Communications Committee

The Communications Committee shall be responsible for developing and monitoring all communications of the Association including email, website, social media, and all other communications the Executive Leadership Committee may authorize. Sub-committees may be formed with the approval of the Executive Leadership Committee.

• The committee is led by two co-chairs, one university-based representative and one PK-12 representative. The committee also includes one ex-officio representative from the elected leadership and at least one representative who also serves on the antiracism committee.

• The balance of the committee is comprised of at-large members. The co-chairs should strive for equal representation from university-based and PK-12 members of the association.

• In addition to the co-chair roles (which may overlap the following), the committee has decided to structure itself to include the following formalized roles with associated tasks. These roles are defined in terms of specific tasks for which they are responsible, as described in this Google Doc. There may be multiple committee members assigned to each role.

  • NewsFlash and Email Editor(s)

  • Social Media Poster and Monitor

  • Website Updater(s)

  • Website Checker(s)

  • Podcast Coordinator

• The committee’s roles are outlined (as described above) in this Google Doc.

• The various roles interact with one another according to specific guidelines.

  • For example, the NewsFlash Editor sends a call for content for the NewsFlash on a monthly basis; however, the Editor needs to connect with the Website Updater(s) to generate the webpages that will be linked into the NewsFlash.

  • As another example, the committee co-chairs may receive requests to disseminate a podcast; in this instance, the co-chairs should notify the podcast updater to disseminate the podcast.

• The committee co-chairs should allocate time for the committee to reflect at least biannually on how the various roles are functioning and how existing workflows can be improved, strengthened, simplified, etc.

Includes regular reflections on each of the following:

• • Old business

  • New business

  • Ongoing committee operations

  • Equity and Antiracism

  • Data analytics across various communications platforms

    • Findjoo/email campaigns

    • WordPress/website

    • Social media: Facebook & Twitter & YouTube

• The Communications Committee’s NewsFlash Editor sends out an email to all of the NAPDS committee members on a monthly basis. This email highlights the scheduled Newsflashes that will be going out for that month, clearly defines what announcements are scheduled to be a part of each Newsflash, and what materials will be sent through one-off emails. The deadlines for submitting material for those specific Newsflashes are included along with the link to submit content. An example of a call-for-content email is available here.

• The content that association members submit for the Newsflash is collected via a Google Form into a spreadsheet housed in the Communications folder. This Google Form is available from Logan Rutten (loganrutten@gmail.com) because it cannot be created on the Communications Google Drive folder. These responses are utilized to create the Newsflash and any links needed for the website are generated by Dr. Sapp and included in the Newsflash. NAPDS utilizes the Findjoo platform to send out Newsflashes. Instructions for utilizing Findjoo to create the Newsflash are linked in the communications folder. 

Antiracism

At least one committee member should be duly appointed to the communications committee and the antiracism committee. This member assists the communications committee generally but also more specifically in ensuring that the communications of the Association reflect the Association’s commitment to Essential #1.

Conference Subcommittee of the Conferences & Programs Committee

At least one committee member should be duly appointed to the communications committee and the Conference Subcommittee of the Conferences & Programs Committee. This member assists in coordinating streamlined communications workflows between these committee and provides updates to both committees, as needed, at their regular meetings. 

• From time to time, the association receives requests to disseminate information, announcements, or opportunities on behalf of other organizations. In some instances, these organizations are already “partnered” with NAPDS. A list of partner organizations is available in the committee’s Google Drive folder. In most instances, NAPDS should agree to disseminate information from these organizations that, in the view of the committee’s co-chairs, is aligned with the mission and vision of NAPDS. In other instances, the request comes from an organization or an individual where there is not an existing relationship. In these instances, the committee co-chairs should exercise a heightened level of review of the information to ensure that it is aligned with the mission and vision of NAPDS before agreeing to disseminate the information.

• In any instance where the committee co-chairs are unsure, or do not agree, that a request for a communication is aligned with the mission and vision of NAPDS, they should consult the current president before agreeing to disseminate the information. The president may bring the request to the executive committee if a question exists about the appropriateness of the request.

ADOPTED SPRING 2024

• Pursuant to the Association’s by-laws, the following guidance is provided for instances when an Association member brings forth a request that the Association make a public-facing statement about an issue (e.g., position statement, white paper, policy brief, etc.):

  1. The following stakeholders should be consulted: elected leadership, committee chairs, three presidents, and the Association’s legal counsel (depending upon the nature of the statement).

  2. The scope of the statement should be limited to issues directly and immediately affecting school-university partnerships, broadly defined, and potentially including issues directly related to teacher education.

  3. The statement should clearly reflect the Association’s mission and one or more of the Nine Essentials.

Location of Files

• The committee collects photographs from the annual conference that have been approved for dissemination and use within our communications. These approved-for-use photos are available in the Google Drive.

• The committee disseminates the “Let’s Partner!” podcasts created by various association members. The audio and video files can be uploaded to the Podcasts subfolder of the committee’s main folder.

• Video versions of the podcasts are posted to YouTube and tagged with the “Let’s Partner!” tag during the upload process. Information on how to log in is available in the committee’s social media folder on Google Drive.

• Audio versions are disseminated via Anchor.fm. Directions for logging into the platform and how to disseminate the podcasts are available here.

Award press releases are sent by the chair of the awards committee, rather than the communications committee, using pre-existing templates.

Other press releases, subject to the procedures described above in Process for Vetting and Approving Communication on Behalf of the Association, may be generated and disseminated periodically. Press releases are posted on the Association's website as announcements and linked to the NewsFlash. They are also sent to the Association's current affiliates and to local universities and districts upon request.

Accounts, Handles, and Logins

The Communications Committee utilizes social media platforms to assist in engaging our audience and keeping members apprised of what is happening within the organization. Our social media account and their login information is located in the social media folder of the communications folder. 

Hashtags

The committee develops/identifies appropriate hashtags for use across social media platforms and communicates the use of these hashtags throughout the Association.

Style Guide

All communication or members that have access to sending out communications are required to use the NAPDS style guide and branding guidelines. 

Workflow

The Communication Committee has a workflow for committee members that facilitates clear lines of communication, roles and responsibilities, and points of contact for each task. New committee members who are working on social media can learn more about the process by viewing this training video.

Conference Countdown

The committee coordinates an annual “conference countdown” social media campaign. Examples of this process are available here.

Account Login

• The association’s website is maintained through Word Press. There is a single, master account login for updating the website. This login information should be kept strictly confidential and shared only with those members of the association who have a need-to-know because their service to NAPDS involves updating the website.

• The login information is stored in the Website subfolder of the Communications folder in the NAPDS Google Drive.

Relationship with BoldBrew (Aaron Socci)

• The Website Updater on the committee should take primary responsibility for updating and editing webpages where the updates/edits are relatively straightforward.

• For more complex updating and editing tasks, BoldBrew Studios provides the association’s web support. Aaron Socci (aaron@boldbrewstudios.com) is the primary contact there. Aaron built the website and is on a retainer to handle regular maintenance and some of the more complex updating tasks.

• Before assigning Aaron a highly complex task, check with the Executive Director. There may be a charge/fee to NAPDS, and this should be understood clearly before asking Aaron to complete such a task.

How to Update

• After logging into WordPress (see instructions above), access the website updating features. The process for updating is described in this training video.

Process for Biannual Review and Updates

• Biannually one of the co-chairs sends a general request to the association’s leadership and committee chairs, asking them to review the sections of the association’s website that pertain to their work and with a deadline for doing so. A sample email template for making this request is available here; a sample spreadsheet for coordinating the updating process is available here.

• Once the deadline for review has passed, the co-chairs communicate with the Website Updater to request that the updating tasks be completed.