SchoolCEO

In 2019, Idaho's American Falls School District launched the ReadTalkPlay Every Day Initiative with a simple yet powerful mission: to encourage families to read, talk and play with their children daily. In his guest article from the latest issue of SchoolCEO, American Falls Superintendent Randy Jensen explains how the entire community has embraced ReadTalkPlay and turned this noble goal into a rallying cry.

In her first year teaching, Dr. Dianne Kelly was determined to push the thinking of every single student in her classroom. Now in her ninth year as superintendent of Revere Public Schools, Dr. Kelly is pushing her district to reform systems that no longer serve students. From restorative discipline practices to real-time interventions for struggling students, the one constant is a refusal to settle for the status quo.

Nothing is more important to the success of a district than organizational culture. It shapes who works for you, what drives your marketing, your messaging, your communications, and ultimately, the experience of students. The aim of school marketing is to change how people think and feel about your district and schools. And, changing how your employees feel, directly and indirectly, has the power to change how students, their families, and even people outside your organization feel about it too. In this episode of the podcast, we turn first to a true story that shows the power that culture has to transform an organization, even when the work, the location, and the people stay the same.

SchoolCEO Conference is now less than a month away! We’re looking forward to hosting school leaders from across the U.S. and Canada in SchoolCEO’s hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. Here are a few things we're most excited about!

In order to build positive relationships with your community, you must consider both how to get your district out into the community and how to bring your community into your schools. Here, focus on how districts can leverage effective in-person experiences—both inside and outside your school buildings—to generate brand awareness, brand loyalty and word of mouth.

We probably don't need to tell you that video is one of the most popular ways to consume and share information. But video is more than that—it's also a tool for marketing your schools. In fact, a 2023 study found that 87% of private sector marketers say video has a direct impact on increasing sales. When it comes to experiential marketing, video plays a big role in generating buzz around your events. To explore this idea, we sat down with SchoolCEO’s award-winning, in-house video producers, Ryan McDonald and Tanner Cox, to talk to them about all things video. Here’s what they shared!

When you think about it, teacher recruitment and retention really boil down to three factors: 1. Prospective teachers falling in love with your district 2. Current teachers thriving in your schools 3. Both groups telling their friends and family all about it Here, we’ll look at just a few ways that targeted, in-person experiences can boost your recruitment and retention efforts—and how real districts are employing those strategies.

Broadcasting in-person experiences through online channels is about much more than just marketing. It’s also about connection; more importantly, it’s about connecting with people who can’t be there with you in person. We talked to a few different school leaders and communicators who understand the vital role digital marketing plays in experiential marketing. They’ve figured out how to not only generate buzz around their events but also get people talking about these experiences long after they happened. 

Most schools don’t have large marketing budgets—and that’s okay. The solution is oftentimes smaller than you think. By understanding the science of behavioral economics, you can turn even the biggest problems into successes with small, impactful solutions.

School events such as basketball games or choir performances foster a sense of community and help drive positive feelings about your schools. That's what experiential marketing is all about—creating memorable moments that resonate with your audience. Whether you want to improve existing events or introduce new ones, we hope this roundup of successful experiential marketing examples from the private sector will inspire you.