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USING THE MEDIA TO This is an edited version of a thesis by Josephine Marriage While principals, staff, students and teachers currently appear to utilise the mass media to highlight the problems, inequalities and inadequacies of the state school system in an attempt to gain public sympathy and affect change, this approach could actually be damaging its reputation. The opportunity may exist to improve the long-term position of state schools by promoting their strong points, thus improving internal morale and public confidence. |
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INTRODUCTION & RATIONALE Australia’s state school system is experiencing a drift of students to the non-government sector (National Report on Schooling, 2000). Furthermore ‘it is generally agreed that there is a widespread crisis of morale amongst teachers’ (Class Act, 2000, p1) and some reports show that from a sample of 32 countries ‘Australian students on average (are) more negative about school’ (PISA, 2000). To search for possible reasons from a publicity perspective, a preliminary content analysis of newspaper articles and television news reports revealed a strong trend by the state school system to highlight and publicise its inequalities and inadequacies in an apparent attempt to stir public sympathy and affect change. Closer inspection revealed such media coverage was largely generated by teacher unions, parent groups, government ministers and people working within or utilising the state education system. Informal observation of a personal network of state education system employees and users further revealed a tendency for dissatisfied staff to disseminate negative attitudes about their workplaces through everyday interactions with friends and the community. This led to the preliminary analysis that a ‘victim mentality’ - resulting in negative message dissemination and image creation - may exist within the system and that if this was the case, such an attitude may be unconstructively influencing public perception: while the community may acknowledge problems and offer their sympathy it seems logical that they would be unlikely to jeopardise their children’s future by continuing to enrol them in a system promoting its disarray. In a cyclical manner, negative public perception would be unlikely to promote improvement in student and teacher morale but rather may further exacerbate a ‘victim mentality’, if this was revealed to exist. Research aimed at discovering strategies to improve the long-term position of the state education system is particularly important in the increasingly competitive climate that schools operate in. According to the National Report on Schooling (2000), there were 9,595 schools in Australia in 2000, representing a decline of 4.1 per cent since 1990. In the same period, the number of government schools fell by 529, while the number of non-government schools rose by 117. Furthermore, the proportion of students enrolled in non-government schools continued to rise in all States and Territories other than Tasmania (National Report on Schooling, 2000). Further research into community perceptions of the quality of Australian schools showed that while people speak highly of their local school, if they are questioned about government schools as a whole, their rating drops 25 to 30 per cent (Class Act, 2000, Ch4, p1). Such statistical evidence of the increasingly less-popular status of state schools, coupled with initial observations, formed the basis for further research. This aimed to discover if early analyses were accurate and if so, the role an alternative publicity strategy – a positive, proactive campaign – could play in improving student and teacher morale, public perception and the long-term position of the state school system. LITERATURE REVIEW Various academics, authors and committees were found to have addressed both different aspects of this particular area of research, and also studies on similar or related topics. ‘ Class Act: An Inquiry in to the Status of Teachers’ (1998) was undertaken by the Australian Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education Committee and received more than 300 submissions from parents, students, school and community organisations, unions, universities, teachers and professional organisations. Findings addressing the specific research focus included:
While primary research mainly focused on the use of public relations in schools, literature addressing the use of marketing in education was more extensive and found to provide relevant and applicable insights, issues and themes. In his monograph, ‘Getting the most out of marketing schools’ (Drysdale, 2001), Senior Lecturer in Education Administration at Melbourne University, Laurie Drysdale summises that research indicates that marketing can effectively be applied to school situations for purposes including enhancing reputation. The fact that marketing is often badly regarded is identified as a limitation. An analysis of the ‘body of knowledge’ addressing the use of marketing in schools was undertaken as a component of Drysdale’s monograph. He discovered that while there is a variety of literature on service and non-profit organisations, there is ‘relatively little research specifically related to marketing in education in general or schools in particular’. Such literature is, however, increasingly appearing in response the facts that ‘marketing principals and practices can be applied widely to all kinds of organisations and that…schools (are) now competing in the marketplace’. While in Australia, ‘there has been little research and few books that deal with marketing in schools’ Drysdale draws attention to the work of Linda Vining (1993, 1996, 2000), whose articles and books have provided valuable practical guidelines for schools. METHODOLOGY In-depth Interviews Extended interviews utilising open-ended questions were conducted in-person and by telephone and email with a variety of subjects. Interviewees were selected according to the initial research aim to seek the contribution of a cross-section of individuals from categories including state school principals, administration staff and teachers; politicians and public relations and associated professionals. Following is an outline of subjects interviewed and the medium by which the interview took place: In-Person
Telephone
On-line Newsletter Mention In addition to in-depth interviews, an opportunity for further feedback arose during the course of research. Dr Linda Vining, an interview subject, offered to publish a small description of the research hypothesis in The Australian Marketer’s Network, a free on-line newsletter associated with her organisation that is distributed weekly during school term. Subscribers include people involved in promotion, media relations, publications, admissions, development, marketing and PR in schools. Dr Vining called for people who had an opinion on the research topic to contact the researcher via email. Various responses were received. One respondent in particular has been quoted in the research:
FINDINGS Findings are outlined under headings that correlate to the broad research themes which interviews were based on. An Assessment of Public Perception of State Schools The most common observation was that ‘people speak highly of their own school but criticise the system’ (Parker) and that the public perceive ‘the amount of money spent on education to be relative to the quality of education received’ (Parker). The most powerful factor shaping public perception was identified as word of mouth. It was also revealed that some factors influencing public perception were seen to be uncontrollable and the result of ‘bad luck, for instance, a negative event receiving disproportionate attention, negative campaigning by a particular group or even a boost from a neighbouring schools decline’ (Tyson). The rising public expectations of the responsibilities of schools and teachers was widely agreed to create a situation whereby schools were unable to fulfill the role expected of them and public perception was therefore constantly negative. While Brookes stated that ‘unless you are dealing with very educated, professional parents, their knowledge of the school curriculum is fairly superficial. If the kids are happy, the parents are happy’, Tyson noted that ‘there is closer, more knowledgeable scrutiny and higher expectations than ever before’. Parents who made an active choice about their child’s school, rather than going with the ‘default’ local school were considered by Tyson to be more inclined to have a positive perception. However, ‘teachers are increasingly expected to play a welfare role….and wider societal problems are out of the control of the Education Department. Such problems require coordination across a range of sectors’ (Trewhella). The need for an improvement in the public’s perception of the state education system was broadly agreed to, primarily attributed to the ‘competitive marketplace’ in which schools now operate: ‘making it important (for the system) to promote its good points’ (Trewhella). ‘Parents are very aware that they can choose any school they like and they exercise their choice vigourously’ (Tyson). For this reason, Vining stresses the importance of asking customers they want and showing them that their needs are being considered, warning that feedback must be backed by relevant action or it ‘loses credibility’ and ‘complaints will go underground’. Assessment of the Media as a Successful Medium for Airing Concerns and Responding to Adverse Conditions The importance of monitoring and curbing unfavourable stories, as well as actively attempting to gain positive coverage, was widely reported. While the media presents ‘a lot of opportunities (and) are always interested in high achievements, controversy and conflict’ (Brookes) their role ‘all comes down to how (schools) use it…the media can be unforgiving, unfair and give schools no chance to explain, however, most schools feel like they have a good relationship with their local media’ (Parker). Existing Strategies/Mechanisms for Airing ‘Good News Stories’ and Achievements The merit of utilising good internal and external publicity to ‘not only make people aware of complaints and high profile achievements but also point out improvements’ was acclaimed as a valuable morale-raising tool. The State Education Department magazines (The Education Times in Victoria), distributed to teachers, was the most commonly identified ‘good news’ vehicle. Trewhella viewed such magazines as valuable but limited by the fact ‘its audience is in-house, not the wider community’. Vining acclaimed such magazines for their positive publicity value. Research undertaken
by the Victorian Department of Education showed that ’97%
of teachers and principals found the magazine very useful’ (Trewhella)
but it was widely acknowledged that they are generally viewed as
government propaganda. The Department of Education’s ‘Education
Week’, incorporating
activities ranging from an individual school to a ‘system’ level,
was also advanced as a good opportunity to ‘show off’. Events at high profile venues, such as displays of VCE artistic excellence at the National Gallery of Victoria ‘raises the profile and morale of the whole system’ (Trewhella) and ‘gives schools standard and status’ (Parker). The success of external promotion was largely dependent on parent interest and awareness, said Brookes : ‘some parents don’t follow what’s going on in a school and that’s where it’s tough’. ‘ It’s important to know how to use such information to a school’s advantage and (unfortunately) there is often no one person with the time and skills to maximise these opportunities. Responsibility often falls on the office staff or the school principal’ (Parker). Existing Initiatives and Programs Contributing to Raising the Profile and Reputation of Individual Schools and The State Education System A ‘community relations’ or ‘school promotions’ manager was nominated by some schools to oversee their publicity requirements, however, it was rarely a full time position but rather a nominated teacher with a small time allowance. The role generally entailed regular local and statewide media relations, producing school publications, placing enrolment advertisements and advertising school events. It was revealed by Parker, however, that ‘there is not a long-term approach (to publicity). It’s hard to sustain a vision when it’s a part time position’. The importance of ‘other members of the organisation’ (Brookes) supporting the communications effort and ‘the development of an attitude in all staff that marketing and public perception is an integral part of their job’ (Tyson) was highlighted. This included ensuring the schools ‘selling points’ are ‘top of mind’ in all staff-student-public interactions and being alert of ‘newsworthy’ achievements. The importance of ‘front-line’ staff being aware of their public relations role was particularly important: ‘schools can spend huge amounts of money on adverts and encouraging people to phone the school and enquire, but if parents get a bad response, it’s a waste of time’ (Vining). Brookes stated building word of mouth as a key area of staff involvement: ‘you can have all the glossy brochures you want but if reality doesn’t match rhetoric, you can’t win’. School and student appearance was recognised as a ‘powerful’ (Brookes) initial impression and reputation-building factor, as well as the projection of consistent messages and quality images on printed correspondence. Vining also acknowledged the ‘psychological benefit in looking like a quality organisation’. The Teacher and Principal excellence awards, run as part of Education Week, were observed to meet with responses of ‘huge variations’ (Parker). While they do generate positive public interest and attention, ‘many teachers are modest and reluctant to forward themselves’ (Trewhella) and others view them ‘government propaganda’ (Parker). Despite this reluctance, Trewhella stressed that ‘it is only by undertaking such high profile public awards programs that the profile of teaching will be raised’. She also acknowledges, however, that such a task is ‘an issue outside the capacity of pure government policy reform and publicity activities: there are broader community issues at stake. It will require a broader approach than a teacher awards system and good stories in the media, although these are a good start’. Suggestions of Strategies/Programs to Improve the Public Perception of Schools The importance of ‘achieving a balance’ in the information presented by the state education system to both internal and external publics was highlighted by Brookes. He predicted that correspondence with a balance of positive stories as well as reasonable criticism would be well-regarded and credible: ‘education is, after all, an area that should be reflected upon as a society. Democracy and fair criticism should be embraced’ (Brookes). The need for educators to receive training in media relations and ‘new communication’ was stressed by Vining, and the need for principals to ‘seek and maintain a high profile in their community’ (Parker) was widely acknowledged. Parker’s current commitment to this was exemplified in ensuring inclusion in media photographs and articles related to his school and ‘networking, talking about my school and building up relationships’ at local clubs and foundations. ‘Opportunities are out there, it’s about whether and how you decide to use them’ (Parker). Honeywood predicted great advantages in encouraging more partnerships between all schools ‘getting involved in community projects and working together to break barriers’. He also suggested an initiative whereby young, cadet journalists be appointed to government schools as a component of their training: ‘looking at things from a fresh, honest perspective’. While he admits that it would be ‘a brave government that agreed to such a scheme, especially if there were problems evident, from a democratic perspective it would allow for more informed reporting and a more informed public’ and ‘enhance the image of government schools’. Barriers To and Criticisms Of Positive, Proactive Communication The attitude that money and time would be better spent on improving resources and conditions was a common theme raised throughout research. The ethics of spending more school funds on public relations when most increased enrolments come from other local public schools was also questioned by Anderson (this is an important area for future research). As previously outlined, teacher resistance and reluctance to partake in school publicity and image activities, coupled with their widely agreed culture of ‘genuine modesty’, presented an issue. ‘Teachers find it hard to know what to focus their attention on: should they promote or teach? It’s hard to prioritise these’ (Parker). Such issues present areas for further research. An Assessment of the Importance of Positive, Proactive Communication to the Long-Term Existence of State Schools Positive, proactive communication was generally viewed as very important to the long-term viability of state schools. Most agreed that while there is currently good communication going on in some areas, there is potential for an improved, integrated, and ongoing effort, best achieved by a leadership team with a strong, long-term communication vision. ‘Grass roots’ strategies and staff training at the school level was generally viewed as a more realistic and effective approach to positive, proactive communication than a broader ‘Department’ campaign. ‘Campaigns on a large scale are hard because of the size and structure of the education system…smaller campaigns whereby schools talk directly to their target audiences are very effective’ (Vining).
The
long-term viability of state schools was not, however, seen to rest
solely on a positive, proactive approach to communication.
Factors
including
rich extra-curricular
programs to compete with private schools existing ones; learning
programs that fulfilled student, teacher and community needs;
better resources
and better pay
for teachers were also listed as imperative. REFERENCES PRIMARY Interviews/Submissions
SECONDARY
Newspaper Articles
Speeches
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