FROM AN ANALYSIS OF OVER 2,000 RECONSTRUCTED CONVERSATIONS HELD BY 50 ADULTS IN EACH OF FIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE DATA WERE OBTAINED TO MEASURE FLOWS OF INFORMATION AND INFLUENCE FROM THE SCHOOL TO THE COMMUNITY FOR OBTAINING PUBLIC SUPPORT. THE STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DESCRIBE (1) PERSONS WHO TALK ABOUT SCHOOLS, (2) THE KINDS OF PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN DIFFERENT AMOUNTS AND KINDS OF CONVERSATION, (3) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FLOWS OF INFORMATION AND INFLUENCE, (4) THE DIFFERENT WAYS PEOPLE CARRY ON CONVERSATIONS, AND (5) NETWORKS OF INFORMAL COMMUNICATION THAT EXIST IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. EACH RESPONDENT WAS SCORED FOR CONVERSATION SCOPE, INITIATIVE, DIRECTION, INFLUENCE, CONDUCT, AND CONTENT. TWO RESPONDENT INTEREST ORIENTATIONS, AS PARENT AND AS CITIZEN, ACCOUNTED FOR MUCH OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMUNICATORS AND NONCOMMUNICATORS. CORRELATED WITH THESE ORIENTATIONS WERE DEMOGRAPHIC, PARTICIPATORY, AND ATTITUDINAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR EACH RESPONDENT. TWO-THIRDS OF THE INFORMAL COMMUNICATORS WERE FOUND TO BE SCHOOL PARENTS, ONE-SIXTH SCHOOL PEOPLE, AND ONE-SIXTH OTHERS (PRESCHOOL PARENTS, PRIVATE SCHOOL PARENTS, POSTSCHOOL PARENTS, AND NONPARENTS). BOTH INFORMATION AND INFLUENCE FLOWS APPEARED TO BE THE SUM OF NUMEROUS INFORMAL SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS, WITH NO COHERENT STRUCTURE OF COMMUNICATION CHANNELS. RELEVANCE WAS DETERMINED AS THE ONE COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLE INHERENT IN SUCCESSFUL INFLUENCE. THIS IS PART I OF A SERIES. RELATED DOCUMENTS INCLUDE EA 001 092, EA 001 093, EA 001 094, AND EA 001 095. (JK)