pop! tech plan (bcam high school)

8/14/2019 Pop! Tech Plan (BCAM High School)

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OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School is an institution that osters creativity and academic

development by providing students with rst-hand experiences that will prepare them or success in the21st century. A community outreach program would enable BCAM to broaden its impact on the New Yorkmetropolitan area.

SITUATION ANALYSISBrooklyn Community Arts and Media High School BCAM is a public school in Brooklyn, New York thatcombines perormance-based academics with proessional training in arts and media. The school was oundedby its current principal, James OBrien, and opened its doors July 1, 2006. BCAM currently serves 417 studentsin grades 9-12, with 224 students being emale and 193 being male. The student population is ethnicallydiverse, with 82% o students being black, 14% being Hispanic, and the remainder o students being multiracial

The school uses a three-pronged approach consisting o academics, creativity and proessional development toprepare students or success in the 21st century.

BCAM operates on an unscreened, open-enrollment basis which provides a diverse group o students with

accessibility to enrollment. This presents BCAM with a unique challenge, as it requires the school to cater to theacademic needs o many students who have signicantly dierent academic levels. BCAM must also preparestudents to pass the Regent exams as required by the state o New York. The schools location also results in ithaving a segment o the student population that has dealt with the challenges that so many inner-city childrenace, such as poverty, crime and violence.

As a public school, BCAM aces the challenges o meeting state-wide standards and operating under a limited

budget. BCAMs goal to provide students with a creative experience that will prepare them or the 21st centuryrelies heavily on the support o outside inuences. Financial support, proessional support and opportunities orstudents and proessional development or sta and aculty are vital to the success o BCAM.

James OBrien was selected as one o the 2009 PopTech Fellows, which served as recognition or his newapproaches to education and his commitment to having a transormational impact. PopTech is a network oleaders, thinkers and doers rom a variety o a disciplines, who come together to explore the social impacto new technologies, the orces o change shaping our uture, and new approaches to solving the worlds mostsignicant challenges. Source: www.poptech.org/about His experience as a Fellow has helped him to realize

the importance o public relations or garnering nancial and community support. This support would betteenable BCAM to carry out its goal o preparing students or success in the 21st century.

Public relations is necessary to oster relationships with outside partners in an eort to enable BCAM to betteserve its students and the Brooklyn community. Doing so will also allow BCAM to broaden its reach and

impact, hopeully allowing or an endless array o opportunities or the students it serves and will serve in theuture.

GOAL STATEMENT

For the New York metropolitan area to be contributing to the perpetuation and expansion o BrooklynCommunity Arts and Media High School.

PopTech BCAM Plan by Finnerty, Komjati, Lyles and Magliocca


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TARGET AUDIENCES

Potential Students

Brooklyn is the most populous o the ve boroughs, holding about 30.57% o New Yorks residents. InBrooklyn, 25.1% o the population are under 18 years old. In the New York City Department o Education thereare approximately 185,050 students in intermediate school and 257,801 in high school. In Brooklyn, there are161 schools that house 8th graders, the vast majority o BCAMs potential students.

There are many students who dont do well in a structured academic setting. The students who struggle in thissetting oten do not perorm to the best o their ability and it can sometimes lead to dropping out. BCAM oersan alternative program to these students, one in which they are more likely to succeed. BCAM is also a schoo

that will benet students who are ocused on the arts and intend on pursuing an art-centered career or higheeducation degree. BCAM will target potential students to provide the unique program to those it will benetand as an opportunity to expand.

TeachersBCAM has 31 teachers on sta as well as ve administrators, two social workers and 19 other sta members.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 6.2 million teachers in the United States today and 71 percent

o all teachers are women. According the the National Center or Education Statitistics, actors that limiteda city schools ability to reduce crime were inadequate atlernative programs and inadequate unds; BCAM

is directly inuenced by these actors as a city school with some students already in the criminal justicesystem. Moreover, 94 percent o city schools use teacher-student mentoring and tutoring to prevent crime.

The ability to consult and mentor students is a characteristic BCAM values in their teachers.

Public school systems, such as BCAM, are unded through property taxes. Because that is the primarysource o unding, suburban schools receive more money because o higher property tax rates. Also, cityschools have higher student-teacher ratios than their suburban counterparts. Inner city schools suer theconsequences because teachers are more likely to accept a suburban job, rather than an urban one because

o salary and student-teacher ratios. Thereore when trying to recruit new teachers, BCAM must recruit

based on actors other than money, such as making a dierence in the community or exibility in teachercreativity.

Potential Internship PartnersInternships are a highly encouraged acet o the BCAM curriculum. Brooklyn is an area that is becomingincreasingly known or media, art and cultural opportunities it oers. The Brooklyn Chamber o Commercelists 75 businesses related to arts and media. The our primary business categories are advertising andmarketing, arts and culture, graphic designers and publishing or publications.

BCAM students will have to maintain their academic perormance and largely do not have access to necessary

transportation. Approaching primarily Brooklyn-based businesses will give students proessional experiencein their own community and will not put as great o a strain on their success in the classroom as i they had totravel to other areas in New York. Brooklyn businesses will be interested in improving the community in whichthey operate. Providing positive, constructive learning opportunities to Brooklyns youth will help shape thecommunity or the better.

InvestorsBCAM had a budget allocation o $2,628,853 or the 2008-2009 school year rom the New York Department oEducation. BCAM received a reduction in Fair Student Funding and Children First allocations, both o whichwere New York Department o Education unding initiatives. BCAM also had to adjust its budget or the 2009-2010 school year to accommodate citywide increases in teacher salaries. Increases in expenses and decreases in



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unding rom the state presents a challenge or BCAM, whose expenditures or the 2009-2010 school year areestimated to be $3,484,907.

While unding rom the New York Department o Education and other governmental initiatives is signicant

and extremely useul, it has become increasingly challenging or government money to und public schools.Special programs, like arts education, are oten the rst to go during times o budgetary difculties. Thus,looking toward private investors would be an eective way or BCAM to obtain additional unding and urtherinvolve the community in its mission and success.

OBJECTIVE ONE (POTENTIAL STUDENTS)

To increase the total number o students in Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School by 10 percent bythe 2012-2013 school year.

Guerilla Marketing StrategySeveral unconventional methods will be used to promote BCAM and to raise awareness. These unconventionamethods will appeal to potential students creative sides.

Tactics1. Set up a group o 10-20 dedicated students that represent diverse backgrounds and interests tobecome the aces o BCAM in the community, to potential investors and potential students. Thegroup o students will be reerred to as Student Ambassadors.

2. Student Ambassadors and any other student volunteers will put together perormances and artdemonstrations that will be presented with no introduction or warning in parks and student hang outhe Brooklyn community ater school, when the most potential students will be there. The perormer

will be wearing t-shirts designed by BCAM students and at the end o the perormances will hand outew t-shirts and pamphlets about BCAM and its programs. Some examples o perormances are:

a. Rapsb. Hip-hop or other high-energy dancesc. Grafti created with chalk paint or on a paper that was set up beore

3. Hang posters students have created all over Brooklyn, in normal and unexpected places.

Administrator Speech Strategy

BCAM administrators, as well as one or two students rom the student ambassador group will travel to givespeeches, presentations and hand out inormational pamphlets to help spread the word about BCAM.

Tactics

1. Schedule presentations at all the local PTA or parent committee groups at Brooklyn middle schoolsThese presentations will ocus on the benets to the students, such as unconventional teaching methodsthat may help students to learn more than traditionally structured ones and the no-judgment policy.

2. Schedule end-o-day assemblies or 8th graders at the local middle schools. These presentations wilmostly be led by a student ambassador and will contain multi-media. Presentations will ocus on theexcitement and experience BCAM can provide students.

3. Set up meetings through truancy ofcers and other ofcials like that to talk with high schoolers and8th graders who are dropping out or not attending classes. These more intimate presentations will ocuson the dierence between BCAM and the normal high school. Also, the importance o a high school



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diploma will be discussed.

Word o Mouth StrategyA general buzz about BCAM will be created in the local community so students, parents and administrators wil

begin to see the many benets o the school.

Tactics1. Send out letters to the editor o local newspapers such as the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn

Spectator and Brooklyns Downtown Star. The letters will discuss the approach BCAM takes and itsbenets to a diverse student body.

2. Pitch a story to News 12, Brooklyns local television news station and invite them to a day at BCAM.

3. Encourage students, teachers, parents and anyone else associated with BCAM to talk up the school

4. Utilize social media to create a buzz. Especially ocus on creative YouTube videos and tag each videoheavily so it will come up in searches.

OBJECTIVE TWO (POTENTIAL TEACHERS)

To persuade teachers to join BCAMs aculty and increase the teacher population by 10 percent.

Media Communication StrategyTeachers are literate media consumers so the media will be used as a communication channel to reachprospective teachers in the New York area.

Tactics1. Create a media kit to send out to various publications and media outlets. It will include:

a. Photosb. A social media press release to reect BCAMs creativity and innovation. The press

release will detail the success o the school in the Brooklyn area and the innovativetechniques teachers are able to use to instruct students. The press release will be postedon the New York Department o Education Web site, BCAM Web site and Teach ForAmerica Web site. It will also be sent to teacher-based blogs and to local media outlets inthe New York area.

c. A backgrounder on the history, mission statement and accomplishments o the school.

2. A eature story will be distributed which will ocus on a teacher who works at BCAM. The story willdetail the ulllment the teacher gains rom working at the school and his/her lie story. The objective

is to connect with other teachers and inorm them that BCAM is searching or other instructors. Theeature will be distributed to news outlets in the New York area.

Teacher Persuasion Strategy

BCAM oers teachers creative techniques, educational reedom and a ullling livelihood within the Brooklynarea. This message will be communicated to prospective teachers to persuade them to seek a position atBCAM.

Tactics1. Student Ambassadors will be transported to NYU, Columbia University and CUNY, where they willdraw artistic messages and pictures in chalk advocating their need or teachers.



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2. Principal OBrien will speak to graduating education majors at NYU, Columbia and CUNY. Thespeech will be similar to his speech at PopTech! It will be emotional, with actual examples o childrenwho were supported by their teachers and will inuence uture instructors to apply or positions at

BCAM. A brochure will also be distributed as collateral.

3. Student Ambassadors will perorm songs, poetry and other orms o art at college sponsored events inthe New York area. Prospective teachers will realize that BCAM is not an ordinary school and they wil

seek more inormation which will be given in the brochure.

OBJECTIVE THREE (POTENTIAL INTERNSHIP PARTNERS)

To increase awareness o BCAM High School within the Brooklyn business community so that arts and media-related organizations will make internships available to junior and senior BCAM students.

BCAM Experience StrategyThe potential internship partners objective will be accomplished by providing opportunities or Brooklynbusinesses to see what is happening at Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School through rst-handexperiences with teachers and students.

Tactics1. Take selected students to Brooklyn Chamber o Commerce meetings to give presentations about theirBCAM education and network with businesses with the goal o creating internship partners.

2. Invite community business leaders to BCAM Experience Days that take place during the school dayso they can see an average day at the school.

3. Continue to develop the Student Ambassadors program, which will match students with visitingproessionals. This will provide a personal experience or visiting proessionals and will help them seethe quality o BCAMs students.

4. Host an Evening o Experience event at the school to showcase work done by BCAM students.Invite all relevant members o the Brooklyn business community to attend.

5. Assist selected students in preparing presentations about what they have gained in their BCAMeducation. They will give these presentations at the Evening o Experience event.

Early Relationship Building StrategyPotential internship partners will have a closer relationship with Brooklyn Community Arts and Media HighSchool by getting to know students early in their high school careers through mentoring relationships. This wil

benet not just the students, but the businesses as well through their contributions to education and recognitionin the community.

Tactics

1. Establish positive relationships between Brooklyn business leaders and BCAM students by creatingand implementing a mentoring program or reshman and sophomore students. This program willocus less on proessional development and more on character development as students spend time withsuccessul people.

2. Send out press releases highlighting these relationships and the participating businesses. This wilgarner positive media exposure or the proessionals.



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3. Take select reshmen and sophomore students to a Brooklyn Chamber o Commerce meeting topresent about what their BCAM education has meant to them.

OBJECTIVE FOUR (INVESTORS)

To obtain outside support rom private corporations, citizens and associations in an eort to oset the costs o

20 percent o BCAMs budget, or to expand BCAMs budget.

Foundational StrategyA oundation devoted to the betterment and nancial support o BCAM would provide a cohesive, unied bodythrough which outside supporters can contribute money. The oundation would serve as a unit o collaborationwhere outside supporters can work with oundation personnel to develop donation strategies, git planning andongoing support methods. The oundation will serve as an outlet or partnership, generosity and growth orBCAM and the community.

Tactics1. BCAMs administrators, the dean and principal, will work with the New York City Department o

Education to establish the BCAM Believers oundation.

2. A director will be hired to run the oundation, whose duties will include promoting the school,identiying potential investors and building relationships with those investors.

3. The oundation director will be responsible or working with potential investors to develop plans andinitiatives with specied instructions to ensure that investors are satised with the way their investmentsare utilized.

4. The oundation will also utilize the Student Ambassadors group rom BCAM to develop morepersonal relationships between BCAM students and investors to urther inspire and engage donors.

5. The oundation will also be responsible or ostering ongoing relationships between investors andBCAM students, thus encouraging investors to invest not only in BCAM, but in its students utures,through the orms o post-secondary scholarships and grants.

Support Strategy

Raising awareness and spreading enthusiasm about BCAM is an optimal way to garner support, both nanciallyand beyond, rom investors. Outlets will be provided or donors to support BCAM, and the ways in whichBCAM will also support investors will be illustrated.

Tactics 1. Create a promotional video to send to local businesses, especially those that have a history osupporting local schools. The video will eature ootage o BCAM students excelling in areas related toarts and media, be it perormances or clips o students doing class work. The video will also eature a

testimonial rom BCAMs dean, Hasaun Hunter, and ounder and principal, James O Brien, discussingthe unding challenges that the current economy has presented BCAM. The oundations director willalso be eatured in the video and explain ways in which investors can help.

2. The oundation director will contact local business associations and proessional organizationsand arrange student perormances at these groups events, such as luncheons and conerences. Theperormances will heighten awareness o BCAM and illustrate the importance o the school. The



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oundational director will then present and invite potential investors to work with the BCAM Believersoundation to invest in the uture o Brooklyns students.

3. The oundation director will work with investors to develop a giving plan, which will provide

investors with support and the opportunity to have a say in how their donations will be used.

4. The oundation director will also work with the Metropolitan Transit Authority MTA to developa partnership program that will provide students with public transportation to their internships at a

discounted rate.

5. BCAM will devote a section o its web site to recognizing the support o its investors. This sectionwill also be an outlet or BCAM to support its investors, especially through business advertisements and

endorsements.

6. BCAM Believers oundation will hold a giving campaign during the holiday season to encouragebusinesses to invest nancial support in BCAM or holiday gits. Direct mailings to investors will notiythem o the giving campaign.

EVALUATION

Objective One Potential StudentsTo increase the total number o students in Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School by 10 percent bythe 2012-2013 school year.

AssessmentThe rst way the success o the potential student objective will be measured is by noting the increase inenrollment each year. Also, as students enroll they will be asked how they rst heard about BCAM, enablingthe assessment o various strategies. Enrollment rom various schools will be noted to see i speaking to 8th

graders and teachers was eective. The guerilla marketing and word-o-mouth strategies will both be evaluatedby counting media hits. Also, trafc to YouTube and other social media sites will be counted.

Objective Two Potential TeachersTo persuade teachers to join BCAMs aculty and increase the teacher population by 10 percent.

AssessmentThe eectiveness o the media kit will be measured through media impressions and trafc to Web sites wherethe press release was posted. Also social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and RSS Feeds will also bemeasured. The eature story will be measured by media impressions and the total circulation o each news outletwith a ocus on the New York City area.

Teachers who seek jobs at BCAM will be asked how they heard o the school on their application. Choices wilinclude drawings, inormational speeches, or university sponsored events.

Chalk drawings will be drawn in the busiest sections o the universities and the number o people who walkby in the busiest hour will be estimated. This will help us measure the percentage o the target audience thatis receiving our message. Inormational speeches will be measured by attendance and through a speciedapplication that will be given to the graduating classes. We will count the number o specially marked jobapplications that are turned in to BCAM.



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Objective Three Potential Internship PartnersTo increase awareness o BCAM High School within the Brooklyn business community so that arts and media-related organizations will make internships available to junior and senior BCAM students.

AssessmentThe success o the BCAM Experience Strategy will be assessed by whether or not time is secured to speak atthe Chamber o Commerce Meeting, tracking the number o business leaders who come to BCAM ExperienceDays and asking or eedback about Experience Days and the Student Ambassadors. The success o the

Evening o Experience will be measured by how many businesspeople attend the event.

The success o the Early Relationship Building Strategy will be measured by whether or not time is secured tospeak at the Chamber o Commerce meeting, how many mentoring relationships are ostered and how much

media coverage is generated rom the press releases in the top 10 area news outlets.

Objective Four InvestorsTo obtain outside support rom private corporations, citizens and associations in an eort to oset the costs o20% o BCAMs budget, or to expand BCAMs budget.

AssessmentThe oundational strategy will be assessed by evaluating whether or not the BCAM Believers oundation was

actually developed. The oundations director will be assessed by investors, who will be given orms with whichto evaluate the director and investors will be given a chance to oer praises or criticisms. The strategy will alsobe assessed by analyzing whether or not students could recognize or were aware o the schools key investorsStudent recognition o outside generosity will illustrate success. The development o post-secondary supportsystems will also be indicative o success.

The support strategy will be assessed by surveying investors and inquiring as to whether or not the promotionavideo heightened their awareness o BCAM or inuenced their decision to invest in BCAM. The support

strategy can be assessed by interviewing BCAM investors and asking them what inuenced their decision todonate money or resources to the school. The success o the support strategy can be evaluated by assessing thenumber o giving plans developed and comparing that number with the number o plans actually carried outMonitoring the number o MTA passes available at a discount rate and used by the students, and totaling anamount o money the students saved by using the passes will also be a means by which to evaluate the supportstrategy. Analytics to monitor the trafc to the investor recognition section o the website will also be a methodo assessment or the strategy.

BUDGET

Foundation director $40,000/yearSubway passes $50/year

T-shirts

Art Supplies $200DVDs $25

Total: $40,575



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pop! tech plan (bcam high school)

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