Public school districts across the U.S. increasingly need a strategy to better communicate with their stakeholders, including staff, teachers, parents, students, and the wider community. The new reality of constant social media interactions, rapid spread of information regardless of accuracy, and growing skepticism of public schools are forcing districts to develop both a detailed communications strategy and the ability to quickly adapt and respond to any event or statement.
However, in a world of constant communication, providing more information to parents about what’s going on at their child’s school, or better signaling the impact that district-wide initiatives will have on the community, are both equally important elements of developing a district’s reputation, image, and reliability in the eyes of the public.
To support institutions in these efforts, this toolkit offers multiple tools that provide detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to better engage with the community: from creating a strategic communications plan to engaging on social media, and training parents to be your ambassadors. Review each section below or download the full toolkit.
This section helps districts identify and align communication goals with institutional priorities. It then maps those goals to various communication channels, serving as the foundation for a formal communications strategic plan.
Use this step-by-step guide to establish an effective social media policy for district employees.
This section helps users distill broad projects or initiatives into the key takeaways and ensures that the format is as accessible as possible while also aligning with institutional branding.
Use this guide when preparing to send both internal and external emails to district staff and teachers, as well as when developing general email policies.
This section helps districts identify, train, and support parents who would be…