2022 Communications Audit
Reynolds School District partnered with National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and School Communication Performance Evaluation (SCoPE) to conduct a Communications Audit which included:
- Review of district materials (print and digital publications, policies, goals, media coverage, websites, etc.)
- A district-wide Communications Survey (conducted in May 2022)
- Focus groups with key stakeholders
A communications audit determines both how effective current communications tools are, including their strengths and weaknesses, while providing recommendations and improvements necessary for communication plans to work even better.
What is a NSPRA Communication Audit?
- A comprehensive assessment of current communication efforts and the effectiveness of the overall program.
- A snapshot of current perceptions about your schools, district, and leadership.
- A tool that provides baseline research to evaluate progress and a framework for developing your communication plan.
Please see the key findings and recommendations from the 2022 Communications Audit below.
Key Stakeholder Focus Groups
| Parents - English Speaking |
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Support Staff |
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| Parents - Spanish Speaking |
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Principals & Assistant Principals |
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| Community Partners |
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Department Supervisors |
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| Students |
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Administrative Assistants |
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| Teacher Leadership |
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Cabinet Members |
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| Teachers - Group 1 |
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Board of Directors (School Board) |
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| Teachers - Group 2 |
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Key Findings: Stakeholders' Perceptions of Reynolds School District
| Diversity | Stakeholders value and respect the diversity of Reynolds School District |
| Pride in Schools | Stakeholders have great pride in their schools |
| Resiliency | Stakeholders are quickly able to recover from difficulties and want to do great work |
| Overall Communication | Stakeholders view overall communications as good |
| Parent Communication | Stakeholders view parent communications are good |
Key Findings: Parents
| Trustworthiness of Communications | Parents question the trustworthiness of communications from the district |
| Decision Making/Financials | Parents don't fully understand how district decisions are being made, in particular about finances |
| Responsiveness | Parents would like to hear more from their teachers on how their students are doing |
| Non-English Speaking Parent Needs | Non-English Speaking Parents want more supports (i.e. more Spanish-speaking secretaries, etc.) |
Key Findings: Staff
| Trust | Staff have a lack of trust in the district |
| Decision Making | Staff feel they don't have enough context to understand why or how decisions are made |
| Valued | Staff have a desire to feel valued in terms of their role within the district |
| Leadership Visibility | Staff want to see more district leadership presence at school sites |
| Missing Opportunities | Staff feel that it is difficult to let the community know about positive things happening at their schools |
| Internal Communications | Staff feel that internal communications continue to develop trust and improve understanding |
Audit Recommendations
The following recommendations are designed to help meet the goal of creating more effective communications. Some can be implemented immediately, and others may take longer. NSPRA has generally found that it is not feasible for a communications department to implement more than two or three major recommendations a year while maintaining its existing services, initiatives, and staffing levels. This is a long-term effort for which the audit report should serve as a road map.
Audit Recommendations:
- Develop a strategic communication plan aligned to the district’s strategic plan
- Focus on improving internal communication and employee engagement
- Implement strategies to strengthen trust in district decision-making
- Create a network of key communicators
- Empower and inspire staff to engage in effective, timely, and targeted communications
- Expand strategies to improve district-to-parent communications
- Increase methods for effectively reaching non-English speakers
To view the full report click here.
Next Steps
9/28/2022: The Communications & Community Relations Department is currently working on the audit recommendations. Check back here for updates soon!
Supporting Documents
2022 Communications Audit (8 MB) 