Tag Archives: NSPRA

HISD wins national award for crisis communications during Hurricane Harvey  

District wins 5 NSPRA Golden Achievement Awards and multiple honors for print and digital communications 

The Houston Independent School District Communications team was honored for its crisis communications to families, staff, and the community during Hurricane Harvey – the worst disaster in Houston history – with a Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

HISD’s Communications team, under the direction of Chief Communications Officer Rebecca Suarez, worked day and night to keep families and the public informed before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey. In addition to local communications efforts, the team also facilitated the dissemination of information on a state and national level.

“Harvey did not stop us, but it made us stronger. Despite the difficulties from the hurricane, we found creative ways to communicate critical and timely information to our students, parents, employees, and the community during one of the worst disasters in local history,” Suarez said. “I’m very proud of my team for the hard work and commitment to putting students first in everything we do.”

Golden Achievement Awards recognize exemplary work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing, and engagement. HISD won a total of five Golden Achievement Awards for the following work:  Continue reading →

HISD wins five Golden Achievement Awards, multiple other NSPRA honors

The Houston Independent School District has received 14 National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) awards, including five Golden Achievement Awards.

The Golden Achievement Awards, the highest honor given by the organization, were for the following:

  • 2017 HISD State of the Schools communications campaign, which included a dedicated website, invitation, program, and other materials.
  • Listen and Learn Tour to introduce new HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza to the community, complete with branding, flyers, online survey, and signage – as well as a live “virtual” town hall meeting streamed on district’s website, social media, and TV channel.
  • Family-Friendly Schools Certification, including a video, branding materials, and a dedicated website.
  • Social Media Scorecard to provide schools with feedback on their social media channels and school websites. The Communications team created a rubric for grading and provided the feedback in customized reports for each school, as well as resources and best practices.
  • 2016 Educators of the Year, including branding for the superhero-themed event, signage, and a social media campaign.

Continue reading →

HISD superintendent receives national communications award

Dr. Grier honored by NSPRA for effective community partnerships, engagement practices

051215_grier300The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) has awarded HISD Superintendent Terry Grier the 2015 Bob Grossman Leadership in School Communications Award. The award recognizes a practicing superintendent of schools for outstanding leadership in school public relations and communications. The award will be presented on July 14 at the NSPRA National Seminar in Nashville, Tenn.

“From the multi-channeled communication program that has been established in Houston ISD to the authentic engagement, transparency, and accountability at all levels, there is no question that Terry Grier leads by example and ‘walks the walk’ in supporting strategic communication as a management function,” said NSPRA Executive Director Rich Bagin.

Continue reading →

HISD Wins National School Public Relations Association ‘Gold Medallion’ Award

The Houston Independent School District has been selected as the winner of the 2012 National School Public Relations Association ‘Gold Medallion’ Award for its exemplary communication plan to create awareness on the new state-mandated STAAR exams implemented during the 2011-2012 academic year.

NSPRA’s Gold Medallion Award is the top national competition recognizing superior education public relations programs, and HISD was selected from a field of 54 public relations programs throughout the United States and Canada.

This award recognizes the district for the multilingual, multimedia, communication plan it implemented to inform parents, students and the community about the new state-mandated STAAR exams and their implications on students. 

This communication plan included various strategies ranging from traditional mail outs, TV and radio interviews and public meetings, to internally produced live TV forums, social media campaigns, phone banks and interactive web events. 

In addition, HISD established partnerships with local media such as Univision to help reach out to the community through various live interviews, weekly educational segments and a live phone bank during prime time. 

The entries submitted were evaluated on the ability to successfully execute the following: research, analysis and planning, communication and implementation, and evaluation.