Communication to the School Community

Great counsel from FeedBlitz on 8-28-12


Communication to the School Community
“I don’t know. They never tell me anything.”
“I’m always the last to know.”
Schools are at risk of miscommunicating with their community. When school districts are large enough that they have multiple schools at each level, it is very hard to get the same message out to all parents at the same time. Many schools have Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and have the capability to e-mail parents at the same time. Unfortunately, those tools to communicate with parents take people to do the work and many schools are dealing with budget cuts so they have less people to do more work.
If school communication falls to the principal, which most times is part of their job, communication becomes something to check off a list. Not all principals sit in their offices at the same time and can send out e-mails, Tweets or post to Facebook at the same time. When one principal communicates before another, it can create stress among the group. Everyone wants instant access to every message and it just isn’t possible.
Communication is important and most of us feel that it is one of our yearly goals. It’s often one of the biggest complaints principals hear. If one teacher gets a message before another, principals hear that there is a lack of communication in the building.
The truth is, we want to communicate better. Principals don’t sit around dark rooms meeting with their principal colleagues discussing ways to not communicate. Given the influx of tools to communicate with, it’s almost like communication is harder at a time when it should be easier. I believe that connected educators have an obligation to constantly discuss how educators can communicate better with parents and students. Principals and district leaders also have an obligation to find the most effective ways to communicate with their community.
In the End
Communication is vitally important to how a school district functions. Nothing is more important than face-to-face communication but with 24/7 tools educators and leaders can get simple messages out quickly. In addition, they can use these tools to send out parenting, educational articles or news from individual state education departments. Technology has really changed the way educators interact with their students and parents.
It’s important to make sure that key players (teachers, aides, principals, etc.) know about a message before it goes out so they can answer questions from the community. If these current tools are going to be used, everyone should make sure they’re used correctly. We live in a quick-fix, fast-paced society. Slowing down a message by few minutes will not be the end of the world. If a message is going to go out, it’s important to make sure it goes out right.
Tips:

• Do it right the first time. Communication is not something to check off a list. It involves a message that goes out to the school community. Write it in a Word document and then cut and paste it into an e-mail. It will help ensure that the message is grammatically correct.
• Before any communication goes out to the community at the district or building level, educators should be notified so they can answer questions when parents ask. Many educators live within their community and deserve to be given information first so they can answer questions appropriately.
• If parents do not have access to computers make sure that the school or district offers paper copies. Not all parents should be expected to have computers, especially if they cannot afford them.
• If a school has a Facebook or Twitter account, any communication sent out using those tools should be sent in an e-mail blast as well. Not all parents have Facebook or Twitter accounts but most do have e-mail access.