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PROGRAM PRACTICE:
Create a Brand for Your Choice Program
Duval County Public Schools’ marketing specialist helps create a targeted marketing plan for each magnet school by consulting with the lead magnet teacher at the beginning of each school year. Along with serving as a program developer, each magnet lead teacher formulates and executes a marketing plan for his or her school using the Magnet Marketing and Recruitment Plan Template. A critical part of the marketing plan is the schools’ participation in an annual “Magnet Mania & More” trade show where students and parents can learn about the various options in Duval County. The district also defines roles for key personnel and lists school activities that help promote choice in their Marketing and Recruitment Plan.
The district, with the help of an external marketing agency, also produces a Duval County Public Schools Magnet Catalog that describes each of the district’s magnet schools in detail as well as other School Choice options. Every household that has children in grades K–10 in Duval County schools receives the annual catalog, which is also distributed at communitywide events and placed in all the schools.
The district, with assistance from their marketing agency, created a PowerPoint presentation, Planning a Marketing Strategy for Magnet Schools and Programs, that lists marketing goals, and gives examples of creative marketing ideas. In addition, Duval County created individual informational brochures for each of its school programs (e.g., the Stanton College Preparatory School Brochure). The program brochures utilize a similar format, colorful, compelling graphics, and the same district logo. Visual consistency in all choice-related materials for parents helps create a recognizable brand for the choice program, which helps parents recognize which school materials are choice-related.
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