69ý

Opinion
School & District Management Opinion

A Crisis Sows Confusion. How District Leaders Can Be Clear in Their Messaging

Choosing a go-to source of information is a good starting point
By Daniel R. Moirao — July 23, 2021 2 min read
A man with his head in a cloud.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Almost without notice last year, educators did a 180 degree turn from teaching and learning to become health and safety facilitators. Who was prepared for this new role? Who had experiences on how to lead others through this pandemic?

What didn’t change was our communities’ expectation that we would ensure the safety of their children. Like never before, educators and administrators found themselves dependent on others to provide reliable, accurate information.

In our district, our first move was to find a reliable, accurate, timely go-to source of sound medical information based on science. Sources varied in credibility and accuracy, and much of the early advice during the pandemic was incomplete or conflicting. So, where could we turn? The local health director? Regional health offices? State health officials? National health sources?

About This Series

Over the coming weeks, we will be rolling out 17 lessons from experienced district leaders who spent the last year leading from home. Learn more and see the full collection of lessons.

Choosing one wasn’t enough; we had to then do a critical analysis of each source for its track record with accuracy. What research did they rely on? Were they consistent in their premise and their messaging?

For our community, the director of health services in our county’s department of health provided current, local data regularly and consistently that was easily accessible and timely. Designated staff and I established a regular twice-monthly meeting with that office, along with as-needed check-ins, to serve as our school district’s source for guidance.

With our go-to source in hand, we communicated with our school community frequently, being careful to use clear and consistent messaging and vocabulary. We adopted a common vocabulary both in our school system and in the larger community. And as we prepared each missive, we asked ourselves: Why are we sharing this information now? And why does our school community need to hear it from us?

Perhaps this communication approach sounds like a blinding flash of the obvious. But the pandemic has demanded all of us stay accurately informed, while needing to learn a whole new language and startling new routines. The wrong words can clash with what we believe to be right. For example, we often hear our students have suffered a “learning loss.” What if we instead focused on “accelerating learning” for students?

When a district doesn’t provide clear and consistent communication in the midst of a crisis, a school community will create its own stories. We all seek patterns to make sense of a world that feels senseless. What story do you want your community to believe as you care for your students and staff? Who do you want to write your school’s or district’s story?

Words have the power to either instill fear and panic or to calm anxieties and help a community stay better informed and safer. How we communicate can help our community create the story they will use to move forward. It begins with finding a go-to source of accurate information and then communicating that information with purpose.

Complete Collection

Superintendents discuss ideas at a roundtable.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images

Related Tags:

Coverage of leadership, summer learning, social and emotional learning, arts learning, and afterschool is supported in part by a grant from The Wallace Foundation, at . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Events

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
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
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 Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

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 Spooked by Halloween, Some 69ý Ban Costumes—But Not Without Pushback
69ý are tweaking Halloween traditions to make them more inclusive to all students.
4 min read
A group of elementary school kids sitting on a curb dressed in their Halloween costumes.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management 69ý Take a $3 Billion Hit From the Culture Wars. Here’s How It Breaks Down
Culturally divisive conflicts in schools have led to increased legal and security costs, as well as staff time spent on the fallout.
4 min read
Illustration of a businessman with his hands on his head while he watches dollars being sucked down into a dark hole.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Opinion The Blind Spot More Educators Need to Recognize
A simple activity in a training session caused a chain reaction that strengthened an educator's leadership for decades to come.
5 min read
Screen Shot 2024 10 29 at 9.19.10 AM
Canva
School & District Management Opinion 9 Ways 69ý Can Improve Life for Teachers and 69ý
Educators suggest low-cost strategies to improve the education experience for teachers and learners alike.
8 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week