Watch the Recording Listen to the Podcast

This edLeader Panel is presented by CoSN and AASA.
Sponsored by ClassLink

From weekly parent updates to staff news to crisis communications, district leaders are responsible for delivering effective messages to all constituents. But with a large variety of formats available, they must understand when and how to use each medium and how they fit into their overall district communication plan.

In the edLeader Panel “Leading Digital Learning: Communication Strategies for K-12 Education Leaders” three superintendents offered their insights for making sure your community receives information in the most productive way possible.

Know your why and share it consistently

Of course, this is true for every initiative at your school, but when you are explaining a new professional development requirement to teachers or talking with community leaders about changes to your school program, you must make sure everyone is communicating the same “why.” The panelists suggested creating a list of talking points that every administrator can use as a guide no matter the format or audience.

Have a clear communications structure

Some districts may have formal communication departments while others will have spread the responsibilities among administrators. The key is to make sure you have a communications plan for each school, broken down by issue and constituency. For example, you need to know who will contact families and about which issues. Some schools may have dedicated family liaisons, while others may rely on the principals to reach out to homes. That said, you also need to know when information should come from the superintendent and when building leaders can step in.

Learn about your community’s communications preferences

Although there are some general guidelines you could follow (such as high school students probably won’t use Facebook), talk with your staff, families, and community to find out what they prefer. That could mean anything from knowing which languages to translate each message into to understanding how many people will read your email versus watching a video. The preferences for each school within a district could be different, and they should be included in your communications plan.

Communicate your message in as many ways possible

Even within constituent groups, you might have varying communication needs. The goal is to take the talking points you’ve developed and disseminate them across as many platforms as necessary. When promoting a celebration, for instance, you might have press releases, newsletter blurbs, Facebook posts, postcards, and links in email signatures. For a change to the high school curriculum, you might need additional formats like training webinars for teachers, phone calls, school tours for families, and Q&As for the community.

Investigate family communications apps

All of the panelists found that having an app for daily communications was quite helpful. If you use the app consistently, you can get families accustomed to checking the app for information, and you can easily disseminate updates to all families at once. (Bear in mind, though, that there will still be some families that prefer a phone call or other method of communication.) There are several factors to selecting an app, but one important feature is the ability to accurately translate the message into other languages.

Don’t ignore the potential of social media

There have been a lot of stories about the negative aspects of social media, but it still has potential to help schools. Amazing things happen at schools every day, and social media is the perfect way to share that, especially with photos and short videos highlighting school accomplishments. Schools can also link to news and weather alerts, post announcements, and provide timely updates. Again, it’s most effective when you know who uses which platform, how they use it, and what kind of message works best on each.

Lean into feedback

School climate surveys, discussions with parent leadership, school board meetings, student focus groups—administrators should use every tool they have to collect information. But just as important is sharing what you learned from the feedback and your plan to address it. Transparency about what is happening and why instills confidence in the community.

When in doubt, overcommunicate. There should be no mysteries as to what is happening in a district and why. School administrators need to lead the conversation whenever possible. Most importantly, don’t communicate only when there is a problem—get the good news out there, too.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, “Leading Digital Learning: Communication Strategies for K-12 Education Leaders,” presented by CoSN and AASA, and sponsored by ClassLink.

Watch the Recording Listen to the Podcast

Join the Community

Super-Connected is a free professional learning community for school superintendents, district leadership, and aspiring district leaders.

AASA is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill.

CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community, best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education.

ClassLink is a global education provider of identity and analytics products that create more time for learning and help schools better understand digital engagement. As leading advocates for open data standards, we offer instant access to apps and files with single sign-on, streamline class rostering, automate account provisioning, and provide actionable analytics. ClassLink empowers 19 million students and staff in over 2,500 school systems. Visit classlink.com to learn more.

Article by Stacey Pusey, based on this edLeader Panel