In today’s hypercompetitive education environment, it’s never been more important to tell your district’s story. In order to do that well, you have to know what’s going on across each one of your campuses.
What you may not realize is that there is a cadre of people who can serve as essential conduits between what happens in classrooms and the strategic messaging at the district level. These people are your school principals.
When you think about it, principals have a unique position. While they often serve as part of a district’s executive cabinet, they spend most of their time bouncing between classrooms and meeting with families. They’re familiar with your school board, yet can tell you the names and describe the personalities of many of their students. They’re your most valuable recruiters and also confidants to many struggling parents.
We’ll explore the power of principals in an upcoming webinar with William D. Parker, host of the Principal Matters podcast, taking place on April 24th at 11am CST.
Parker and Apptegy’s Jamie Ronck (a former principal herself!) will explain how to activate these untapped marketers in your district. Principals are a pivotal part of your district’s strategy for creating and sharing everyday school experiences. We’ll dive into how these experiences strategically build into a stronger narrative for your district.
One question for you
1. How do you involve your principals in district brand and messaging priorities?
Email us at editor@schoolceo.com or book a time on our calendar and let us know.
Two resources to help
1. Principals and superintendents should be natural partners when it comes to school marketing—but original SchoolCEO research found that this isn’t always the case. What are the obstacles to closer collaboration on marketing efforts? How can principals and district leaders capitalize on each role’s expertise and perspective for your district? —Read Layers of Leadership
2. Season 3 of SchoolCEO Podcast offered a deep dive into every facet of school marketing, with each episode exploring a different topic in detail. In the final episode, we tie everything together and provide you with actionable steps to transform how your community thinks and feels about your schools. — Listen to SchoolCEO Podcast’s Season 3 finale
Three ideas to ponder
1. “A good friend of mine years ago told me this equation: Time spent equals relationship built...You can't just want to build relationships with someone. You actually have to spend time with them to build a relationship.” — William D. Parker on "What Matters Most"
2. “The thing that is really powerful in storytelling is specificity. Sometimes telling the smallest story you can and then zooming out is powerful.” — Karen Eber on "How Storytelling Can Shape School Culture"
3. "To collaborate effectively, you really need at least two things. One, you need other people who will come at the problem in a different way. And two, you all have to have the capacity to endure the ensuing argument, recognizing that it's how you get to a better place." — Margaret Heffernan on "The Big Impact of Small Changes"