Creating an environment of trust within schools is not just important to the success of a school and its culture, but foundational. This atmosphere of transparency and trust is crucial to strive for no matter your role be it a teacher, administrator, or another employee at the school. Fostering a line of open communication through one channel or another at all times can significantly enhance the educational experience for all parties that are involved. “Studies of trust and leadership support the importance of the principal in establishing a culture of trust through demonstration of respect, integrity, competence, benevolence, and reliability” (Bukko, Liu, & Johnson, 2021, p.59). One tool that is used by many including the school I am currently at is through the implementation of a weekly newsletter or blog.
Transparency in education is much more than just sharing pertaining information; it’s about building an environment of trust and creating a sense of community amongst all parties involved in the school. When administrators and educators alike are transparent about their decisions, policies, and initiatives as well as other happenings of the school, they become an example to others of how to be accountable and respectful to all stakeholders. This transparency also promotes understanding and collaboration By keeping everyone in the school informed and in the loop about school happenings, updates, and decisions, administrators can foster a culture of openness through the invitation of feedback and engagement. This creates an environment educators are happy to be a part of and promotes buy-in by stakeholders into the school and its objectives. Blanchet (2022) explains “Trust matters—people who work in high-trust environments experience less stress, burnout, and sick days than those who work in low-trust environments.”
A weekly newsletter or blog serves as an excellent platform for distributing information and fostering openness, community, and transparency within a school. The blog shown below is an example of my current administrator's way of communicating with her staff upcoming events, initiatives, happenings within the school, and oftentimes pertinent data such as results from testing and data collection. This helps provide our teachers and staff within the school consistent updates that keep us well informed. It also encourages two-way communication by inviting feedback, suggestions, and questions from her staff as we are allowed to complete surveys embedded in the newsletter, vote on various ideas presented, and email back with any questions or feedback we may have.
“Effective communication is not just about making the news, but making sure that all stakeholders hear it” (Sheninger, 2019, p. 163). To achieve this, not only does our administrator provide her staff with a weekly newsletter, she also sends one out to the parents and community members involved within our school. Sheninger (2019) states, “Blogs are fantastic communication tools where parents can glimpse into your educational life and become more familiar with the culture of your school” (p.170). This openness with the community aids in having support from the parents and those within the community working with the staff and students of the school.
By embracing this form of transparency and consistently sharing information, our school, as well as others who participate in this practice, creates and cultivates a culture of trust, respect, and partnership within its staff and stakeholders. Newsletters and blogs continue to serve as powerful tools in accomplishing the commitment of embracing transparency, communication, respect, and partnership.
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ReplyDeleteIt is important to differentiate between communication efforts for partnerships (2019). I use various communication channels to communicate with my team. My daily communication channel is TEAMS. It allows me to get information out quickly to my team. In addition, it allows me to offer immediate help and help with prioritizing tasks. My second communication channel is email. I use this channel to relay relevant information to a specific team member. The final communication channel I use is a monthly team meeting. My team's monthly meetings allow us to discuss wins and losses. It also allows team members to share updates on individual projects. Frazier and Hearrington believe the Technology Coordinators should be prepared to update all stakeholders about important changes or upgrades (2017). Communication cannot be taken for granted. I believe it is something that we all can be better at!
ReplyDeleteFrazier, M., & Hearrington, D. (2017). Technology Coordinator’s Handbook. International Society for Technology in Education.
Sheninger, E. (2019).
Digital Leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
It is important to differentiate between communication efforts for partnerships (I use various communication channels to communicate with my team. My daily communication channel is TEAMS. It allows me to get information out quickly to my team. In addition, it allows me to offer immediate help and help with prioritizing tasks. My second communication channel is email. I use this channel to relay relevant information to a specific team member. The final communication channel I use is a monthly team meeting. My team's monthly meetings allow us to discuss wins and losses. It also allows team members to share updates on individual projects. Frazier and Hearrington believe the Technology Coordinators should be prepared to update all stakeholders about important changes or upgrades (2017). Communication cannot be taken for granted. I believe it is something that we all can be better at!
ReplyDeleteFrazier, M., & Hearrington, D. (2017). Technology Coordinator’s Handbook. International Society for Technology in Education.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital Leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Tomeka Jones
I like the commitment your principal has to fostering two-way communication and keeping all stakeholders informed. Kilag et al. (2023) emphasize the need for open and transparent communication, where everyone feels valued and heard. I keep thinking back to the way Sheninger (2019) described leaders as needing to take on the role of "story-teller-in-chief." By taking control of the narrative of the school, leaders can create a positive school culture where the focus is on honoring achievements while encouraging all stakeholders to continuously improve. When we build community and trust, we foster loyalty and commitment to educating our students (Sheninger, 2019).
ReplyDeleteReferences
Kilag, O. K. T., Uy, F. T., Abendan, C. F. K., & Malbas, M. H. (2023). Teaching leadership: an examination of best practices for leadership educators. Science and Education, 4(7), 430-445.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Corwin; International Center for Leadership in Education.
Allison,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your thoughts on using blogs as an effective communication tool for families. I agree that using blogs to communicate with families is a good way to promote trust and feedback among families in the school community. Sheninger (2019) states that when schools use communication tools to transparent with those in the community, attention is brought to their program, and leadership style. I believe that using a blog as a form of communication, allows leadership to have control over protecting the school brand. Koutsouveli & Geraki (2022) also believe that school leadership along with teachers have a responsibility to use communication tool to encourage family involvement. When used responsibly, communication using blogs and beyond seem to have a positive effect on schools.
-Tanishia Sims-Smith
Koutsouveli, E., & Geraki, A. (2022). School management and climate to enhance parental involvement. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 8(4), 662-679. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.2921
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Sage Publications.
Allison,
ReplyDeleteI liked reading your thoughts about transparency in education and agree that communication plays a part in this. In our book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times, Sheninger states that effective communication in leadership is a multifaceted approach. I am glad that your principal differentiates their newsletters to the specific stakeholders that it relates to. I am wondering how your administrator communicates their expectations when handling different situations? I am also curious to know if your administrator or school has a Twitter or Facebook page? Those social media tools are more easily accessed by parents. According to the study, Effective Communication and Communication Barriers in Distance Education: verbal and Nonverbal Communication, the authors discuss effective forms of distance education communication, such as the implementation of videos and other media (Yunus, 2021). Although this study was focused on the pandemic and distance education, I still think this study demonstrates some relevant forms of communication used in the classroom and with stakeholders.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Sage Publications.
Yunus Emre Sari. (2021). Effective Communication and Communication Barriers in Distance Education : verbal and Nonverbal Communication. Diyalog Interkulturelle Zeitschrift Für Germanistik, 9, 659–671. https://doi.org/10.37583/diyalog.1030779