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National Exhibition Month

ADVOCACY ACTION KIT

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To achieve your goals for National Exhibition Month, successful outreach to the public through the media is essential. If you already have close relationships with local reporters, you are many steps ahead. If this is your first time soliciting coverage of your activities, you will find it a useful learning experience. Wherever you stand, National Exhibition Month is an opportunity to create and nurture positive relationships with the media by sharing information about your students and schools.

This Action Kit includes checklists and tools that can jump-start your outreach activities. Feel free to adapt the tools and use as much of the kit as you need to get the word out about your Exhibition program. See our Participation Guide for suggested activities that might involve outreach to the media and our Guide for Creating a Successful Local Event for tips about opening your school to the public.

Because inviting media or public figures to your school brings a higher degree of scrutiny and can be somewhat risky, we suggest that only schools in advanced phases of implementing Exhibitions engage in media outreach to cover an Exhibition event. Remember, no one controls the media and it is critical that you feel confident in your school’s Exhibition program before inviting reporters or high-profile public figures to observe or participate.

This kit contains samples of a number of items that you can modify to fit your local context and circumstances. Use these templates as a guide in getting started, but insert your own names, dates, facts, quotes, or other information as necessary.

You may download the entire kit as one document, or you may download samples of each component separately in the text below and modify them to fit your local circumstances.

As you work with these tools, keep your advocacy goal foremost at all times: To persuade new audiences in your community that Exhibitions are a positive and compelling form of assessment.

Here are suggestions for how to go about developing your action plan:

Prepare your story

The backbone of your outreach activities is your story.

• Start with a local "Fact Sheet" that contains the essentials about your event: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. Be thorough. Include contact name, phone number and e-mail; exact dates, times, places, and how your local event ties into National Exhibition Month. Pay particular attention to the "Why" question. "Why is this important to our children?" "Why is this important to the community?" "Why is this newsworthy?" Make it as concrete, colorful and dramatic as possible.
  
  Download a sample Local Fact Sheet
• Because minors are the centerpiece of your story and could be interviewed, you may want to get talent releases signed by the student and a parent or guardian.
• Develop a strong visual element such as placing a big sign on your school's marquee or over the front entrance, having an Exhibition performed outside, or putting on an Exhibition featuring a unique or strong element of your school's program that will generate curiosity from the public and the media. As soon as practical, photograph this visual and use it at every opportunity.
• Write a news release appropriate to your level of participation in National Exhibition Month.
  
  Download a sample News Release

Reinforce your story

• Draft an Op Ed (opinion pieces placed "Opposite the Editorial" page) about the value of Exhibitions.
  
  Download a sample Op Ed
• Draft a "letter to the editor" in support of Exhibitions. Enlist an enthusiastic parent or supporter to actually send it. You may also tailor it to be written by a staff member or student at your school.
  
  Download a sample Letter to the Editor
• Write a short Calendar Item if you are hosting a public event. Look in your local newspaper for the format used and follow it precisely.

Prepare your "pitch"

Before calling a reporter, make sure you know what you want to say.

Download a sample Pitch to Media

Of course, you will adapt your pitch depending on your level of public participation in National Exhibition Month. In the case of an event or celebration to which the public is invited, for example, you will want to talk to people at several media outlets and position your story for each one. Consider these examples:

• The local news Metro editor for a short announcement prior to the event and possible coverage of the event itself.
• A morning talk show producer for a mention as a "recommended event of the day" or for a live interview.
• An education reporter for a focus on Exhibitions as a better assessment option.
• The Editorial Page editor, for both the Op Ed and letter to the editor. Letters do not normally have to be pitched, but you can increase the odds of getting a letter printed if you talk to the editorial page editor in advance. Ask for desired word count, the best day to send something to increase its chances of being used, and how to follow up.

Use your story to help build relationships with local media

If you have close media contacts, approach them as you normally would. If you are new to media relations, here are some tips.

• Draw up a list of talking points to help remind you of the main ideas you want to communicate to media or any other outside observers. Keep this list handy during phone calls, at the event itself, or in any follow-up conversations.
  
  Download a list of sample Talking Points
• Create your media list. Get the names, titles, phones and e-mail of all media people who cover the education beat in your neighborhood. You can often find these people listed on the newspaper or station website, or you can simply call the main number and ask for the person on the news desk, who in turn, can fill you in as to who's who. This individual can usually tell you if reporters like to get their news by fax or e-mail.
• For print media -- ask for the news department and get the names, numbers and e-mail addresses of the editor, the managing editor, the education editor and/or reporters, the editorial page editor and the "Calendar" editor.
• For broadcast media -- ask for the same information for the news director, the assignment desk, and the producers of the local morning talk shows, both television and radio.
• Send by e-mail or fax your news release and local fact sheet to all the promising names on your list.
• Call all contacts the following day to make sure they have received the information you sent. A surprising number will say they have not seen it. In any case, make your pitch and e-mail or fax the material again.
• Without becoming a pest, keep in touch with the reporters and keep them updated with new information to make sure the story doesn't simply die of lack of perceived interest.
• If you are staging a public event such as an open house, send the notice to the "Calendar" editor of all media, and to the local morning talk shows. Also, send invitations for the event to all relevant media contacts.
• Call each media contact about a week before the event and ask if they have any questions or if you can put them in touch with someone special. Specifically ask if they will cover the event or if they are planning to use the story. Don't be shy about this - it's not personal, it's just business. If they say "no," ask why. This will help in focusing your next story.
• If they do use the story or cover the event, it never hurts to send a thank you note, even if the story is not as long or as wonderful as you'd like it to be.
• If a station or reporter wants to interview you (or your principal, designated host, a student, or a teacher) review these basic guidelines with the interviewee:
• Remember the main point of the exercise: to demonstrate that Exhibitions are a better way to test.
• Consult your talking points and rehearse them before-hand
• Know three stories that prove that point. Tell one of them as soon as you can.
• Have a short concluding line that reinforces the premise.
• Don't get sidetracked into discussing anything that's not your story. If a reporter wants to talk about another school or something otherwise unrelated, simply say that you can speak only for your own school. Then, tell the second story that proves that Exhibitions are a better way to test.
• Don't argue with an editor or reporter. If they ask a quarrelsome or provocative question, tell yet another story that proves your point.
• Conclude by emphasizing that exhibitions are a much more comprehensive and useful tool for assessing student progress and offer to provide them with further examples.
• If you have time to role-play the interview before it actually happens, it can be extremely helpful.
• If it's a TV interview, dress professionally, in flattering colors. Avoid stark black and white.

Document all activities

• Take still film or digital pictures.
• Send pictures and a brief synopsis of your Exhibition activities to CES National. Send all correspondence to Ramon Calhoun, rcalhoun@essentialschools.org.
• Keep clippings and pictures in a file or scrapbook easily accessible for next year.
• Forward any links of news stories or digital images on the web to CES National.