The Thoughts Library
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.
A new year is a great time for a crisis communications reset. While planning often centers on academics, staffing, and budgets, the past year has made one thing clear: crisis communications deserve a seat at…
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This podcast from Focus Media Services offers school administrators a practical look at effective communication through the real-world experiences of three school board members. They share key lessons they’ve learned about when and how to…
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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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The holiday season can be one of the most emotionally charged communication periods of the year for school communicators. December offers a unique opportunity to strengthen trust, showcase belonging, and celebrate the richness of your…
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As the season of gratitude approaches, November offers a powerful opportunity for school administrators to highlight the people, programs, and moments that make our school communities thrive. In a time when schools face both celebration…
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Teachers pull off amazing feats every single day — but sometimes, those everyday moments deserve a little spotlight. The trick to going viral isn’t always about big, polished productions. Often, it’s the small, genuine moments…
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In school communications, it’s easy to feel like every week brings another urgent issue to manage — a viral rumor, a board controversy, a facilities mishap, or an unexpected safety concern. But the school districts…
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What your school district’s attorney wants you to say is usually not what the public wants to hear. In a crisis, responding with too much legal mumbo jumbo comes off as inauthentic and deteriorates public…
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It was a leap of faith for the Evansville, Indiana man. And now, Matt Hart’s decision to leave high school teaching to become a first-grade music teacher is paying off in ways he surely couldn’t…
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We’re well into the school year, and October brings a full lineup of fall traditions—Halloween, Homecoming, Spirit Week, costumes, pranks, and excitement. But every year, we see a few cases where things go too far.…
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Whether it’s remote working or e-learning, leading a virtual presentation or building video content, webcam use has exploded. Microsoft Teams has 320 million daily participants; Zoom has 300 million. Isn’t it time you upped your…
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It should come as no surprise that in our hyper-connected and hyper-partisan world, the death of Charlie Kirk ignited a firestorm. The response was immediate. And so, too, was the response … to the response.…
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