baseline for the communications plan. The goals of
the plan can be broad and basic: “Address parents’ and the community’s concerns”;
and/or specific and advanced: “Achieve a mark of 90% in a survey category of
teachers who say they are ‘fully informed’ about Common Core State Standards and
district implementation”.

WORKSHEET
List your communications goals here (2-6 are appropriate):
1. Basic: Inform teachers.
Advanced: Achieve a mark of 90% in a survey category of teachers who say
they are ‘fully informed’ about Common Core State Standards and district
implementation.
2. Basic: Inform parents/guardians.
Advanced: Survey parent/guardians to identify their top five concerns related
to Common Core State Standards, and then address the patrons and their
concerns through at least five different channels. Survey again for effectiveness
and penetration of your messages.
3.
4.
5.
 STEP 2
Create a Team: THE COMMON CORE COMMITTEE

When putting together this communications strategy, a critical early step is

assembling a team of people to develop, gain support for and promote the Common
Core State Standards agenda. This team will likely involve people from curriculum
and instruction, parents, teachers, students, administration (finance) and others
from both inside and outside the school district. These people should agree to
become well-informed, engaged, and contributory. This “on-message” team is
crucial to a successful internal/external communications campaign.
Critical Note: Your superintendent must be on board and supportive with this team.

WORKSHEET
Make a list of the people you want on your team (4-8 people are appropriate,
including you). Here are a few suggestions for representatives you might include:
1. Curriculum Director
2. Teacher Representative
3. PTA Representative
4. Student Representative
5. Communications Director and any key players(s) on your team
6. District Administration Representation – finance is a good choice
7. Community or Business Representation
8. A key communicator in your district who is supportive and influential.
 STEP 3
Always go inside/out: INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Quick and basic research will help you find out what your internal community
already knows about Common Core. This can be done with a survey, and/or
informal conversations with principals or teachers. Then you must develop ways to
ensure quick and efficient communication with internal staff. This may be done on
your internal website, via principals, etc. Identify key communicators in internal
ranks who will spread your messages accurately and faithfully.
Key Communicators are influence leaders inside your district. These people can
become strong cohorts and allies in supporting your goals and spreading your
messages. You can create meaningful partnerships with Key Communicators by:

1. Inviting possible Key Communicators to an organizing breakfast where you lay

out your plan for a Key Communicators network, and secure their commitment
to help.
2. Communicating with them regularly.
3. Asking them to share specific messages with their family and friends, and
reporting responses and/or questions back to you.
4. Acknowledging and thanking them for their help.
5. Analyzing their feedback and evaluating how effectively you are executing your
communication plan.

INTERNAL WORKSHEET
List way(s) you can survey your audience(s) to see what they know about CCSS.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Ask principals to conduct informal interviews with staff and parents.
2. Hire help to do a phone survey.
3. Use your website and Facebook or other social media pages to ask for feedback.
4. Work closely with your superintendent to get information from the community
via the Board of Education and political key communicators.

List ways you will communicate information internally, including Key

Communicators for each education site in your district. Example:
1. List names of Key Communicators for each school site.
2. Post FAQ’s on district/school websites, Facebook, through electronic, and print
media
3. Meet with internal groups; send letters home to parents; present at board
meetings
4. Stand-up faculty meetings; present to PTA officers
5. Prepare specific, targeted messages for Key Communicators
 STEP 4
Know who you are talking to: IDENTIFYING TARGET AUDIENCE(S)

Keep a strong focus on your district’s friends and allies, and what messages or
requested actions will move them to become a champion for Common Core State
Standards. This will enable you to both grow your base of support quickly and
increase the intensity of the communications messaging. An informed and active
base of support allows you to spend more time on targeted outreach to those not
fully sold on Common Core State Standards.

Audiences may include:

 Educators and administrators (current and retired)
 Key legislators / legislative committees
 Parents
 Students
 Key business and workforce leaders
 The head of state education agencies (K-12 and post-secondary)
 Key community groups in your state (e.g. civil rights, religious, non-profit
groups)
 The media (Note: While the media is often considered a ‘target audience’, you
are not looking to gain or maintain the support of the media. The media is
actually a vehicle by which you can reach and influence your target audiences;
thus, it should be included on your list.)

AUDIENCE WORKSHEET
Who are your target audiences, and what is the best way to communicate to each
audience?
Hint: keep it simple and strategic. Here are some ideas:

AUDIENCE COMMUNICATION MODE

1. Teachers Stand-up faculty meeting, teachers’
newsletter, in-service meetings, website, e-
mail
2. Parents PTA face-to-face, backpack messages, e-
mail, website/Facebook, text messages
3. Faith Communities Interfaith alliance, letter from
superintendent
4. People with no direct connection to Newspapers, Key Communicators,
schools and students website/Facebook

5. Students Messages from teachers, student council

6. Political Groups Attend meetings, letters from
superintendents, facts and FAQ
 STEP 5
Getting heard above all the noise: CREATING MESSAGES

Common Core messages will be most effective if they are understandable, simple
and clear. Please know you cannot communicate these messages too much.

Research shows people need to hear a message five to seven times before it begins
to register in the brain. NSPRA has developed a wide range of messages for you to
consider. You do not have to reinvent the wheel. But, you do have to decide what
message will work for your district. Here are some messages you might consider:

Hint: Keep your messages brief. Keep them local.

Common Core is good for our students because…
Common Core will enable our community to…
Common Core will not…
Our teachers support Common Core because…

In order to create and deliver effective messages, remember that

communication is a process that includes:
SENDER – CHANNEL - MESSAGE – RECEIVER – FEEDBACK

As you and your team are creating clear, simple and direct messages, keep the five
parts of the communication process in mind:

SENDER -- Who delivers a message is incredibly important. Parents/guardians like

to hear from the principal or their child’s teacher. The community wants to hear
from the district, but they believe what support staff, teachers and other parents say
the most.
HINT: Be aware of COMMUNITY politics and know who from the political sector can be an ally.

CHANNEL -- How the message is sent also makes a difference. Some people like to
read the message. Some people like to hear it and be able to ask questions at a
meeting or in person one-to-one. Some in your audience will want the messages in
an e-mail or on a webpage, and others will only look at text messages. Find out how
your district’s people want information delivered to them  and deliver it to them
that way as much as possible.
Hint: No district can be “all things to all people,” however you want your target audiences to
receive messages through varied communications channels and news/public information
sources.

Hint: Also, as you consider the different resources you want to develop, you should always
consider first the reasons you want to undertake them. It is a good idea to consider a mix of
resources to get your message out through various communications channels; you want your
target audiences to see your messages in various news and public sources.
MESSAGE: How the message “sounds” is a key element to effective communication.
Be respectful, unemotional, and straightforward in each system of message delivery.
Maintain a high standard of quality. If the message is misspelled, rote, bland or hard
to read, then your audience will think Common Core State Standards are, too.
Hint: Do not sound defensive or arrogant. The best advice is to pretend you are talking/writing
to a best friend who really is interested in knowing about Common Core.

RECEIVER -- Your district’s target audiences. It is worth repeating that different

messages and senders work best with different people.
HINT: Internal audiences are most important. Key communicators among staff, parents and the
community are essential.

FEEDBACK -- Evaluation is critical to measure the communication campaign’s reach

and effect. Feedback allows you to build on strengths, and tweak a message to be
stronger or clearer as necessary. A formal qualitative survey is always best, but
informally asking everyone: “What are you hearing?” or “How is it going?” and
tallying the comments by each audience can be helpful and guide further work.

MESSAGING WORKSHEET
List your main Common Core messages:
1.
2.
3.
4.

List your target audiences and what messages and will work best with each:
1.
2.
3.
4.

List the people (senders) and institutions (channels) that will be effective in sending
the messages:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

List the ways you will receive feedback and evaluate performance of messages and
the campaign:
1.
2.
3.
4.
 STEP 6
PLAN THE WORK, WORK THE PLAN

As you determine the district’s key audiences, together with the materials/actions
to be developed for each key audience, map out the “who, what, and by-when”
accountabilities to deliver your messages. These action lines can – and should –
include leveraging existing communications channels and partnerships, along with
newly-developed outreach activities.

Any activity can be explored/explained in more detail below. Many will become
more complex, requiring additional actions, responsibilities and deadlines.

MESSAGE: Timelin
ACTIVITY/ Targeted Evaluation &
e (When Person/Organizati
PRODUCT/EVEN Audience( Feedback
T Will This on Responsible
s) Occur)
Methods, Notes
Common Core is
good for our
students and
teachers.

Back-to-School Mtgs, Curriculum Director Informal survey by

First three
FAQ handout, Letter Parents/ principals
weeks of
from Principal Teachers Core Standards
school
Communication Team E-mail survey
E-mail, Website/s,
Facebook, Twitter

Staff Newsletter,
Faculty In-Service

Common Core
Videos: “Key
Messages”

Shown at Back-to-
School Hits on website
Community,
Communications Director
Teachers, First Month
Push text msgs., Informal survey
Parents, of School
Facebook ITV Director
Students
Feedback via e-mail
On website and/or
community TV
station(s)

Twitter

Superintendent Community, First Day of Communications Director Informal survey; list of

letter to the Teachers, School places the letter has
community Parents, Superintendent appeared.
explaining Common
Students
Core

Back-to-School
publication, website,
Editorial submission
to media.

Hints:
This can become very complicated if you have not done it before. Keep it simple. It is much
better to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly.

Possible materials include:

FAQ, fact sheet, district position paper, community and district supporters of Common Core State Standards,
quotes, PowerPoint presentation, letters to editor and legislators, myth buster, fact card with simple messages and
information about who to contact, Facebook and text messages, blog entry, etc.
Ask yourself and your team: What works in our district?

Possible activities/events include:

Visit PTA meetings, presentations at school board meetings, meetings with media editors, speakers’ bureau,
community information nights, coffee with the principal, backpack info day, survey work, website, Facebook page,
text message, Twitter hash-tag, etc.
Ask yourself and your team: What works in our district?

Use New Media:

Communications research is clear: the younger the parent, the more they want information from e-mails, websites,
texts, Twitter and Facebook. Simple, direct messages tend to be passed on to friends via e-mail, and reposted on
Facebook. Use Twitter to send a quick CCSS fact and a website URL where there is more information.
 Step 7
Money matters! THE BUDGET

Estimated Budget:___________________

Once you have identified your budget – including existing resources, in-kind
services and any money that has been raised – you need to allocate it based on
where you want to have the greatest impact. It is important to identify early on how
much you are willing to spend on different resources or materials.
HINT: We suggest the budget people be charged with knowing the law/ethics concerning use of
public funds to inform the public about CCSS.

Updated as of:
SAMPLE BUDGET MM/DD/YYYY
Spent to Remainin Notes/
Budgeted
Date g $$ Assumptions
     
Talent Costs        
Consultants        
Materials Costs
Design/development
Printing
Distribution/Disseminatio
n
Media Costs        
Print ads
(newspaper, etc.)        
Broadcast ads
(TV, radio, etc.)        
Online ads
Hint: Try hard to get free
media coverage        
Event(s)        
Press conference(s)        
Hints: See activities/events Step 6        
Research        
Survey(s)        
Coordination Costs        
Internal meetings & travel        
OTHER:        
Total 0.00 0.00 0.00
 STEP 8
EXECUTE and COMMUNICATE THE PLAN

Putting the plan into action takes courage and preparation. Materials must be ready
on time. Actions taken by you  and other accountable leaders – must be executed
according to a pre-established timeline.

Remember to start with your internal audiences and get them informed and on-
board. Constant communication and coordination is now mandatory. Your Key
Communicators committee should meet weekly to make sure everyone is
completing assignments, identifying/addressing problems, and monitoring
feedback.

Have faith in your plan and stick to it. Nothing is quite as beautiful as a faithfully
executed plan that comes together to deliver the desired results.

CALENDAR WORKSHEET
Develop an online calendar with all due dates, events, meetings and assignments.
Track completed actions/tasks/events.

STEP 9
How did we do? MEASURING YOUR IMPACT

As the Common Core State Standards communication plan progresses, you will want
to measure exposure, awareness, and understanding of the messages among your
target audiences. You will want to know how deeply your messages are penetrating,
and what kind of traction they are receiving. You will want to know who is
championing the standards, and who misunderstands or is confused. Measuring
impact is key!

The metrics for measurement can range in terms of cost. A survey can be
accomplished via Survey Monkey or other online tools, the work of a consultant, or by
an informal verbal poll of principals, teachers and parents at school meetings.
Whatever methodology is chosen, make certain it provides you with enough data to
evaluate the impact of the communications campaign.

EVALUATION WORSHEET
1. List criteria for evaluation.
a. Messages: Penetration; understanding; information about sources of
opposition
b. Activities and Events
c. Communications Plan
d. Individual and group assignments
e. What worked and what did not work
2. List when the evaluation meeting(s) will be and who will attend.
 STEP 10
What to do if you are attacked by critics: MYTH BUSTING 101

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, opposition to Common Core State Standards is

beginning to surface across the country. Here is a brief primer on what to do if you begin to
hear opposition to CCSS.

Your first step is always to remain calm and do some simple research. Find out:
 What exactly is being said.
 How many and who is saying this. Then ask:
o Can you tell where they got this information?
o Is there any truth to it? Does it even apply to my district?
o Is anybody listening to this? Are staff, parents, or the community alarmed?

Again, remain calm and do research to find out the facts. Once you get your facts straight
and verified, you have a classic public relations decision to make.

What level alarm “blaze” is this and how many “fire trucks” do we call out?
Depending on the level of threat you perceive, you will create your response. If this is
minor, you might create messages for your Key Communicators. Arm them with the facts
and ask them to begin to spread your messages. Also ask them to tell you what they are
hearing.

If the threat is large, you will need to track down where the information is coming from and
take action to reduce the threat (i.e., go directly to people who are spreading the
information and talk to them, inform your internal audiences, post correct information on
your website.) The bigger the threat, the more preparation and rapid response you must
do.

Hint: The truth, directly said, is always the strongest argument you have. Myths are a set of
stories about how the world ought to be. Myths are hard to discredit because they deal with
belief, not fact. Myths currently surrounding the Common Core State Standards at some levels
are tied to much larger issues facing our nation; issues such as the overall role of national
government, and the approaches and decisions of our current elected leadership (“too much
government,” etc.). The PR Pro knows to take the high ground, keep emotion out of the
discussion and stick with the facts. It will be very hard to change the minds of your constituents
who already are invested in opposing Common Core State Standards. Your goal is not to seek
confrontation, but rather to be the one who gets fact-based messages out first to your parents
and community. Then, reinforce the facts every chance you get.

Hint: Common myths about CCSS include the following

 CCSS takes away local control
 CCSS will use computers to track children and steal their individuality
 Teachers did not have input to CCSS
 Teachers will be told what and how to teach
 This is a federal takeover of public education
 Students will stop reading fiction
 It is too hard and we are expecting too much of children and parents
Hint: Most CCSS myths are based on a misconception that the proposed standards are actually a
curriculum. They are not. Here is what you can say to respond to those who have confused
curriculum with standards:
These standards ensure we are consistently teaching our students rigorous academic content that, when
mastered, prepares our students for college and the workforce. In fact, we have been using standards in
education for more than 20 years. And as our community and society have advanced over time, we have
updated our standards to meet the increasingly higher expectations for student performance.
We recognize our standards must reflect the increasingly complex environment in which we live and
work, so our students can successfully compete for the best jobs.
Our state provides us with guidance for our work in adopting the academic standards we want for our
schools and students. Our own teachers and administrators review and update our standards as a part
of our responsibility in keeping our standards current. We follow all the necessary laws, rules and
regulations to ensure we are meeting our obligations to responsibly provide relevant and rigorous
education for our students.
I’d invite you to meet with me if you have additional concerns or questions about what our students are
learning and how our teachers are instructing. I’m happy to share with you all of our district’s
academic standards so you can have a first-hand look at exactly what students are learning.
 Let’s review: PLAN THE WORK AND WORK THE PLAN

1. Decide what you want to accomplish. Bring all the key players  the
superintendent, board of education, and any other key communicators in your
district  on board. Do basic research to learn what your audience(s) already
knows and what they want to know. Agree on the communications goals.

2. Form a team who will both guide the process and communicate to their
constituency groups.

3. Go inside out. Identify Key Communicators among your district staff.

Communicate with this group first. Internal communication is #1!

4. Get heard above the “noise.”

5. Create messages for your district.

6. Plan the work and work the plan.

7. Budgets matter!

8. Execute and communicate according to timeline.

9. Evaluate, take notes and learn.

10. Respond appropriately to opposition.

LET US HELP!!
If you have any questions, or need help with a communications plan,
contact NSPRA:

15948 Derwood Road | Rockville, MD 20855

Ph: 301-519-0496 | Fax: 301-519-0494 | [email protected]

Jim Dunn, APR

[email protected]
816-510-9763