The Case for Good Publicity — Starting on Day 1
On the first day of school, it’s often the biggest district in the market that gets the back-to-school front page and TV coverage. New outlets tend to gravitate to the one with the most schools,…
The Thoughts Library
Issue after issue of hindsight,
on tap.
Every month we publish a practical take on school communications — what worked, what backfired, and what to say next time. The whole archive lives here.
The Best Story You’ll Never Tell (Unless You Tell It!)
Somewhere in your school right now — even in the quiet of summer — something good is happening. A teacher is redesigning a unit from scratch because she thinks her students deserve better. A custodian…
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The Families You’re Most Likely to Lose This Summer
Every summer, schools send families off with backpacks full of information — calendars, contacts, registration reminders, links to online portals. It feels like a thorough handoff. But for a significant portion of your school community,…
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Stop Talking (seriously!)
So, as the school year, like, winds down, many leaders begin to, ya know, think about how to use the summer months to, umm, invest in their own growth. How about an investment in ……
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Are We Talking With Families or At Them? Rethinking Two-Way Communication in Schools
Recently, we were asked by a municipal government to help strengthen communication with its residents. Leaders were preparing to introduce a new ordinance — one that would directly affect the community and could spark initial…
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What Parents Actually Read (and What They Ignore): How to Communicate in an Overloaded World
School districts are communicating more than ever — emails, apps, social media posts, automated calls, newsletters, texts, and website updates. Yet many administrators hear the same frustrating question: “Why didn’t anyone tell us?” In most…
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Why April Is an Important Month for School Storytelling
Every school district says it wants more positive coverage: more community pride, more engagement, more stories that reflect what really happens inside classrooms every day. Ironically, the best opportunity to make that happen arrives quietly…
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The Softer Side: How a high five can change a life
Educators spend most of their professional lives perfecting the big things — curriculum, safety plans, schedules, assessments, communication protocols. Necessary and important work. But ask almost any adult what they remember about elementary school, and…
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The Power of Authenticity
An Ohio school district didn’t set out to “go viral” or make national news. They weren’t rolling out a major initiative or announcing a big policy change. Instead, they did something much simpler — and…
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Dedication That Broke a Guinness World Record
Sometimes, the heart of a school isn’t just in its classrooms or test scores—it’s in the people who show up day after day, year after year, making a difference in countless lives. Glenda Akin of…
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Engaging Families Who Don’t Read Traditional Communications
In 2026, school districts face a growing challenge: how to reach families who don’t open newsletters, emails, or printed flyers. While traditional communications remain important, relying solely on them risks leaving some community members uninformed…
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Good News Spotlight: The Story That Launched a Movement
In this world of constant change, one message continues to rise above the noise—kindness still matters most. A few years ago, CBS’s On the Road correspondent Steve Hartman launched a simple idea for teachers that became a…
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