Need to re-energize your faculty? Looking at announcing poor test scores to the community? Facing an angry parent contingent? Why School Communication Matters offers tips and strategies for handling these and other difficult situations. This book is an easy-to-use reference for the communication dilemmas that today's superintendents and principals face by looking at real life challenges, reframing issues in ways that suggest new and effective solutions. New generations of parents expect better and faster connections with schools. Podcasts, instant messaging, chat rooms and blogs have left school newsletters and brochures in the dust. More and more, leader survival depends on anticipating stakeholder demands. This book shows how.

About the Author
Kitty Porterfield and Meg Carnes are communications professionals and authors. Together, they are principals in the firm of Porterfield & Carnes Communications, Inc.

Reviews
No school administrator should be without [this book]. Surviving and thriving in today's complex school environment requires the ability to communicate well with our constituents. -- Dr. Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA and former superintendent, Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)
Why School Communication Matters is not only an interesting, but a really necessary project! -- Brigid Schulte, staff writer, Washington Post
The authors are uniquely qualified to suggest innovative concepts in communications for school leaders. Their experiences come through loud and clear and form the lens through which their recommendations are viewed. School leaders would be wise to embrace the authors' philosophy and incorporate the hard learned lessons into their daily practice. -- Fred Ellis, director, Office of Safety and Security, Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)
Our inability to communicate what we do every day in schools makes our jobs much harder, and may even threaten public education as an institution. That is part of the premise of this powerful and compelling book. Happily, the other premise says that we CAN re-look our communications "thinking, and we CAN do it right now. Kitty Porterfield and Meg Carnes draw upon their years in the "trenches" as communication experts to provide practical, thoughtful, and critical ideas designed to guide and empower school leaders. -- Denny Berry, director, Cluster VI, Fairfax County Public Schools
Drawing on years of experience in education and public relations, they present a unique business model for running more effective schools. With a focus on leadership skills such as listening, engaging the community, and managing crises, they provide school administrators with a clear and practical blueprint for success....The books is part instruction manual and part motivational seminar. While written primarily for superintendents, principals and other school leaders, it would be a useful tool for 'stakeholders' (i.e, parents) who want to become more involved in their children's education. * The Literary Hill *
Why School Communication Matters is written in a step-by-step format, ready for immediate application. It is an excellent resource and guide to help principals and school leaders build strong relationships with students, staff, parents, and business-relationships that will result in a more supportive and productive school community. -- Stephen D. Hockett, Virginia Principal of the Year and Principal in Residence, Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education
Recommend this book to anyone involved or interested in school leadership. -- Sandra L. Husk * School Administrator, May 2009 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781578868339
Author Kitty Porterfield
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield Education
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 388g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 155mm * 20mm