One of the ways in which NSPRA displays its leadership in school communications is through the powerful partnerships formed with other national education associations to benefit members. 

NSPRA continued its partnership with AASA, the School Superintendents Association, to co-sponsor the Leadership in School Communication program, a unique opportunity for teams of superintendents and their communication professionals to learn how to improve their districts’ communication program.

NSPRA and the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) continued its work to request that six major social media companies allow school district accounts to be officially verified and to make it easier to report and take down those accounts that are rogue or harm kids. Twelve other national education associations continue to support this effort.

NSPRA was an active participant in the 2023 national campaign #HereForTheKids, created by the Learning First Alliance, an umbrella organization of 13 national education organizations including NSPRA. This campaign was designed to combat the negative and divisive rhetoric in many communities by highlighting success stories of students and staff.

Partnerships That Matter Award

In March 2023, NSPRA was recognized by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) for its collaborative leadership on the initiative to urge social media companies to allow school district accounts to be officially verified and to be able to report and remove accounts that are hurt or harm students. CoSN continues to co-lead this effort with NSPRA. 

CoSN Chief Executive Officer Keith R. Krueger presented NSPRA Executive Director Barbara M. Hunter, APR, with the organization's Partnerships That Matter award at their annual conference in Austin, Texas.

During the past year, NSPRA welcomed a record 341 new members, who saw firsthand the incredible value of the high-quality programs and services that support their work as school communications professionals. Efforts by staff and the board to align NSPRA’s deliverables with its research-based strategic plan are the foundation for this membership growth. 

"This organization means so much to me! Its value more than exceeds the cost of membership every year. The information, webinars, annual seminar and networking have been overwhelming. I truly can't imagine my career without NSPRA!"

- 2022 Membership Profile Survey Respondent

NSPRA’s 2022 biennial membership survey showed several noteworthy findings that point to the increasing value of school communicators: 

• More school communicators are at the district leadership table. Sixty-seven percent of NSPRA member respondents reported they are members of their school districts’ cabinets and/or leadership teams, an increase from both 2020 (59 percent) and 2018 (58 percent).

• More respondents reported a larger department size of 2 to 4 staff persons. This is the first time a one-person communication office was not the most-reported department size over the last decade, suggesting that districts are increasing their communications staff. 

• More new professionals are entering the field. Ten percent of school communication professionals reported having one year or less of experience in the field, the highest reported percentage of this experience level since 2014 and double from the five percent reported in 2020. 

• Experience is evident. A third of school communication professionals have five to 10 years of school public relations experience, while nearly a quarter have 15+ years or more experience in the field. 

Aligning with best financial practices and NSPRA policy, NSPRA contracts every few years with a new auditing firm to ensure integrity of the audit process and findings. The new audit firm with whom NSPRA has contracted to carry out the FY 2023 audit is still completing its work. NSPRA will share the findings with members as soon as the final audit is issued and approved by the Executive Board. 

As shown in the graph, NSPRA has multiple diversified revenue streams that help to position the organization to weather downturns, such as the projected ESSER funding cliff coming in the fall of 2024.