Change & Choice in SBISD - How to Communicate Your Strengths

As many of you know change and choice are two big communications challenges faced by leaders around the district.  Explaining new strategies to your staff and community, and asking for support of new initiatives while still doing all the necessary 'real' work of being a leader can sometimes feel overwhelming and just plain impossible.  We know the tremendous work each of you do in support of your staff, campus and the school district.  We want to make your job easier.  That's why we believe it's critical for district leaders to understand and implement an effective communications  strategy.  Effective communication is key for you, your staff and your students and it will make your job easier. 

 

Will it require some work and planning? 
Yes.  Communications is an investment - one we believe it's worth making.

Let's start by asking a couple of important questions.

How can you garner support for the changes needed to achieve T-2-4 and why is it important?

A huge part of the T-2-4 initiative is embracing change - for families, students and your staff.  One of the most powerful tools you can utilize when asking for support is good communications.  Support is the result of understanding and understanding starts with communication.

If your parents and staff don't know what all of us are working to achieve, how can they support it?  It's critical to understand how your campus aligns with the district goal of T-2-4, and to be able to clearly articulate that understanding in all your communications.

How can your school stand out and be a school of choice?

With so many options available to parents, now more than ever it's important for your school to have a strong plan to communicate why your campus is the choice for students and neighborhood families. If you were a parent in your campus zone, would you send your child your school? 

How We Can Help - The Communicate Your Strengths Series

Two of the biggest communications initiatives currently underway in the SBISD Communications Department have to do with change and choice.  As we create strategies and solutions for the district, our plan is to share them with you here.  When you see the work we are doing, and the solutions we're applying, it may deepen your understanding and help inform your own campus planning around communications.

We hope you will consider some of the suggestions and ideas we'll be offering on this blog as part of our Communicate Your Strengths series. Our hope is the ideas we share here will inspire you and your staff to generate creative ideas of your own.

Thank you for taking the time to participate and invest in this process.  Our goal is to be proactive and  focused on continuous improvement.  When we work hard to create understanding and build support for our schools everyone benefits.

If you have inputs, concerns or need additional information, please contact the SBISD Communications Director, Steve Brunsman.

Why do I need to have a monthly newsletter?

  

Inform Your Community & Build Connections

The number one reason your campus should have a newsletter is basic...it's to get the word out about what's going on at your campus or within your department. Publishing a newsletter is also about something else much more important - it's about setting a tone or feeling people will have about you and your campus or department. 

Most of the time we call this your brand.  Basically a newsletter is one of the easiest ways to establish and reinforce your brand.

Every day we are asking our students, parents, staff and community members to do something. 

We're constantly soliciting compliance or participation...and sometimes it's before we have established trust or a relationship with who we're asking support from. 

If you want to increase parent involvement, inspire student achievement, or spark passion in your employees, you first need to establish a strong relationship.  A newsletter is a great way to get your voice out there in a very personal and transparent way that can serve as a foundation for building these critical relationships in a deeper way.

What can your newsletter do for you?

Platform for Call to Action & Engagement

Defuse or Avoid Frustration

Organize and Direct Your Other Communications

What can you do today?

Send us a copy of your newsletter.  Send copy now >>

Post your newsletter on your campus website

Print copies of your newsletter for campus visitors

Provide copies of your newsletter in multiple languages

Ask parents or other campus or department leaders to get involved and work with you and your team to create a monthly publication.  It's a great way to get more of your target audience involved and informed as key communicators in your community.

Invite students to submit or participate in a special section of your newsletter.  This will peak their interest and provide an opportunity for you to reach a wider demographic.

Communications Makes Everyone's Job Easier

Effective communications will make your job easier. That's why we're taking time to focus on helping you build better communication strategies that you can use on campus and in your community.  The goal of T-2-4 is huge.  To move the needle in the right direction quickly, all of us need to be informed about our district goal, our individual roles, and how well we are or are not reaching milestones and critical measures.

Effectively communicating with our educational partners (students, parents, community, teachers and staff) the critical and important nature of the work we do, and how your campus and programs/activities support the goals and mission of T-2-4, is a combination of effective messaging and effective delivery. This site offers resources to address both.

Our hope is that campuses and departments will look to the SBISD Communications Department to model best practices and serve as a technical reference on which they can build their own communication strategies.

There is a wealth of tool that we can utilize in this endeavor.  From email, to websites, e-newsletters, online videos and other social technologies, each has an increasingly critical role in our world today.  When used effectively they can dramatically enhance the effectiveness of your communications effort.  They can also become overwhelming and cumbersome if you do not have the staff or time to invest in using them effectively.

The tips and suggested used here are designed to provide you with the best payoff with the lest investment in time and resources.