Are your teachers effective spokespeople for your district?
Written by Niki Juhasz
What do democrats, republicans and independents all have in common? (No, this isn’t the beginning of a bad joke. There’s an actual answer!)
That answer comes from a November 2022 National Education Association (NEA) poll, which states that “despite their differences in party affiliation, a vast majority of voters said they support educators in public schools.”
This same NEA research states that “an overwhelming 84 percent said they most trust the opinions of teachers on what should be taught in schools.”
The headline here?
Families in your district know their teachers – they communicate with those teachers – they trust teachers. While as a district leader, you play a truly critical role in helping your district succeed (and frankly, we think you’re awesome for it), you're not always the one parents are engaging with weekly, or even daily.
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Seven Questions
And THAT, my friends, means you have a huge communications opportunity in front of you. Ask yourself the following questions:
Do our teachers understand our district’s strategic plan? Can they articulate our shared vision for success – and how we are driving towards it, together?
Can teachers answer questions about our equity plan? What about our budget?
How about major district initiatives, such as redistricting or bond campaigns?
Do our teachers have the most up-to-date information on our district’s newest offerings?
Do our teachers know the answers to our most frequently asked questions?
Is there a new district program our teachers should know about?
Can our teachers effectively connect prospective parents with the right person from the district office to help them get more information?
If the answer is no, it’s time to build stronger communications with teachers themselves.
How to Help Teachers Help You, Easily
Remember, just like you, your teachers are busy.
Share information in easy-to-absorb ways so they know what’s going on – and can then pass it on as they see fit. For example:
If you’re starting a new campaign, such as a bond campaign, make sure you share your strategy and talking points with teachers. Give them a chance to easily ask questions and build buy-in, too. If they understand what you’re doing, they can speak with families about it when asked.
Consider sharing one monthly email that specifically updates teachers on what’s going on in the district – and make it skimmable (use bullets and bolding, just like we’re doing here) to save them time and energy.
Give them resources they can use if needed without doing any extra work themselves. This could be a designed one pager or infographic they can then share with parents when asked questions.
Social media rumblings, news coverage and parent questions are a great indicator that a topic is gaining traction. If you’re hearing and seeing confusion in your district about a specific topic, such as your new initiative to support students with IEPs, make sure every teacher knows what’s happening and why. (And not just teachers who teach in this field!)
Teachers are some of the most powerful ambassadors for your district. Help them by making sure they know the latest and greatest from your central office so they can effectively communicate to parents and caregivers.
P.S. While 2022 data from EdWeek states that the public still “trusts principals more than religious leaders, journalists, business leaders, and elected officials” – this trust was shaken during the pandemic. This makes teachers all the more important in helping you build a strong brand for your district.
