for help call: 1.800.578.OSBA
Community engagement
Community support for schools is important for student success. These resources help with handling a crisis, drafting a strategic communications plan or preparing for a bond election. Stay up to date by subscribing to OSBA emails.
Social media resources
Access information on navigating social platforms, using hashtags, generating posts and more.
Crisis resources
Resources to help you prevent crises and respond when one does occur
Bullying and cyberbullying prevention
Resources on bullying, cyberbullying and online safety.
Communicating with the public
Resources to help engage you with your community
Communicating with the media
Tips for talking to the media
Building partnerships and community relationships
Steps for building meaningful relationships between schools and legislators, businesses and communities
Communicating about the budget
Resources to help you communicate about your district's budget
Recognition events and proclamations
Ways to acknowledge and thank those who help to provide a quality education for the children in your community.
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About OSBA's communication services
Whether your district faces a single issue communications need or wants to develop a long-range communications plan, OSBA's communication services department can help.
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Being a spokesperson for education
Tips to help assure people in your community that your schools are delivering what is expected.
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Board communications for tough times
Tips for communicating about budget reductions
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Budget committee process frequently asked questions
A quick overview of the budget committee process and frequently asked questions.
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Budget communication tools
User-friendly resources for informing and involving your community in the process of setting spending priorities.
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Building collaborative relationships
Tips for building collaborative relationships with political and business leaders in order to develop a consensus for student success.
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Building meaningful partnerships
Basic steps for building partnerships between businesses and schools.
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Census primer for school boards
Resources to help you make the most of the U.S. Census information.
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Checklist for emergency preparedness in schools
Tips on creating an emergency plan for your schools.
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Communicating during the board meeting
Resources for making a positive impression on the public at board meetings.
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Community engagement resources
Links to articles designed to help school boards establish two-way communication between the organization and the community it serves.
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Community relations checklist for the board
Ways to identify if the board is successfully communicating with the community.
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Educational equity and student achievement
Resources to help boards close the achievement gap.
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Engaging the community in budget development
Learn from Gresham-Barlow School District how to engage your community in setting budgeting priorities.
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Explaining terrorism to children
Tips for helping children handle crisis situations.
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Freedom of information laws
Oregon’s Public Meetings Laws govern what materials must be made available to the public and which may be withheld.
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Glossary of terms
Resource guide to educational terminology
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Healthy Kids Learn Better: State and national resources
Links to useful information from Oregon and around the nation.
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How to organize a successful community legislative forum
Pointers for planning large public events.
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Key communicator network
Building Support for Your Schools
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Neighborhood schools: Walk-to-School Day
Schools at the Heart of Communities: International Walk-or-Bike-to-School Day
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NSBA's "Stand Up 4 Public Schools" campaign
The national effort is designed to highlight the importance of public education and operates on a simple premise: “Who I am today began with public education.”
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Opinion polls and surveys
Links to poll and survey data about public education.
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Planning for a pandemic
Information about why and how districts should develop and implement pandemic and outbreak preparedness plans.
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Pandemic threats: policy issues
Policy questions every institution should ask to prepare for pandemic threats.
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Pandemic threats: A checklist for district preparedness planning
A checklist highlighting the major points that every district should consider when shaping its pandemic preparedness plan.
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Pressure groups
On rare occasions, a hostile group may approach the board to comment on a decision that the board is considering or has just made.
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Preventing hazing and cyberbullying
Incidents in Oregon and across the country have focused media attention on the issues of hazing and cyberbullying.
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Public comment at board meetings
The laws governing boards of education require that their work be done where the public can observe their actions.
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School violence prevention
Resources to assist districts prevent and handle school violence.
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School violence prevention: Tips for educators
Tips for educators on preparing for, dealing with a crisis, excerpted from a publication by the National School Public Relations Association.
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Schools at the heart of communities: Building commissioning
A brief summary of building commisssioning and how it is intended to save money in the long run.
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Schools at the heart of communities: Grant possibilities
Information about ODOT's Pedestrian and Bicycle Grant Program.
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Schools cycle back into the heart of the neighborhood
Communities began to move away from the concept of a small neighborhood-centered school that kids could walk to in the 1970s, but some are pushing back. Learn about this trend.
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Student safety center
Links to resources on planning for student safety and responding to specific threats.
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Talking to your school/ESD/Community college board
Sample article for your local newspaper, parent organization newsletters, service club newsletters, or as the basis for a speech.
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Tangible triumphs: best practices from 12 school districts
Four key messages the public wants to hear.
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The media and your board
The media is interested in what happens at your board meetings, and the media version of your board actions is what most people in your community see (or hear).
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What does sustainability mean for schools?
Sustainability means to act in a manner that exhibits awareness of how all things are connected and make well-considered choices for the greater good of all. Here are some considerations for school boards to ponder when exploring this territory.
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When crisis hits: media attention on traumatized students
Tips to help students and their families in traumatic situations who are faced with the harsh glare of the media spotlight.
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"Waiting for Superman" toolkit
“Waiting for Superman,” a documentary film released nationwide in October 2010, focuses on educational challenges in five urban schools. These resources from the National School Boards Association will help board members and administrators discuss the film with their community.