91ÌÒÉ«

The City School District of 91ÌÒÉ« is in the process of taking a comprehensive look at our overall communications efforts. 

We are glad to partner with the National School Public Relations Association on this independent review. NSPRA has conducted communications audits in hundreds of school districts nationwide, and we are excited for their perspective and expertise to help us improve our communications practices district-wide.

We are grateful for the valuable input we have received from all members of our school community as a as part of our communications audit, and looking forward to sharing the results and recommendations in late spring or early summer. 

What is an NSPRA Communication Audit?

• A comprehensive assessment of current communications practices and the effectiveness of our overall program
• An overview of current perceptions about our district and schools
• A tool that provides baseline research and a framework for enhancing our communications practices moving forward

District-wide survey

NSPRA’s tools to gather your input included a district-wide survey that was open through April 9.

Thank you to the 567 people who took the time to complete the survey!

Your perspective is invaluable to us, and the feedback you provided will play an active role in shaping how we communicate with you

Focus groups

NSPRA’s information-gathering process also included a series of 18 meetings April 15-17. This included 14 focus groups that brought together a total of 123 individuals to engage in discussions led by two NSPRA experts with extensive experience in school communications.  

These meetings allowed the NSPRA auditors to dig deeper into feedback gathered through the SCOPE survey. The focus groups included:

• Teachers and other APSTA members (2 groups)
• Administrators and other APSAA members (2 groups)
• APSUE members and other support staff (2 groups)
• Elementary parents and guardians
• Middle school parents and guardians
• High school parents and guardians
• ENL parents and guardians
• High school students
• Community members
• Board of Education
• Cabinet

The NSPRA auditors also held separate conversations with Superintendent Hochreiter, Director of Communications and Operations Ron Lesko and the members of the Communications Department.

Additional steps, audit timeline

NSPRA’s research also includes a review of district materials, including print and digital publications from the district and school levels, social media and digital notification platforms, websites, media coverage, goals, policies, etc. 

After NSPRA has reviewed all input and materials, we expect to receive initial findings in June and a full final report with recommendations during the early summer. 

NSPRA’s report will include an executive summary, key research findings, a SWOT analysis, a comparison of district results with national benchmarks and best practices, and 8-10 detailed, customized recommendations to guide the district’s future plans for our communications program over the next 2-3 years. 

Have questions?