69ý

Special Report
School & District Management

How District Leaders Can Make Social Media Work for Them

By Marina Whiteleather — September 26, 2022 3 min read
Two diverse educators with laptops sitting on an oversize cellphone with communication symbols and text bubbles on the phone and in the air around them.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

For school and district leaders, social media can be a powerful platform.

It’s a way to directly connect with your K-12 community where they are, share the good work you’re doing, and even set the record straight about potential misconceptions.

It can also be a scary place, where everything you post is subject to public scrutiny.

To get insight into how education leaders can successfully leverage social media, Education Week spoke with Joe Sanfelippo, the superintendent of the Fall Creek school district in Wisconsin, and Stephanie McConnell, the assistant superintendent of Hawkins Independent school district in Texas.

Joe Sanfelippo

In addition to being a superintendent, Joe Sanfelippo is an adjunct professor who teaches educational leadership and is the author of two books on the topic. He boasts over 66,000 followers on and over 4,000 followers on . You might recognize him from one of his popular videos where he shares leadership advice on his one-minute commute to school.

Stephanie McConnell

Stephanie McConnell got her start as an award-winning elementary school principal. Pulling from her background, she started the blog to give school leaders advice on how to make lasting positive changes in their schools. She also offers leadership consulting and has co-authored two books. is her favorite platform to use in her work, and she has over 10,000 followers who engage with her account for inspiration and laughs.

Here are their top three tips for district leaders looking to get started on social media.

Be transparent

Leaders are expected to have a vision of what success looks like and what steps should be taken to reach their goals. Conveying their plans on social media can help get community buy-in and build trust.

Being transparent “helps us be able to communicate exactly where we’re going with our staff and with our community so that there’s no uneasiness,” said McConnell. After all, people can’t see what you don’t show them.

McConnell got her start on social media because she wanted to “communicate our vision, our goals, all those things that all the stakeholders could hear and see.”

When I had to make some really tough decisions, people knew that I wasn’t making those decisions from behind my desk.

Some education leaders still might be hesitant to put themselves out there on social media for fear of potential professional backlash, but Sanfelippo had a different experience. “I actually started social media because I was afraid to lose my job. The reason that people get moved on a lot is that nobody knows what they do so they start making up what they do. So I started documenting my travels everywhere I went.”

“I started utilizing social media to show people, the community that I was invested and that I was staying and that I was going to be there as much as I possibly could.”

Sanfelippo says showcasing his work on social media helped him build social capital. “When I had to make some really tough decisions, people knew that I wasn’t making those decisions from behind my desk.”

Throw out the script

It’s only human to be worried about slipping up, especially if your message is going to be publicly broadcast all over social media. Sometimes, in an effort to minimize the room for error, one can script out too much of what they want to say. According to Sanfelippo, one of the biggest mistakes education leaders make on social media is sounding too rehearsed. “If everything has to be scripted, you can never truly be real with your group.”

One way to inject authenticity into your messaging is by speaking directly to your audience using video.

Both Sanfelippo and McConnell are big fans of sharing self-shot videos of their experiences.

McConnell reassures those nervous about going on camera that your audience is likely not going to be hyperfocused on your missteps the way you might be. “We’re focused on what the person is saying, not how they’re saying anything,” she explained.

You have a message inside you, a story that somebody wants to hear, and I say go for it.

Take control of the narrative

As Sanfelippo sees it, “People are making a judgment no matter what, so I want to make sure they’re judging me for the things I’m actually doing, not the things that they think that I’m doing.”

Utilizing social media to pull the curtain back on your work in your district allows you to focus the conversation on your contributions.

And to those who aren’t convinced they have anything worthwhile to share on social media, McConnell has some words of encouragement. “You have a message inside you, a story that somebody wants to hear, and I say go for it.”

A version of this article appeared in the October 05, 2022 edition of Education Week as How District Leaders Can Make Social Media Work for Them

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69ý
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump’s pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion How Social-Emotional Learning Can Unify Your School Community: 7 Timely Tips
It’s a stressful political season. These SEL best practices can help school leaders weather the unpredictable transitions.
Maurice J. Elias
4 min read
Modern digital collage of caring leader surrounded by positivity. Social Emotional learning leadership.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva