::Golden (Mentor) Nuggets
At the May Celebrating Communications Excellence conference in San Diego, Golden Mentor Dick Van Der Laan offered some personal survival tips for school public relations professional. We are reprinting some of them here for members who could not join us in May. Before his retirement, Dick was the executive director for communications and community relations at Long Beach Unified School District and has been actively involved with CalSPRA for more than two decades.

• Remember that you work for the superintendent. Help board members, key staff members, principals, key community members and others with the superintendent’s full knowledge and approval. Keep the boss informed and in the loop. No surprises.
• Run to the front when you get a call for help from a principal and staff. Be the first to arrive and the last to leave. They’ll never forget that kind of personal commitment and assistance.
• Give every tough job your best effort, whether it’s breaking news, a school crisis, a political issue, a potential lawsuit, etc… Your employer deserves the best you have the power to do.
• Regularly, think about what really matters. We did that after 9-11.
• Send brief but sincere handwritten notes – “you get an A,” “I’m proud to say I know you” --to others for their successes. And send a copy to the person’s boss. For all success, give others the credit.
• Recognize employees and members of the school family. Their awards, degrees, and achievements should never go unnoticed. These folks are superb role models and they need to feel appreciated. Report on their excellence.
• Walk daily, exercise regularly, eat right, relax, read, laugh, spend time away from the office. Don’t smoke, drink more water and less other stuff, and get topnotch health care.
• This is your calling, your passion, your mission, your opportunity to do something really significant that makes a difference in the quality of life for thousands of children and families. Few have such a privilege. Be grateful.

::CalSPRA Mentorship Committee Message on the API
By Trent Allen, CalSPRA's Mentorship Committee Chair
Trent Allen is CalSPRA's Mentorship Committee Chair this year and will publish monthly topics on the listserv for discussion. Since some of our members are not on our listserv, we’ll republish some of those topics in our quarterly eNewsletter.

Did you ever feel pressured as a student in school by the tests, grades, and need to succeed? The tables are turned somewhat when the California Department of Education (CDE) sends school report cards home to parents in the form of Academic Performance Index (API) growth scores. API is the cornerstone of California’s accountability model, and it is important that we help our communities understand exactly what API scores mean to our students and schools. Here are some helpful tips:

• Get the results as soon as they are released. CDE generally releases results to local education agencies 24-48 hrs in advance of results going to media or being made public. Find out who in your district or county office receives the advance notice and make sure you get a copy.
• Plan on spending extra time with “newbie” reporters who have not covered API before. Deciphering API scores and how they are formulated is a complex matter that can easily bog down the best reporter on deadline.
• Consider the big picture. You may have sites that far exceed growth goals but chances are you have others that were less successful. Keep the performance of all sites in mind when planning your communication.
• Be ready to answer questions about statewide and similar school rankings. Know which schools your sites are being compared with and note trends from surrounding districts.
• Focus on what IS being done to improve scores. Be cautious of making excuses. The school accountability movement is here to stay, and survey after survey tells us that parents and community leaders want action, not excuses.
• Remember there is schoolwide API growth and comparable improvement (subgroup) growth. Even if your school meets schoolwide API growth it may not meet targets set for subgroups. Be upfront about the issue; explain what is being done to help subgroup scores improve.
• Do not forget the internal audience. Teachers, staff, and of course students should all be part of your API communication plan. Consider special site events to recognize teachers and staff. Hold a congratulatory event for students to recognize their test taking abilities and stress the importance of the testing sessions coming this spring.

If you need to learn more about API check out these resources:
CDE Information Guide - http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/ Follow the link to the Information Guide.
Ed Data - Understanding the API - http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/articles/Article.asp?title=Understanding%20The%20API