Collaboration between SMG Washington DC and Boston offices identifies critical steps to improving communications in western Massachusetts school district
Washington, DC, August 17, 2023—David Franek, president of the Stryker-Munley Group (SMG) Washington DC office, has announced that the firm has completed an assessment, in partnership with SMG’s Boston office, of communication activities and challenges within the Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD) in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The district had hired SMG in January 2023 to conduct a discovery and review process in order to make recommendations for achieving more efficient and effective communications across all schools and audiences in the district.
“After an extensive discovery and evaluation phase, we’re pleased to have identified a number of areas where BHRSD can take practical, easily implemented steps to facilitate more direct and impactful communications between the district, parents, and school staff,” said Franek. “I believe the cooperative effort between the DC and Boston SMG offices resulted in a more insightful and wide-ranging set of solutions than what could have been achieved by each office individually.”
At the outset of the assignment, the SMG team sent surveys to BHRSD parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members gathering perceptions on the district’s modes of communication, website, engagement tools, priority communication areas, emergency processes, and numerous other topics. Findings from these surveys helped inform the development of discussion guides used in focus groups conducted among the aforementioned groups.
Concurrently, SMG performed an audit of the BHRSD website and associated school sites, noting areas in need of updates, better accessibility, and improved functionality. In addition, SMG reviewed and noted best practices of school district websites that were identified by BHRSD as admired properties.
SMG presented takeaways from these discovery modes in a final report to Peter Dillon, BHRSD superintendent, in July. In addition, a scope of work and budget for redeveloping the district website was delivered. A presentation to the BHRSD school board is scheduled for September prior to final approval and implementation of recommendations.
About SMG Washington DC
Operating independently as The Design Channel, SMG Washington DC offers a full range of integrated creative services, including branding, marketing communications, advertising, content development, and broadcast and interactive media.
About SMG Boston
SMG Boston provides senior-level counsel in the areas of strategy and message development, crisis communications, public affairs and issue advocacy, media and community relations, corporate social responsibility, and marketing communications.
About Stryker-Munley Group
The Stryker-Munley Group connects marketing providers across the country to introduce a new model of expertise, bringing together professionals with extensive backgrounds in public relations, marketing, and advertising. With a reputation for outstanding work over more than 20 years, SMG delivers results-driven communications programs for clients who seek expert communications direction and execution.