Communication by schools with their external publics is crucial for both parties. Stakeholders need to know what happens in schools where their children learn. This study sought to examine the influence of external communication on the corporate image of secondary schools.
The research design adopted was a case study of Kitale Academy Secondary. The target population was 420 people from which a sample of 47 was selected using random sampling and non random sampling. The sample included school administrators, heads of departments, teachers, support staff and students. Data was collected using questionnaires. Analysis was done using basic descriptive statistics.
From the findings of the research it was evident that word of mouth was the channel that was very frequently used by the students, administrators, and heads of departments, teachers and support staff to external target audience. The findings also indicated a strong relationship between feedbacks from external communication on the image of school. Respondents saw their school’s cooperate image as very positive while also perceiving others outside as seeing the schools image as positive. The researcher recommended that secondary schools to put in place a public relations policy so as to interact positively with their external audience.
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