Public school enrollment continues declining, and the U.S. Department of Education has the data to prove it. We’re sharing more of the fresh stats – and of course tips for your next steps.
Is your team stuck in a rut? Need some skills-building? Looking for a laughter-filled get-together centered around learning? Our marketing and communications workshops are jam-packed with helpful how-tos. You and your team will walk away with confidence and the knowledge you need to take (successful) action. Plus, we’ll have fun while we’re doing it! Here’s a (sampling of) what we’re offering this spring and summer…
Families in your district know their teachers – they communicate with those teachers – they trust teachers. While as a district leader, you play a truly critical role in helping your district succeed (and frankly, we think you’re awesome for it), you're not always the one parents are engaging with weekly, or even daily. And THAT, my friends, means you have a huge communications opportunity in front of you. We’re sharing more here.
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You know you have a good story – one people need to hear. So how do you break through the noise and get your news covered? Former reporter and Forthright VP Emily shares insider tips to help you with your media relations efforts.
Communicators like us face disinformation and misinformation spreading through social media, the news and in our communities every day. We’re sharing a few tips about how to combat this misinformation here — starting with why people believe it in the first place.
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To us, consent means ensuring that every person we interview feels comfortable, confident and even empowered about sharing throughout the interview process. In other words, consent is so much more than asking for permission to share a story. Gathering consent during interviews is just one of many critical parts of ethical storytelling. We're sharing how we approach the process in this blog.
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As a parent who is aware of the schooling options available – one who *wants* to send her kids to public schools – I’m sharing a few steps I wish my local school district had taken over the past few months.
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I was driving across North Carolina, headed for a quick weekend getaway in Belhaven, along the Pungo River. It was my favorite kind of drive, through all that my amazing state has to offer – beautiful water views, farm fields and cypress swamps.
But along with the landscape, there were billboards. So many of them.
And I got to thinking about what a great opportunity billboards can be for school district communicators – but only when done purposefully and with best practices in mind. (There are, I have to tell you, some pretty confusing and visually crowded billboards out there…)
Here are a few tips for creating an effective billboard ad for your district.
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Through her work with school districts and nonprofits, Forthright senior advisor Lauren knows how to reach a variety of audiences. Today, Lauren is sharing how organizations and districts like yours can better include grandparent caregivers in your tactics and build more inclusive communications.
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The lawn signs are out, the commercials are on, and the handshakes are happening. You know what that means: it’s election season! And for many of our partners, that means securing funding for your school district is on the ballot.
We recently reviewed successful and failed bond campaigns across the US, and here are some key takeaways!
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So you just landed a job as a communications director. Welcome to the big leagues, my friend! Whether you earned an internal promotion or you’re new to the organization, as someone who has stood in your shoes multiple times over the years, I’ve got a few tips to help you make the most out of your new role.
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I’ve had clients tell me that they’re nervous to do live television appearances or even speak with a reporter. “What if they ask me something I don’t know the answer to?” they ask us, dread in their voices. “What if they ask me about something I don’t want to talk about?”
Well, friends, you don’t need to be nervous, you just need to pivot.
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Honest question: How full is your inbox right now? Has it reached hundreds of unread emails yet? In the days leading up to the first day of school, it is totally normal to have an overwhelming amount of information thrown at you.
Buried in many inboxes are great story “nuggets” that deserve to be told. Maybe it is the student who learned to love science during the fun summer camp she took. Maybe it is a teacher who is bursting with fun, new blended learning ideas to engage his social studies class after the professional development session he attended in July.
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I grew up the middle child – not the first born, not the baby of the family. Yet I can confidently say that (as a future communicator) I was still the best at convincing our parents to do what I wanted.
My secret? Thinking about what was personally important to them…and then matching what I wanted with what they valued.
And that secret, my friend, is the entire secret to good communications.
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It’s overwhelming out there, these days, eh? A flood of news. Constant notifications. According to recent health data from OnePoll, we’re all feeling overworked and exhausted.
So as changemakers, how do we break through the tired and overwhelmed in order to move our work forward?
The answer is simple:
One.
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The teacher who knows how to make calculus interesting. The coach who took her team to state championships three times in the past five years. That team member – the perfect team member for your district – is out there. And they are job searching, seeking the perfect district for them.
But the competition is fierce. Here’s how your district can stand out in a crowded job market for educators.
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We’ve all heard the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words. And that’s true – but in marketing and advocacy, the images aren’t just about the pictures themselves and the words they represent. They are also about the feelings they evoke and the narratives they help shape.
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When it comes to storytelling, you’re already sold. You know stories about your work help demonstrate your organization’s impact in a personal, relatable way.
Now, it’s on to actually telling the stories. That starts with interviews. And this – this is the step when even seasoned communications professionals can get a little nervous. From how to ensure you’re getting consent to asking questions in a respectful way, it can be a little tricky!
Here’s Forthright’s true-blue formula for asking for initial consent and asking questions.
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Forthright Senior Advisor Ashley Peterson-DeLuca dug into the research about how our inbox-reading behavior changed during and after the pandemic. Check out her email marketing tips to make sure you’re following up-to-date practices.
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The way we process information in a crisis – like, you know, an ongoing pandemic and wartime – is different. Right now, our attention spans are shorter, and we’re more forgetful, too.
This means that to best serve our audiences, we need to focus on delivering information as clearly as possible.
The key to this clarity? Breaking it up!
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