Column One: Administrators

School administrators are realizing that they can benefit from spending more time--and money--on public-relations activities.

In one of the largest such efforts, the Principals Public Relations Network is working on a national campaign to increase public awareness about the importance of principals. The network, a partnership between the National Association of Secondary School Principals and its state affiliates, is developing a series of public-service announcements that will be distributed this fall to radio stations around the country.

Last spring, network members distributed about 400 copies of radio announcements focusing on summer...