The current study examined how public relations specialists within school systems are developing, implementing, and revising their communication crisis plans in an effort to fully engage all key stakeholders. Four research questions and two hypotheses were posed. Members from a state public relations association for schools were asked to…

In central Texas and regions across the country, community leaders are calling for university-community engagement, including development of structures for community-based research and service learning. Including the community in decision making regarding continuing professional education serves as a link between universities such as Texas A&M…

By examining Virginia Tech's crisis communication during and after the shootings on April 16, 2007, valuable insights were gained that may be applied to current crisis communication models. This article addresses the unique characteristics of educational institutions and the need for comprehensive emergency communication strategies and on-site…

The article provides summaries of doctoral dissertations completed between January 2008 and December 2011 addressing foci of the "Journal of School Public Relations". The five areas are public relations, communication, school and community relations, conflict management, and human resources management. The periodic summaries of these dissertations…

Higher education curriculum is as varied as the institutions themselves. Familiarizing parents with college curriculum may assist them in their college students' selection and academic success. This article provides school administrators, teachers, counselors, public relations personnel, and college professors with examples of learning modes and…

This article is an extension to Kowalski's (2005) identification of possible lines of scholarly inquiry into themes related to schools and public relations. The article first cites professional accreditation standards for educational leaders as significant factors in providing a framework for increased scholarly inquiry. It then summarizes the…

This article examines a 2004 crisis event that occurred when the president of a small private Catholic college was accused of sexually molesting boys earlier in his career. It discusses the crisis response of college officials with the institution's various publics, including students, faculty, alumni, and the media. Our purpose is twofold. First,…

This article examines the characteristics and influences of boundary-spanning leadership in university-school-community partnership contexts. To gain a clear understanding of the diffuse literature in this area, over 60 related articles and books were reviewed; common themes were identified; and emergent connections were drawn. The most common…

Partnerships and collaborative projects among public schools and universities have become increasingly prominent in the educational landscape. Properly structured and carefully managed school-university initiatives can enrich educational opportunities and contribute to simultaneous and continual quality improvement of the partnering entities. In…

This article presents a brief overview of the current forms of alternative dispute resolution available in educational settings, along with insight into their development and success. In this article, I assess the influence of early alternative dispute resolution procedures in terms of their relevance to the settlement of conflicts within schools…

The No Child Left Behind parental involvement mandates have a direct impact on the work of administrators. Although the legislation is perceived as comprehensive regarding the implementation of parent involvement activities, the rigorous application of these strategies has not had the desired outcomes in low-performing, predominantly African…

This article proposes a critical theoretical paradigm for the evaluation of university-community-school partnerships. Although numerous models have been posited for assessing these collaborative endeavors, few of them have granted adequate attention to the voices of community partners, and none have centered on systemic issues of power and…

Effective communication and public relations are recognized as core competencies for school administration as evidenced by national standards guiding preparation and licensing in most states. Even so, surprisingly little research has been conducted by doctoral students and professors on these two subjects. This article presents a case for…

This article focuses on a model for incorporating academic service learning into a teacher preparation program intended to enable preservice teachers to develop an understanding of social justice and diversity through school and community relationships. Linked to the theme of knowledge construction, diffusion, and transformation, this article…