This report is prepared in compliance with HB 1661 Sec 104(2)(k), which requires the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF, or the Department) Office of Innovation, Alignment, and Accountability (OIAA) to submit to the Governor and the appropriate policy and appropriation committees of the Legislature: (1) A review of the current…

This paper describes efforts by the author to engage and motivate students in undergraduate research by giving them a large audience and engaging the media in disseminating their work. I provide an introduction to public relations from the point of view of a mathematics professor, and describe some lessons I have learned in my own attempts to…

In the mad dash to complete the plethora of projects that lead up to the public launch of a campaign, it would be easy to start thinking of the kickoff as a goal in itself, but it's merely a mile marker in the marathon of a fundraising campaign that may last five to 10 years. Given that only a fraction of an institution's constituents may attend a…

Broaching the subject of student-athletes on social media is liable to cause many institutional leaders, communications officers, and athletics directors to reach for the antacid. The speed and reach of social media, particularly Twitter, combined with the youth and bravado of student-athletes can damage reputations and tarnish university brands…

At the end of 2010, for the first time ever, smartphones outsold PCs. Mobile device adoption rates continue to rise rapidly around the world. A recent forecast by Cisco found that global mobile data traffic more than doubled last year, and by the end of 2012, the number of mobile devices in use will outnumber the world's population. In the United…

Representative democracy relies on the informed trust of the citizens. School board members serve their communities at a crucial place, governing large sums of money and the future of the community's children. Without the informed trust of the citizens, this enterprise will fail. Trust may be lost directly, or through inattention to detail. One of…

Today's engineering graduates will solve tomorrow's problems in a world that is advancing faster and facing more critical challenges than ever before. This situation creates significant demand for engineering education to evolve in order to effectively prepare a diverse community of engineers for these challenges. Such concerns have led to the…

A CONFERENCE OF SCHOOL PUBLIC RELATIONS ADMINISTRATORS WAS HELD TO FORMULATE PROPOSALS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR A LONG-RANGE INFORMATION PROGRAM FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND MORE EFFECTIVE USE OF THE NEWER EDUCATIONAL MEDIA. CONCLUSIONS DERIVED FROM THE TOPICS DISCUSSED WERE THAT SPECIFIC PROJECTS INVOLVING THE NEWER MEDIA SHOULD BE DEVELOPED THROUGH…

A study was conducted to determine the function of a firm within the context of public relations practice. The assessment of James E. Grunig's "Indices for Models of Public Relations" (an instrument for measuring the type of public relations practiced by an organization) was of primary concern. This instrument places public relations…

Describes how the University of Washington, Tacoma, a 10-year-old urban university, has turned community relations into its biggest asset and a key part of its academic success. Discusses community relations strategies for fund raising, facility development, and legislative advocacy. (EV)

This column is about a city with two tales--one of spin and the other of sputter. No matter who occupies the White House for the next four years, the past four have borne witness to some of the most ludicrous uses of taxpayer money ever, as the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has tried to spin its message on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) across…

State legislative programs for community colleges are especially necessary in states where the colleges have no local tax base. The roles of the Washington State Board for Community College Education and the Joint Legislative Committee are described. (MSE)

Researchers in this study analyze the websites of 30 Washington state school districts to explore differences and similarities between high- and low-performing districts. The study offers evidence about ways educators use accountability data on district websites to communicate with parents, community members, and business representatives about…

A parent involvement policy to improve public relations in a high school is examined in this report. The policy goal was to attract at least one thousand parents, approximately one-half of the parent population, to the school each year for a positive nonathletic experience. Methodology to analyze policy effectiveness involved interviews with staff…

The manual suggests local approaches for childfind in Washington state. After a brief introduction, community resources are focused on in terms of surveying agencies, maintaining contact, and developing interagency agreements. A rationale is presented in Section III for using agency resources. Public awareness procedures are addressed in a fourth…