EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LEARNING INTIATIVE (ETLI)

FOR LIGHTPOINTE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Public Relations Plan

Culminating Project

Submitted to Dr. Jim Henderson

Duquesne University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

GADS 682 – School Finance

By

Douglas C. Strahler

Spring 2012

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................ ii  

PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN FOR LIGHTPOINTE SCHOOL DISTRICT................................ 1  

FOREWARD .................................................................................................................................. 2  

MISSION STATEMENT ............................................................................................................... 3  

VISION........................................................................................................................................... 3  

LIGHTPOINTE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S NINE CORE VALUES................................................ 3  

NEED FOR THIS PROJECT ......................................................................................................... 4  

CURRENT SITUATION................................................................................................................ 4  

School Demographics ......................................................................................................... 4  

NEED FOR THE ETLI................................................................................................................... 4  

Initiative Details.................................................................................................................. 5  

Table 1 iPad Device and Professional Development Cost...................................... 5  

Budget Timeline.................................................................................................................. 5  

BENEFITS...................................................................................................................................... 6  

IMPACTS ON STUDENTS DURING THE PROJECT................................................................ 7  

TARGET MARKETS..................................................................................................................... 9  

Internal Markets .................................................................................................................. 9  

External Markets, Current and Potential............................................................................. 9  

PUBLIC RELATION PLAN GOALS AND STRATEGIES....................................................... 10  

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Goal #1.............................................................................................................................. 10  

Strategy #1 ........................................................................................................................ 10  

Posters ................................................................................................................... 10  

Hard copy & E-mail Announcement .................................................................... 10  

Faculty & Staff Meetings...................................................................................... 10  

Goal #2.............................................................................................................................. 11  

Strategy #2 ........................................................................................................................ 11  

Newsletters............................................................................................................ 11  

Website Announcement ........................................................................................ 11  

Facebook Page Announcement............................................................................. 11  

Newspaper Announcement ................................................................................... 11  

Open House........................................................................................................... 12  

Videos ................................................................................................................... 12  

Additional promotional ideas................................................................................ 12  

EVALUATION & OUTCOMES ................................................................................................. 12  

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 13  

APPENDIX A............................................................................................................................... 14  

Awareness Letter for iPad Initiative ..................................................................... 14  

APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................... 15  

Newsletter Announcement.................................................................................... 15  

APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................................... 16  

Website Announcement ........................................................................................ 16  

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APPENDIX D............................................................................................................................... 17  

Facebook Announcement...................................................................................... 17  

APPENDIX E ............................................................................................................................... 18  

Video Case Studies ............................................................................................... 18  

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PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN FOR LIGHTPOINTE SCHOOL DISTRICT

March 3, 2012 Dr. Edith Wharton Superintendent LightPointe School District 1680 Beacon Drive Lakeshore, Pennsylvania, 15247 Dear Dr. Edith Wharton:

The LightPointe School District staff will develop and implement a comprehensive public

relations plan and timeline that fits the budget, targets the desired markets and promotes the

Educational Technology Learning Initiative (ETLI). The objectives of our promotional efforts

will be to:

• Generate support to fund this project

• Increase awareness of the school project

• Position this project as a vital piece to providing a higher-quality education to the

student’s of LightPointe School District

This Public Relations Plan will assist in:

• Identifying the need for this project

• Identifying how this project will benefit the students and community

• Identifying potential stakeholders in this project

• Providing an internal and external public relations plan

If you have any further questions in regards to the information contained in this document, please

do not hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Douglas Strahler

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FOREWARD

For the purpose of this project, I have selected to model LightPointe School District after

the North Hills School District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All content and demographics will

replicate the North Hills School District.

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MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the LightPointe School District is to excel at educating and preparing each

student to become a responsible, contributing member of society by providing a caring and an

academically challenging environment.

VISION

Rooted in our proud tradition of excellence, the North Hills School District will be

recognized as one of America’s great public school districts.

LIGHTPOINTE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S NINE CORE VALUES

1. Demonstrate genuine care, concern, and fondness for students.

2. Adopt a client-centered focus ~ students come first, followed closely by the needs of their

parents.

3. Develop and nurture healthy, productive and cooperative relationships with colleagues.

4. Communicate regularly and clearly with clients, their families and the community.

5. Demand quality ~ high expectations will yield high achievement.

6. Create and cultivate a district-wide Learning Community.

7. Benchmark programs, services, and students' results against the best.

8. Encourage innovation and risk-taking.

9. Establish community and regional partnerships.

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NEED FOR THIS PROJECT

With current budget cuts in the state of Pennsylvania, additional funds are needed to

support the Educational Technology Learning Initiative (ETLI) at LightPointe School District.

Professional development opportunities will need to be funded to expand the outreach of this

initiative and ensure proper training.

CURRENT SITUATION

The LightPointe School District located in Northern Allegheny County, is a first tier

suburb of the city of Pittsburgh. The district is comprised of Ross Township and West View

Borough ~ a 14.6 square mile area with a population of nearly 40,000.

School Demographics • The LightPointe School District is comprised of four elementary and one

junior/senior high school

• The 2010-11 student enrollment was 4,275

• The district employs approximately 350 teachers and more than 700 total

employees

NEED FOR THE ETLI

From the Nine Core Values and the 2007-2013 Strategic Plan

(http://www.nhsd.net/about.cfm?subpage=67695) of the LightPointe School District, there is a

need to fund some of the benchmark programs and services we need to offer to the students,

including the Educational Technology Learning Initiative. As part of the Strategic committee for

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Educational Technology, the goal of this committee is to develop plans for providing state-of-

the-art technology for the classroom to better prepare students for the changing world. The major

goal of this initiative is to obtain iPads all five school district buildings and professional

development opportunities for the teachers.

Initiative Details The vision is to provide each district building with 50 iPads for teachers to share and

integrate into their curriculum. In addition, appropriate training sessions will be provided for

teachers to learn how to use the iPads and be instructed on the school’s policies for using the

iPads. Table 1 below breaks down the cost for the iPads and professional development training.

The Educational Technology Committee will accomplish all of the public relations through

volunteer hours.

Table 1 iPad Device and Professional Development Cost

Item Quantity Cost/Item Total Cost

16GB iPad with Wi-Fi (50/school) 250 $499.00 $124,750.00

iTunes Account/Apps/Setup - - $25,000.00

Professional Development Training - - $100,250.00

Budget Timeline 1. Planning of the ETLI and selection of ET Committee (November – March)

2. Preparation of documentation and plan (April – May)

3. Adoption of ETLI (June)

4. Execution of ETLI (July – June)

5. Evaluation of ETLI (July – October)

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BENEFITS

The iPad in the classroom will allow teachers to integrate technology into the classroom

that can provide students with an avenue for creativity and a hands-on learning experience. From

a study conducted at Notre Dame University, while it is a higher education institute, the results

still reflect overall learning.

“A statistically significant proportion of students felt the iPad made class more

interesting, encouraged exploration of additional topics, provided functions and

tools not possible with a textbook and helped them more effectively manage their

time” (Chapla, 2011).

While other studies have been performed producing similar results, this indicates there

are successes in using iPads in the classroom. Below is a list of the features and how they plan to

benefit students.

• Textbooks

o Students will have access to a library of books and textbooks on the iPad

as a way to allow students to read additional materials in the classroom

o Interact textbooks will allow students to engage and have a more hands-on

experience with the material

o Textbooks will provide 3D and Interactive images, as well as interactive

galleries to further the educational experience

• Educational Apps

o The library contains over 20,000 educational apps for all kinds of learners

o Apps match a majority of the major subjects taught in school

English Language Arts

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Mathematics

Science

Geography & History

Language Development

o Apps provide additional resources to learn art, music and creativity

With funding being cut to these programs, this would provide

students an outlet to learn these skills

o Apps make learning more accessible with apps that help people with

visual and hearing challenges and different learning styles connect with

the world in new ways

• iTunes

o With programs like iTunes U, students can have access to variety of

learning materials beyond the classroom

• College Preparation

o Technology is an important component to college and real world

experiences, and by getting the iPad into the hands of students at an earlier

age, it will better prepare them for college and hopefully increase

achievement in the classroom

IMPACTS ON STUDENTS DURING THE PROJECT

While there have been documented successes post-implementation of the iPad in K-12

setting, there are barriers encountered along the way. Below is a collection of impacts that could

potentially occur during the project.

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• Too many applications/resources

o With over 20,000 educational applications, there may be too many to go

through or use in the classroom

o Solution: During the professional development training, encourage

teachers to explore applications and assist in deciding which applications

are best suited for the classrooms

• Sharing

o Due to the large number of students enrolled and employees at

LightPointe School District, there is no way to fund a 1:1 ratio of iPads,

forcing students and teachers to share. Unique log-ins are not possible on

these machines.

o Solution: While there is no possible way of funding 5,000 iPads, teachers

will be responsible for sharing and signing out iPads for certain class

periods.

• Touch-Screen Interface

o Some students may not be familiar with touch-screen interfaces, which

could impede the learning process of the material, due to learning the

machine.

o Solution: Let students play with the iPads and teach them how to use them

prior to integrating into a lesson.

• Flash

o Some learning objects are Flash-based and Flash is not supported on

iPads.

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o Solution: Encourage the use of compatible educational apps and external

resources that do not run Flash.

• Damaged/Broken Equipment

o Due to the small number of iPads, if they are damaged or broken in the

process, this could result in a lack of devices to be shared among classes.

o Solution: Encourage safe and proper handling of the devices during the

initial training session. If they are broken, use extra technology funds to

pay for fixing the devices.

TARGET MARKETS

Internal Markets 1. Students

2. Teachers

3. Staff

4. Board Members

5. Administration

6. Additional internal audiences

External Markets, Current and Potential

1. Parents

2. LightPointe School District Community (tax payers)

3. Community Leaders

4. Local Businesses

5. Surrounding Higher Education Institutes

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PUBLIC RELATION PLAN GOALS AND STRATEGIES

Goal #1 Increase awareness to the ETLI program to Internal Markets.

Strategy #1

Posters

Posters will be placed around the school district buildings making students, teachers, and

staff aware of the iPads availability. The posters will contain the location of the iPads (school

libraries), professional development training dates, and appropriate policies for checking out and

using the iPads. Funding for paper and printing costs are already included in the budget, so there

will be no additional costs.

Hard copy & E-mail Announcement

Letters announcing the iPad inititative, both in hard copy and email format (Appendix A),

will be provided to the teachers and staff at the school district. Funding for paper and printing

costs are already included in the budget, so there will be no additional costs. Email

announcements will be free to distribute.

Faculty & Staff Meetings

The ETLI iPad program will be discussed during faculty meetings to collect feedback and

suggestions on how to make more markets aware, increase adoption, future training dates, and

external professional development opportunities. Meetings are already scheduled on a monthly

basis, so no additional time or cost will be incurred.

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Goal #2 Increase awareness to the ETLI program to External Markets.

Strategy #2

Utilize proven communication tools to reach External Markets.

Newsletters

An announcement will be made in the school district newsletter, which is distributed to

student’s parents each month (Appendix B). These costs are already included in the budget, so

no additional cost will be needed.

Website Announcement

An announcement will be placed on the website to provide additional information on the

ETLI (Appendix C). The website is already built and funded, so there are no additional costs to

post this announcement.

Facebook Page Announcement

An announcement will be placed on the school districts Facebook page to provide

additional information on the ETLI (Appendix D). The Facebook page is free to create and

already published, so there are no additional costs to post this announcement.

Newspaper Announcement

An announcement will be placed in the local newspaper to provide additional information

on the ETLI. This announcement will be the same as the content on the website. Funding for

advertisement costs are already included in the budget, so there will be no additional costs.

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Open House

During the annual open house, all stakeholders will be able to watch demonstrations

provided by select faculty members on the different applications of the iPad. Each room will

have an iPad in it to show how the teacher may use it in the classroom. Stakeholders may play

with the iPad under the teachers’ supervision.

Videos

Throughout the academic year, case studies will be documented and short videos will be

produced to demonstrate how teachers and students are using the iPads in the classroom. These

videos will be published to the school website (Appendix E) where any stakeholder can view

them. The cost to produce these videos will come out of the professional development budget.

The video equipment and software will be borrowed from the school television station.

Additional promotional ideas

• Award/recognition banquets

• Award/recognition/networking breakfasts

• Award/recognition/networking luncheons/business after hours

EVALUATION & OUTCOMES

Upon the completion of the first year of adoption, the Educational Technology

Committee will run surveys to assess the outcomes of the ETLI. If deemed successful, the goal

will be to increase funds translating to continuation of programs, better equipment and service to

the community and business.

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REFERENCES

Business Consulting Buzz. (2009, June 15). Sample public relations plan: For a non-profit

center. Retrieved from http://www.consulting-business.com/sample-public-relations-

plan.html

Chapla, S. (2011, January 21). Study results: Students benefit from ipads in the classroom.

Retrieved from http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/18178-study-results-students-benefit-from-

ipads-in-the-classroom/

North Hills School District. (n.d.). North hills school district about us. Retrieved from

http://www.nhsd.net/about.cfm?subpage=67695

PRhelper.com. (n.d.). Public relations campaign plan template. Retrieved from

http://www.prhelper.com/templates/pr-campaign-plan-2.php

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APPENDIX A

Awareness Letter for iPad Initiative

DATE

Dear [FACULTY MEMBER NAME HERE]:

For the 2012-2013 school year, the Educational Technology Learning Initiative will make

available 50 16GB Wi-Fi iPads for use inside the classroom. These iPads are to be used for

educational purposes only and will be made available for sign-up in the library.

Prior to signing out iPads for your classroom instruction, you must attend a one-hour training

workshop to become familiar with the device, available applications, and policies for using the

iPads. After completetion of the training course, you will be able to sign-out iPads for your

classroom instruction. Dates for training will occur the week before school starts and numerous

times throughout the semester. The signup can be done by emailing the school secretary

(secretary@lpsd.edu) or by signing up in the main school office. Below are the dates prior to the

beginning of school:

• Monday, August 15, 9:00a – 10:00a

• Wednesday, August 17, 1:00p – 2:00p

• Thursday, August 19, 10:00a – 11:00a

If you have any questions, please contact the ETLI coordinator at etli@lpsd.edu.

Sincerely,

Douglas Strahler

Coordinator, ETLI

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APPENDIX B

Newsletter Announcement

HEADLINE: LightPointe School District Adopts iPads

The Educational Technology Committee and the LightPointe School District are implementing

the Educational Technology Learning Initiative (ETLI) as a strategic plan to support students by

providing them an outlet to receive a higher-quality education and provide state-of-the-art

technology for the classroom to better prepare students for the changing world. The adoption of

iPads into each school will occur during the 2012-2013 school year. The implementation of the

ETLI will assist in reaching the goals set in the 2007-2013 strategic plan. For more information

on this program, please check out the website at www.lightpointeSD.com/ETLI.

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APPENDIX C

Website Announcement

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APPENDIX D

Facebook Announcement

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APPENDIX E

Video Case Studies