School PR Drive Time - The NCSPRA Podcast

About School PR Drive Time - The NCSPRA Podcast

#SchoolPR Drive Time is a podcast of NCSPRA, the NC School Public Relations Association, about driving the narrative in support of public education. Visit our home page at www.ncspra.org for general information and membership resources to serve the School PR professional in NC Public Schools. Thank you for sharing the podcast!

Publisher

NCSPRA

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Sept 2020

Latest episode

21 Nov 2025

Latest episodes

51 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Nov 2025

   School PR Drive Time Episode 50: Marketing & SchoolCEO, Tyler Vawser from Apptegy

   Vendor partners and sponsors of NCSPRA and School PR Drive Time bring valuable insights and innovations to the market, and also to our podcast. Thank you to Apptegy for supporting this podcast and the work of our organization continuing into the 2025-2026 school year! Host Kevin Smith (Orange County Schools) spoke with Vice President Tyler Vawser, who leads Apptegy’s Marketing & Media teams. Together, these teams produce videos and create guides that help schools navigate technology. These teams are also responsible for SchoolCEO, a printed magazine and podcast that is dedicated to helping school leaders take control of how their communities think and feel about their districts. In this episode, we discussed how: - While some marketing strategies transfer well from the private sector, others make school PR unique. - Relationships rely on your savvy use of web, social, email, phone, and SMS to stay connected with families waiting to hear about much more than menus and the weather. - Differentiation isn't what drives recruitment or retention, so communicators need specific tools to empower every school and principal to understand and engage with their community. - When schools and communicators establish a clear brand strategy, every area improves measurably from attendance to academics and life outcomes for students. One of the best ways for school leaders to score the latest research and drive improvements in engagement is through SchoolCEO, the magazine, the podcast, and the conference. Learn, for instance, how principals create memorable experiences and fulfill the marketer's role every day: SchoolCEO Podcast: Visit https://www.apptegy.com/schoolceo/podcast-episodes SchoolCEO Magazine: https://www.apptegy.com/schoolceo/the-power-of-principals SchoolCEO Conference: https://www.apptegy.com/conference Pay special attention to this SchoolCEO survey about "the uniquely challenging—and uniquely rewarding—role" of the school communicator. Learn what hundreds of responses from superintendents and school PR professionals reveal about how they work together in different ways to help districts of all sizes "fight to thrive or even to survive" in today's climate: https://www.apptegy.com/schoolceo/a-seat-at-the-table/ Thanks to our industry partners for bringing their insights from marketing and empowering stakeholders to the show for our listeners, and thanks again SchoolCEO for supporting School PR Drive Time. Learn more and contact them at www.apptegy.com. Music: "Hip Jazz," bensound.com, all other content © 2025, NCSPRA

2. 

   4 Feb 2025

   School PR Drive Time Episode 49: "All Means All" Melissa Mertz + Tom Arcuri, ParentSquare

   Vendor partners and sponsors of NCSPRA and School PR Drive Time bring valuable insights and innovations to the market, and also to our podcast. Thank you to ParentSquare for supporting this podcast and the work of our organization in the 2024-2025 school year. In this chat with Kevin Smith (Orange County Schools), Senior Product Manager Melissa Mertz and Regional Vice President Tom Arcuri lay out the ParentSquare vision for "All Means All" and a truly equitable approach to school communications at every level, from the classroom to the central office. Listen in and share this content to expand your leadership vision of what is possible for school leaders and communicators with an ever-changing and advancing array of tools at your disposal. - Imagine beyond your existing or future template, to envision a website can do if it evolves constantly to meet your community's needs. - Consider what schools and families could do with two-way communications not just through another app, but with every email and text message sent by schools and the district translated into each user's language in real time. - And with ADA guidelines and deadlines both looming large on the landscape, listen in to learn about the far-reaching support available to website designers in 2025 and beyond. Professional learning is available from ParentSquare to back up all this talk as well: On February 6 at 2:00pm ET, ParentSquare will host a Spotlight Series webinar (open to all by special request) about accessibility in website design and school communications: https://parentsquare.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_re_EbSvYQluLYpzrqW4mBQ#/registration And March 18 at 12:00pm ET, ParentSquare will host an NCSPRA Lunch & Learn targeting one of the most critical needs for schools today: "Family Engagement Strategies to disrupt the prediction around chronic absenteeism" https://www.ncspra.org/post-details/~board/ncspra-announcements/post/ncspra-announces-new-free-pd-for-2025 Register ahead to reserve your seat today! Thanks to our industry partners for bringing their insights from classroom teaching and education technology to the show for our listeners, and thanks again ParentSquare for supporting School PR Drive Time. Learn more and contact them at www.parentsquare.com. Music: "Hip Jazz," bensound.com, all other content © 2025, NCSPRA

3. 

   1 Feb 2025

   School PR Drive Time Episode 48: Stuff That Works, Works! Susan Allred and Dr. Bev Emory Britton

   In our first episode of a new 2025 season, hosts Ellen Boyd (NCSPRA Executive Director) and Kevin Smith (Orange County Schools) chat with Susan Allred and Dr. Beverly Emory Britton, co-authors of a new book that is quickly becoming a standard text for educators now preparing to lead in a time of rapidly shape-shifting challenges. In "Stuff That Works, Works!" our guests, good friends and richly experienced education leaders at the local and state level, argue that in uncertain times, truth and hope remain as the constant anchors for schools and school leaders. Through systems of continuous improvement focused on serving each and every child, leaders ensure the quality and efficacy of public schools for the communities they serve and help to build. Their stories in this episode are just a sampling of what readers will find in the book, which was published in late 2024. Their own experiences and interviews with education leaders from North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and Kentucky are the subject of this text which is already assigned reading for doctoral students at High Point University and the subject of book clubs and discussions bringing educators together. Susan Allred is a mentor in continuous improvement processes, having served public schools for 42 years. After working as a teacher and administrator, she came out of retirement to help improve low-performing schools across Kentucky in the administration of commissioner Dr. Terry Holliday. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina. Dr. Beverly Emory Britton is a leadership coach for public schools, having served public schools for 41 years. Following her tenure as a teacher, principal, PIO, and superintendent, Dr. Emory (or "Bev") served as Deputy Superintendent in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and a leader for school communicators and administrators in our state during change management processes that included the state's response to COVID-19. She lives on the coast of North Carolina. We are grateful to these stars of education leadership for sharing their wisdom and insights with the show. Thanks to Pixevety for their support of School PR Drive Time. Music: "Hip Jazz," bensound.com, all other content © 2025, NCSPRA

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 34 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

39

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.