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About the NSRPA Audit

In the fall of 2023, the Darlington County School District (DCSD) contracted with the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for an in-depth,
independent review of the school district’s overall communication program. The NSPRA Communication Audit process helps to identify the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement in a school communication program through an extensive research process that includes:
  • A review of print and digital communication materials, tools and tactics;
  • Quantitative research through the surveying of district staff (instructional, support, administrative, etc.), parents/caregivers and community members;
  • Qualitative research through focus groups with these same audiences and through interviews with staff who perform formal communication functions for the district. 

Report Synopsis

As with all school systems, DCSD has areas in which it excels as well as areas where improvements can be made. For a full understanding of what was learned, the rationale behind the resulting recommendations and what will be required to implement those steps, it is recommended that the report be read in its entirety.
 
Key Strengths of the Current Communication Program
 
  • All stakeholder groups rate satisfaction with DCSD communications highly, and the district scores at or above national averages in 84 of 85 areas on NSPRA’s SCOPE Survey Scorecard, which measures communication reach and effectiveness compared to districts nationwide.
  • Director of Communications Audrey Childers and Communications Manager Chris McKagen both have deep roots in the community and are strongly committed to making improvements to an already strong communications program. Both have earned high levels of trust and respect for keeping parents, employees and the community informed of all information related to the district.
  • Employees and the parents of enrolled students uniformly praised the district for its caring, skilled teachers and the breadth of opportunities the district offers students, demonstrating a high awareness of the district’s strengths and the benefits its programs bring to students.
  • The Office of Communications has a comprehensive communication plan that includes many effective tactics and keeps stakeholders well-informed of district news and information.
  • Superintendent Dr. Timothy Newman and district leaders are committed to investing in communication and providing the department with adequate staffing and communication tools.
Key Challenges of the Current Communication Program
 
  • The district excels at sharing information with parents and employees but lacks an overall, research-based communications strategy that sets measurable objectives based on research and tied to the district’s strategic goals.
  • A gap exists regarding the perceived quality of DCSD schools between employees/parents and those in the broader community who have no direct experience with the district.
  • Some business and community leaders are unaware of the excellent work occurring in DCSD schools, including the range of opportunities, and do not recognize a cohesive strategy in the district’s academic programs and services.
  • The Office of Communications is praised for its excellent work, but outside the department’s purview, communication is not effectively incorporated into other areas of district operations. Internal communication infrastructure inefficiencies have contributed to perceptions that the district does not release information in a timely and transparent manner.
  • District leaders expressed concern that negative coverage of the public school system in the national media has led to the local community having negative perceptions of the schools.
Recommendations
 
Based on analysis of the research, the auditor suggests the following strategies for enhancing the DCSD communication program. For each recommendation, a series of practical action steps based on industry best practices, award-winning strategies and innovative approaches to communications are included in the report.
  • Update and enhance DCSD’s communication plan.
  • Elevate the perception of DCSD schools through branding, marketing and storytelling.
  • Expand communications and outreach efforts that build community awareness of DCSD’s accomplishments.
  • Strategically engage families and the wider community through enhanced social media content.
  • Evaluate, strengthen and expand the district’s internal communications infrastructure.
  • Increase transparency and trust by focusing on two-way communication in decision-making processes.
Next Steps
 
The report provides practical steps for each recommendation, based on the best practices we know of today. Implementing these recommendations is a long-term process that involves everyone responsible for communication in DCSD, not just the Communications Department. It’s usually not possible to tackle more than two or three recommendations each year. While some of the recommendations might take a lot of time and effort, the report also suggests ways to improve existing practices or make quick fixes that don’t require a lot of resources.
 

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