Achieving positive news coverage for your charter

Before your school opens Build a website for your school – answer the questions that parents ask Create a brochure that you can give interested students and parents Consider making the brochure a self-mailer so you can also mail it out to potential students. Create social media – Twitter, Facebook, Flickr

Reach out to local media Meet with local education reporters –invite them to the school or go to their office. Tell them the basics about your school – the grades served, the size, the admission process. Tell them about your vision for the school – what will set your school apart. If you have a facility at this point, give them a tour. Explain to them what a charter school is and what it is not. Many people still don’t realize that a charter is a public school. Provide them with contact information.

Build a relationship with the media If you have reached out to the local reporters and built an honest relationship, it will help you when something goes wrong – and something will go wrong.

What is news? If an airplane lands safely, it is not news. If an airplane crashes, it is news. News is the unexpected. As parents and as a society, we hold schools to an extremely, almost unachievable, high standard. We expect perfection. We expect you to take our perfect children and make them even better. When a school falls short of that standard, it is news.

News source, news provider This is why it is harder to get a positive story in the paper or on TV than it is to get an embarrassing story published. This is why you need to be prepared. Designate someone who will be spokesperson for your school. Watch for opportunities to get positive news in the media – briefs, special days, school events such as science fairs. Get news out to your constituents yourself through letters, newsletters, and social media. Keep your parents and staff informed. They can help you spread the good news.

Dealing with reporters Don’t be afraid of them. Most are not scary. Be honest in your dealings with them. Return phone calls and do it promptly– this gets you an unbelievable amount of brownie points. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so. Don’t make an answer up. Tell them you will get the information and call them back or them.

If reporters are asking for student level data, explain that there is some information you cannot release because of federal privacy laws. If something bad happens, get the information out yourself first. This lets you shape the story, rather than allowing those who are unhappy with you to do it.

Overcoming perceptions You have to overcome some perceptions about charters. Unfortunately, the Generation 3 charters, which were issued in 1998, have generated a large amount of negative stories about charters and have shaped many Texans’ perception of charters. The best way to overcome this perception is to run a good school –both academically and financially.

Watch the money The first order of business is to get your business in order. A poorly run business operation is the most common reason a Texas charter fails. A good school business manager will keep you out of the news and keep your school functioning well.

Keep up with developments Keep up with education policy changes. Join listservs at When you have a website up, notify us at and ask us to add you to an education job listing we have. Check the TEA website and the agency Twitter account regularly for updates