At the recent National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) 2024 National Seminar in Bellevue, WA, the association announced Dirk Tedmon, APR, executive director of marketing and communications for Eden Prairie Schools in Eden Prairie, Minn., as its first-ever National School Communicator of the Year. Presented in partnership with Finalsite, the award recognizes the outstanding leadership and contributions of an active, front-line school communicator.

Tedmon shares his philosophy on school communication, the critical role it plays in today’s education landscape, and advice for those just beginning their careers as school public relations practitioners.

1. Ground your work in the “why.”

“Ask yourself what your personal ‘why’ is when taking on a project or initiative,” says Tedmon. “Have you done the research to show why something is needed? Do the goals and objectives of your plan align with that ‘why?’”

A recipient of NSPRA’s Gold Medallion Award in 2023 and a two-time recipient of NSPRA's Golden Achievement Award in 2024, Tedmon’s work is grounded in the four-step research, planning, implementation, and evaluation (RPIE) PR process. He says the RPIE process empowers communicators to align their efforts with their school or district so they move beyond the day-to-day happenings and remain focused on a larger, common goal. 

You can see an example of that work in Tedmon’s 2024 Golden Achievement Award winning “How We Manage Threats to our Schools: A Comprehensive, Empathetic Crisis Response” plan, a strategic crisis plan developed in response to school shooting threats made on social media.

In addition to doing strategic, good work, Tedmon says his personal why is to work for good, using his skills and abilities to advance the cause of justice and make his schools and community better places.

“As school communicators, we truly have the power to change lives,” Tedmon says. “Through the stories we share, we can make a connection with a child who feels forgotten or reignite the spark for a staff person who’s on the verge of burnout.”

By having a clear professional and personal “why,” Tedmon believes school communicators can eliminate barriers, foster authentic connections with their communities, approach problems in new ways, and remember that they and their work matter.

2. Look to the example of people who don’t dwell on asking why. 

“A few months after starting in my district, I went to my superintendent, Dr. Josh Swanson, to advocate for more resources to do better, more strategic communication work,” says Tedmon. “Dr. Swanson didn’t dwell on the why, though he definitely asked why. Instead, he focused on how we could make it work, not why we should make it work.”

Likewise, Tedmon says, the Eden Prairie Schools cabinet didn’t dwell on the why of his out-of-the-box plan to brand its learning experience but rather on how they could step up to support the idea to hone and grow it.

“Sometimes it’s better to focus on “what” more than the “why,” says Tedmon. “Ask yourself and your team, ‘What do we need to do to make big things happen? What role can we play in moving our work from good to great?’” 

Tedmon believes one of the greatest strengths of the school public relations community is his colleagues across the country, who also offer extraordinary examples. He shares examples of people speaking up to be an ally to a marginalized community, offering support during a challenging time, and being an agent for change — all without asking why.

“I’m inspired because thousands of school communicators across our country do great, difficult, rewarding, exhausting, and beautifully complicated work every day and, instead of sitting in why, choose to make a meaningful impact for the students, families, staff, and communities they serve,” says Tedmon.

3. Get involved.

No matter where you are in your school PR career, getting involved with organizations that support the field can help broaden your perspectives and make important connections. During his first role in school public relations as the media relations coordinator for Minneapolis Public Schools, Tedmon served as a volunteer director for the Minnesota School Public Relations Association (MinnSPRA), a chapter of NSPRA. Since then, Tedmon has gone on to serve as MinnSPRA’s president-elect (2022-23) and most recently completed his term as the chapter’s president (2023-24).

“School communications is unlike almost any other communications career. We’re doing marketing, crisis communications, campaigns, reputation management, strategic planning and so much more. We have to understand complicated academic, operational, and financial topics and systems, and then make those accessible to the public. And all of this happens under intense public scrutiny,” Tedmon says. 

“Having a network of professionals who can offer innovative approaches to the challenges you’re facing, who can generously give resources and support, and who welcome an ‘admire and acquire’ mentality is invaluable. And I believe deeply that each of us has something we can share and much that we can learn.”

4. Stay passionate.

Bringing passion to your work, Tedmon says, is key not only to producing engaging, measurable results but also to staying motivated and enthusiastic about what you do. “Approaching your role with passion can drive creativity,” says Tedmon. “It can transform your work into something meaningful and fulfilling.”

Tedmon uses his own experiences and passions to drive his efforts. An advocate for inclusion, Tedmon works to actively grow his staff’s cultural awareness through supportive and thought-provoking training.

He has also discussed the challenges and opportunities of public education as part of a panel discussion for the Minnesota PRSA Diversity and Inclusion Forum and co-founded MinnSPRA’s Good Trouble PR initiative, which serves to develop and train a network of school PR professionals who continuously strive to “get into good, necessary trouble” to disrupt systemic inequity and racial injustice. You can listen to more of Tedmon’s thoughts on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging on an episode of the #SchoolPR Drive Time podcast from 2023.

"As communicators, our role goes far beyond sharing information,” says Tedmon. “Focus on building bridges and creating meaningful connections within your communities. Find the stories that resonate and use them to inspire positive change."

This is the final blog post of an ongoing series from the National School Public Relations Association and Finalsite. Finalsite is proud to partner with NSPRA on the 2024 School Communicator of the Year Award, presented to Dirk Tedmon, APR, during the NSPRA 2024 National Seminar in July.