Branding issues? 3 steps to ensure your tagline works

Branding -- it's as important for school districts as it is for higher ed institutions, non-profits and businesses. But, in public education, the effort to brand -- or rebrand -- often gets the short-shrift. And that's not good.
If you want your community to identify the local school district with more than your sports mascot or benchmark scores, you should look at your branding efforts.
While branding is really a comprehensive effort, one aspect where we've seen school districts and other organizations struggle is with their slogan, or what we call their taglines. Taglines should be short, memorable and capture the essence of the district. Think Nike and Just Do It.
Take a look at yours. Is it catchy? Does it reveal the personality and mission of your organization? If so, you're off to a great start!
Here are are some easy-to-fix tagline issues First Class Communication has come across during our work --
1. It's the wrong tagline -- it's not catchy, it's too long, and/or it doesn't adequately capture what you're about or what you're trying to do. The best way to develop one? Spend some time researching what all your various stakeholders already think or know about your district. Think through and determine what you want them to think or know. Find the words to make a phrase that both sings and zings.
3. It's hardly seen -- use your tagline lots and use it consistently. It should appear anytime your organization's name does, so put it proudly on your website, your letterhead, your business cards, newsletters. 
2. It could be this one or it could be that one -- when you get a tagline you like, make sure it's the "official" one and that all old or competing ones are out of the picture. We've seen web sites that have two or three bombarding people at the same time or letterhead that still has an old tagline on it. Don't make your constituents work so hard to figure out what you are trying to tell them.
Remember, after developing the right message, consistency in using your message is key, and that's especially true with taglines.

Public schools' 40/60 split

Arkansas teachers and schools have direct control over 40 percent of the difference in student achievement levels. That's a lot,  outgoing Arkansas Teacher of the Year Kathy Powers told the Arkansas State Board of Education today, but it means that 60 percent is outside of their control.
Powers urged communities to take more responsibility for how their students and schools fare -- and to react more aggressively -- because community influences can make a big difference in how well students perform in school.
Powers and her husband performed original research using Arkansas Department of Education, US Census and Education Week data. Here are a few of her most interesting findings:
1. Students in Arkansas schools that are more segregated than the community they are in do not achieve at as high of levels.
2. Arkansas schools that have more master's-degree-holding teachers have students who perform better (especially interesting because this goes against the grain of some national research).
3. Lower socio-economic students in Arkansas lose ground in the summer because they are not exposed to the same enriched, learning opportunities that their wealthier counterparts are. This is a void communities can work to fill, Power said, and it's extremely important because of the state's high number of children living in poverty.
While Arkansas is moving in the right direction with many of its post-Lakeview-ruling policies, much, much more needs to be done. After all, as Powers reminded us, Arkansas still hovers near the bottom of too many educational rankings.

2 Helpful Resources for Increasing Parental Involvement

Most P-12 school folks we've talked with would love to have more parental involvement. It's a no-brainer that when parents are involved with their children's education, students perform better.

We're going to tune in to a webinar Education Week is hosting on Thursday, June 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. Central Daylight Time called "Engaging Parents in Schools and Student Learning" that some of you may want to watch as well. Professors from Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities will look at various innovative approaches such as setting flexible schedules to allow for more participation by adults who may work and offering opportunities for parents to strengthen their own academic skills.

First Class Communication also knows that another key way to involve parents is to make sure they know what's going on and how they can be involved. Too often schools' means of communication -- newsletters sent home with students, school websites and such -- fail to catch parents' attention. Give us a call at 501-626-6960  if you'd like help finding better channels to reach parents of students in your area. We'd love to talk with you!

Hooray for Osceola School District's math scores

Congratulations to our client, the Osceola School District, for having the most improved middle school math scores on the 2010-2011 Arkansas Benchmark Exams. The University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform recognized OSD for its achievement during last week's "Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement" conference. 

Superintendent Michael Cox

The award highlights a major turn-around that's been occurring in the school district over the past couple of years. Not too long ago, after all, Osceola School District was on the state's list of school districts in fiscal distress as well as recognized as one of Arkansas's school districts most in need of improvement. 

New leadership and continued dedication by very committed teachers and parents are breathing fresh, new life into the Osceola schools as well as the entire Osceola community.

After working with school district personnel for several months, we feel sure that Superintendent Michael Cox would be the first to say it's not the award but the much-improved performance of Osceola students that makes him happiest.


But the recognition's not bad either!

President Clinton: College equals freedom

College is not only an opportunity to better themselves, former President Bill Clinton told the senior class of El Dorado High School on Wednesday, but it's what allows them a level freedom not enjoyed by most people across the globe.

President Clinton spoke to the seniors and a crowd about 2,000 people in "the best-looking basketball gym in America," referring to the school district's new state-of-the-art facility, during El Dorado High School's sixth annual Academic Signing Day and celebration of the El Dorado Promise Scholarships.  The scholarships are available to all qualifying El Dorado High School graduates to help meet college tuition costs at any institution of higher education in the country.
Quoting unemployment statistics for various education-level groups during the recent economic downturn, President Clinton told students they can no longer be assured of making a decent living with only a high school education.
"This scholarship is giving you the chance to do something you want to do. ... At least half the people on earth today don't have that choice to work where they want to work.  ... Most people work to stay alive, to feed themselves and to feed their families," he said. "You are being given freedom by going to college to get to choose  how you want to" earn a living, he said.

President Clinton also lauded Murphy Oil Company, which committed $50 million in 2007 to create the El Dorado Scholarships. "As far as I can tell, there's not a company anywhere else in the United States" that has made this kind of commitment, he said.
Also addressing the students during the event were El Dorado High School Principal Jim Tucker, El Dorado Mayor Frank Hash, El Dorado Promise Director Sylvia Thompson, Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrall and Murphy Oil Corp. Chairman of the Board Claiborne Deming.
See more photos of the event on our Facebook page.

UPDATE: Tavis Smiley NOT at Bless the Mic in April

Apparently airline connections would not work out for Tavis Smiley, so he will not be at the Philander Smith College Bless the Mic series. Reports have him coming in May. Even so, First Class Communication is excited about all the other authors and events planned for the Arkansas Literary Festival.

President Clinton's El Dorado Promise

Former President Bill Clinton will give the keynote speech at the El Dorado School District's sixth annual Academic Signing Day, during which more than 300 graduating seniors will receive El Dorado Promise scholarships. The event is set for 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, in the El Dorado High School Wildcat Arena.
The El Dorado Promise is the $50 million scholarship program available to all qualifying El Dorado School District graduates that is funded by the Murphy Oil Corporation. Last year, 90 percent of the Promise-eligible students attended college -- far higher than either the state's or nation's college-going rates. Over the past five years, 997 El Dorado High School graduates have used the money to attend 57 colleges and universities throughout the U.S.