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Office of Communications and Outreach
Functional Statements > Office of Communications and Outreach
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MISSION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Office of Communications and Outreach is responsible for overall leadership for the Department in its communications and outreach activities. These activities are designed to engage the general public, including a wide variety of education, community, business, parent, student, and other organizations, in the U.S. Department of Education’s mission.
Communications include interaction and collaboration with the media, intergovernmental and interagency organizations. The Office directs, coordinates, and recommends policy for activities designed to:
Make the Department's policies and the Secretary’s goals widely understood by the public and the many groups interested and affected by education matters, with a particular emphasis on under-served groups;
Initiate and oversee the creation of specialized and proactive public outreach and information programs of high visibility and timeliness to generate interest in and focus on issues and activities relating to the mission of the Department;
Develop productive working relationships with the press, mass media outlets, and the many groups involved in education issues, as well as with other federal agencies, and state and local government and non- governmental organizations;
Develop communications strategies and work with all Principal Offices to oversee and coordinate communications efforts to ensure that a clear, coherent, and cohesive message is developed and communicated;
Manage and create digital web and multimedia content including, but not limited to: social media, graphic design assets, video broadcasts, publications, written documents, and other communication products of high quality with useful content;
Lead, monitor, and include interagency cooperation involving the Department; and,
Direct and recommend policy for the Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs and recognition programs such as the Presidential Education Awards Program, the Presidential Scholars Program, Blue Ribbon Schools, and ED Green Ribbon School.
ORGANIZATION
The Office of Communications and Outreach is under the supervision of the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach, who reports directly to the Secretary of Education. The Assistant Secretary provides overall direction, coordination, and leadership to the following organizational components:
- Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary
- Management
- Communications
- Outreach
ORDER OF SUCCESSION
In the event that the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach dies, resigns or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office and the office is thereby deemed to be vacant, as defined by the Vacancies Act, and the President has not designated in writing another individual to act as the Assistant Secretary, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, as the designated “first assistant” under the Vacancies Act, shall perform the functions and duties of the office in an acting capacity. If both the offices of the Assistant Secretary and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications are vacant, or the time period during which the Deputy Assistant Secretary for communications may serve in acting capacity has expired, the individuals listed below in the order shown are authorized to perform the functions and duties of the office of the Assistant Secretary, except for any functions and duties that are required by law to be performed only by the Assistant Secretary or by someone officially acting in such capacity.
In instances where the office of the Assistant Secretary is filled, but the Assistant Secretary is absent, unavailable, otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the position, and/or there is a disruption in the normal channels of direction and communication, and there is no person officially serving in an acting capacity, and unless the Assistant Secretary or the Secretary, in writing, designates another individual to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary, the following officials, in the order shown, are delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of the office of the Assistant Secretary, except for any functions and duties that are required by law to be performed only by the Assistant Secretary or by someone officially acting in such capacity:
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for State and Local Outreach
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Planning
- Director of Digital Media and Creative Services
- Director of Speechwriting
Functions and Responsibilities of OCO Components
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary
The Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary provides overall leadership and policy development for the Department's efforts to engage a wide variety of groups and the public in the President and Secretary's education agenda. The office designs, develops, and coordinates specialized strategic communications, media, and outreach efforts and provides management and direction to the organization’s components. The office provides policy advice to the Secretary on communications and outreach matters, articulates the Department's message, represents the Department and Administration positions to national news media on critical and sensitive issues and develops innovative communications strategies.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management is responsible for program accountability and provides overall direction, leadership to, and supervision of the career staff of the seven Divisions within OCO: National Engagement, State & Local Engagement, Digital Media and Creative Services, Press & Customer Relations, the Executive Office, the Management Support Unit, and Writing.
The Press Secretary serves as the spokesperson for the Department and for the Secretary of Education.
Management
An
Executive
Officer who reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management provides administrative and business/operations support services to OCO. The Executive Office establishes procedures, devotes sufficient resources, and clarifies lines of authority and accountability to ensure that OCO’s administrative needs are met in a timely and consistent manner. The Executive Office provides technical assistance to the Assistant Secretary and senior staff on general administrative and management issues to ensure that the Department’s management and operations policies are appropriately implemented.
The Director of the Management Support Unit is responsible for the formulation of OCO’s strategic planning, organizational performance, and development, continuous improvement/innovation initiatives. The Director of the Management Support Unit who reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management leads this work. The duties of this team include:
- Planning: provides leadership in coordinating OCO’s strategic planning efforts and annual program performance planning.
- Organizational Performance: Coordinates OCO’s analyses of performance levels, measures progress in meeting organizational goals, and determines whether changes in program administration and/or operations management are warranted. Prepares the annual performance reporting materials for OCO.
- Continuous Improvement/Innovation: Provides leadership in designing, developing, and assessing alternative management practices that lead to productivity gains, employee engagement, service delivery innovations, and performance accountability.
- Human Capital Management: Coordinates management evaluations, manpower utilization and skill assessments, and organizational planning studies for OCO as needed to “right-size” the organization. Develops and implements a comprehensive on-boarding, training, and professional development program to attract and retain talent for the organization.
- Monitoring leadership development activities.
Outreach
Staff working in outreach execute the core processes related to direct interaction with organizations and individuals at the national, state and local levels. National outreach includes sharing information and coordinating with national education associations that represent the teaching profession, civil rights groups, business and other stakeholders who are directly affected by education policy, including parents and students. Staff within the Division make up the Department’s Military Affairs Team, which serves as the Department’s liaison to military families, military-connected students, and veterans. State and local outreach includes sharing information and coordinating with state and local public officials and policymakers who are directly responsible for administering policies mandated by federal education legislation. Staff within the Division plan and coordinate the Department’s recognition programs that spotlight outstanding schools and students nationwide. All outreach supports the U.S. education system at the pre-kindergarten, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, as well as for career and technical, English language, adult, and special education.
National Engagement Division
The
National Engagement Division is responsible for outreach to national organizations of P-12, higher education, rural communities, parents, teachers, students and youth, advocacy groups, think tanks, associations, foundations and the business community, as well as for special-focus outreach, including parents, businesses, youth, higher education, professional associations, and the Hispanic, African American, Asian Pacific Islander, and other communities. Staff within the Division make up the Department’s Military Affairs Team, which serves as the Department’s liaison to military families, military-connected students (those attending Department of Defense schools, schools on military bases or other educational institutions) and veterans. The Division disseminates information and fosters collaboration and partnerships between the Department and these groups and among each other. The unit sponsors national meetings with Department officials to keep the public informed and promotes networking opportunities among meeting participants. It also supports the work of the White House Initiatives and coordinates with the policy and program offices to assure accuracy of information. The Assistant Secretary for Communications & Outreach sets the outreach agenda and a Director who reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management heads the division.
State and Local Engagement Division
The
State and Local Engagement Division is responsible for customized communication to key stakeholders, communities, and citizens at the state and local levels. The office’s primary function is to communicate information about the Department's initiatives, policies, and programs to State and local public officials and build partnerships to improve education for all children, including partnerships to leverage increased support for high academic standards and educational excellence. Staff within the Division make up the Department’s Recognition Programs Team. The programs honor achievement as they facilitate communication and sharing of best practices within and among schools and the public. The programs include National Blue Ribbon Schools, ED Green Ribbon Schools, U.S. Presidential Scholars, the President's Education Awards Program (PEAP), and the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award. In managing these programs, team members coordinate with outside organizations such as Chief State School Officers and the national principal organizations in coordination with the National Engagement Division, as well as with other federal government agencies. Outreach services provided include a bi-weekly newsletter summarizing announcements and opportunities available from the Department, regular conference calls with governors and Chief State School Officers, briefing materials for the Secretary on the latest education concerns, and in-person and video conference meetings with state and local groups and officials. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for National, State, and Local Engagement sets the outreach agenda and a Director who reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management heads the office.
Communications
Staff working in communications execute the core processes related to production of written, spoken, and visual content for the agency. These core processes include: writing (creating and editing original written products such as speeches, articles, and talking points); digital production (messaging across social media, the Web, and through video and photography); and interacting with the press and the general public.
Writing Division
The Writing Division prepares, reviews, and translates written content for internal and external audiences, including remarks for the Secretary and other Principal Offices and senior officials, to convey information about the key policies, priorities, and programs of the Department. Writers draft messages to the Department’s workforce, as well as public-facing op-eds, letters to the editor, articles for the Secretary’s signature, and other substantive written materials.
The Speechwriting unit acts as the “voice” of the Secretary to ensure consistency of style and content. The Division coordinates with the Office of the Secretary and other Principal Offices to gather information, keep up-to-date on policy and priority changes, and shape messages that are aligned with those of the Secretary.
Staff within the Division provide internal communications to Department staff and advise senior leaders on strategies to engage, inform, and educate employees in the overall mission of the Department, improve the work culture to enhance employee satisfaction, and convey information about Department initiatives to employees. In collaboration with the Chief Information Officer, staff develops design strategy and conducts analysis of user behaviors to make adjustments to low performing content. The Internal Communications team manages the strategic direction, development, and content maintenance of work reimaginED and is responsible for writing the Inside ED weekly blog for employees.
The Division also coordinates with staff responsible for the Department’s internal communications to provide all Department employees with general talking points on priority issues to assure accuracy of messaging across the Department and develops a strategic calendar to deconflict messaging to ensure tone, timing, and tempo of high-level communications to ensure maximum effectiveness.
The Editorial unit develops and implements the Department's policies and standards for written products circulated both in hard copy and electronically. To assure that ED disseminates consistently high-quality information, the unit edits written material for all Principal Offices. The unit adheres to professional standards, policies, and procedures in its Guide to Publishing at the U.S. Department of Education and complies with the Plain Writing Act of 2010.
The Director of Writing who reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management leads the Writing Division.
The Digital Media and Creative Services Division
The Digital Media and Creative Services Division plans, develops, and executes ED’s digital engagement strategies to support the communication goals and objectives of the Department of Education. The Division is responsible for:
- The overall creative direction of the Department’s digital media products.
- The creation, management, and defense of the ED communications brand.
- Measuring the results of the Department’s communications activities.
- Governance of the Department’s digital content.
- Analyzing data to provide precise insight into the Department’s communications and outreach efforts.
- Providing routine outreach performance reporting and analysis to provide recommendations for future improvements.
The Division uses a variety of web-based platforms and tools to create and share information with the public in a manner that is timely and engaging. The Division’s work is divided among two primary types of work: web and creative services.
The creative services arm of the division supports the development and management of social media content for the department. The division manages and creates content for the Department’s enterprise level social media accounts, maintains the master inventory of all Department social media assets, negotiates new terms of service agreements, and sets social media governance, strategy, and best practices for the agency. The Division also leads digital branding for the agency.
The Division is the central channel for reaching the Department’s various publics and the media directly using influencers and real-time content to gain media attention. Content creators within the Division are responsible for writing social media posts, blogging, creating video scripts and story boards, among other things.
The Division provides support services to the agency, serving as an internal creative agency, providing support for: planning for digital roll outs, digital content creation, graphic design, animation, branding, video production and photography.
The Division includes graphic designers, photographers, and videographers. Graphic designers support the creation of items such as social media branding and graphics, report layout and design, certificates, banners, table-top displays, .gifs, motion graphics, infographics and short animated videos. Photographers and videographers travel frequently with the Secretary and other Department officials to provide event coverage such as livestreaming, photography, and video. They also provide video planning, production and post-production support. Additionally, the Division maintains the Department’s physical studio space and handles official portraits.
The Division also manages and maintains the content provided through the Department’s website, ED.gov and the Homeroom Blog. The Division manages, operates, and develops content policies, procedures, and metrics for the Department website, ED.gov. The unit provides technical leadership and oversight as it works with offices throughout ED. It also sets the strategy and is responsible for implementing a unified vision for web communication through set web governance policies. The Division Director chairs the Department’s Digital Council. The Digital Council brings together representatives from all POCs that have a digital presence on ED.gov to support decision making and web content governance. The unit enhances education information dissemination and develops new information resources by producing and reviewing content.
The Department’s Printing Officer, a position mandated by law in USC Title 44, Public Printing and Documents, collaborates with the Government Printing Office for printing and other forms of publishing and is ED's liaison with the Joint Congressional Committee on Printing. All POCs are required to print through GPO per the Federal Acquisition Regulation, Section 8.8.
The Assistant Secretary for Communications & Outreach sets the communications agenda and a Director who reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management heads the office.
The Press and Customer Relations Division
The Press and Customer Relations Division develops and maintains productive working relationships with national and local media, with the Press Secretary as ED’s primary spokesperson. The Division:
- Works closely with assigned Principal Offices in planning and developing new communications, strategies, and activities.
- Creates and disseminates news releases and media advisories.
- Provides advance news notification to the general media and specialized education press on programs and events involving ED executives and/or issues.
- Coordinates the planning, execution of, and messaging for, special events involving the Secretary or key staff from Principal Offices on critical Department issues, designed to create media interest to inform the public, education groups, and others and to enlist participation in Department programs and education reform efforts.
- Provides a regular news monitoring service for the Department.
- Develops and executes comprehensive media campaigns designed to keep the generalized and specialized publics informed of the activities and interests of ED.
- Performs research on education-related news articles appearing in the media for OCO and other offices within the Department as requested.
The Division, in partnership with the Digital Media and Creative Services Division, originates and develops news products for the traditional media, online news outlets, and the general public; arranges news/press conferences, interviews, radio and television appearances; responds to media requests and maintains continuous media relations and provides close, continuing contact with ED Principal Offices.
The office also serves as the “front door to the Department” through a call center that fields telephone calls from the public in response to outreach, responds to email and letters from the public, and manages a “Frequently Asked Questions” section of ED.gov. The Information Resource Center is the national voice of the Department as it interacts with people from all across the country. The unit coordinates and operates a citizen contact center to provide access to information, referrals, and in-depth assistance on all aspects of Federal education law and policy as well as nationally focused Departmental initiatives. Services are provided via a toll-free telephone number (1- 800-USA-LEARN), email, and written correspondence. The Center provides regular feedback to senior officers concerning citizens’ concerns and responses to ED policies and programs.
The Division’s staff also includes the translation manager, who handles translation requests for the Secretary and other senior officials, and oversees the language assistance program, including providing information on ED.gov in Spanish, translating requests and questions coming to the Department in languages other than English through various channels, overseeing phone translation services for customers, and other services for audiences requiring content in languages other than English.”
The Division also manages the language assistance program that includes providing information on ED.gov in Spanish, translating requests and questions coming into the Department in languages other than English through various e-mailboxes, and overseeing phone translation services for customers.
The Assistant Secretary sets the public affairs agenda and the office is overseen by the Director of the Press and Customer Relations who reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management.
