K12 Leadership Roundtable:

Communication

Jason Bedford

Vice President Blackboard Connect

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• District needs and challenges• State of the market• Effective communication through multiple channels and strong integration

• Measurement of your investment• Effective communication models• What are you doing?

Agenda

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Information Age ChallengesShrinking Distances

Your story or message goes global within minutes

Increasing VolumeHarder to wade through the clutter for credible info

Compressing TimeInstantaneous reaction and expectations

Multiple MessagesOthers overlap, amplify, extend and critique

Compounding contactsMultiplying effect, wiki-news

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What do Challenges meanfor schools?Harder to control your messageTougher to beat back rumors

A story’s “shelf life” is longerBroader news reach (going global)Difficult to identify where opinions start

News breaks faster and spreads farther

Temptation to let loud voices rule the day

More chances for inaccuracy to be repeated

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• Districts using technology to communicate:• District websites (18%)• Parent portals (15%)• Broadcast or automate phone messages (18%) • Personal emails or phone calls (13%)

• 25% of administrators say communicating with parents is a challenge that keeps them up at night

• 23% of administrators say engaging with parents is an important driver for student achievement and progression

How Well are Districts Communicating with Parents?

Source: Project Tomorrow and the 2010 Speak Up Data

Opportunity to Connect with Parents

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• 64% of parents surveyed say their districts’ communication is effective

• When asked what would be included in their ultimate parent portal, parents would like:• Access to curriculum materials or online textbooks to use at home (74%)

• Information about their child’s workload (62%)

• Emergency notifications (40%)• Child’s attendance information (26%)

What are Parents Saying?

Source: Project Tomorrow and the 2010 Speak Up Data

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8%

5%

30%

30%

59%

63%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Your district provides a district or school-based web portal for community and parental involvement.

Your district seeks to expand parental access to student information, assignments, and results in

order to encourage parent involvement and awareness of student progress.

Community Portals in Play, But a Clear Desire to Expand Parental Access to Student Information

Source: Blackboard/Education Week Survey of Online Learning Preparedness (2010). n=1,890

89%

93%

Although the vast majority of respondents (89%) report that their district provides a web-based portal, respondents also report (93%) that their district wants to expand parental access to student data to drive parental involvement.

Statement

Strongly Agree

SomewhatAgree

SomewhatDisagree

StronglyDisagree

Total % Agreeing

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Simplify, improve and accelerate leadership communications

Increase parental involvement and boost student achievement

Leverage the most comprehensive and proven message delivery infrastructure possible.

Use communication to increase involvement from both parents and students in the educational process.

Send messages directly to key stakeholders in their preferred communication mode and device.

Ensure that communities are aware and informed

Improve efficiency and greater funding opportunities

Establish technology as a strategic resource for administrators, staff and students.

Leadership Communication

Student Achievement

Safety and Security

Funding and Efficiencies

Opportunity Solution

Addressing School and District Challenges

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What Are Your Challenges?

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What you can

CONTROL• WEB• BLOGS• COMMUNITIES• MESSAGE

What you can

INFLUENCE• APPLICATIONS• CONTENT• TOOLS• STAKEHOLDERS

Where you can

PARTICIPATE• SOCIAL NETWORKS• PEER-TO-PEER• MULTI-CHANNELS

LESS RISK MORE RISK

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Open lines of communication amongst parents, students, teachers and administrators

Increase parental participation in district and school level activities

Streamline communications to reduce costs

Deliver real-time performance assessment

Overcome language barriers by communicating in native languages

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How Can You Effectively Respond to Today’s District Challenges?

COMMUNITY

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Integrate All of Your Efforts

Communication HubE-newsletters, Emails

Twitter

Telephone Auto-Dialers

Media Releases

FaceBook, MySpace, Linked In

ListServs

Blogs, Publications

(print or online)

Key Communicator

Networks

RSS Feeds

Mobile and SMS

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Integrated Solutions

Blackboard Mobile Learn

Multi-Modal Messaging

Blackboard Learn +Collaborate

Blackboard Mobile District

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What Are You Doing?(ROI Handout placeholder)

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VISION:THE MISSION OF ASHEVILLE CITY SCHOOLS IS TO PROVIDE QUALITY EDUCATION IN WHICH WE RESPECT STUDENTS’ INDIVIDUAL AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, DEVELOP THEIR TALENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FAMILY AND COMMUNITY, AND ENSURE THAT THEY POSSESS THE LIFE SKILLS NECESSARY FOR PERSONAL SUCCESS AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY

ASHEVILLE, NC• 3,900 STUDENTS10 SCHOOLS • 60% FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH

ACHIEVEMENTS 1 MESSAGE, MANY MEDIUMS INCREASED ENGAGEMENT

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT SOCIAL MARKETING

DISTRIC ATTENDANCE IMPROVEMENTS SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

HOW BLACKBOARD HELPED BLACKBOARD CONNECT IS THE

COMMUNICATION TOOL FOR DISTRICT AND BUILDING LEVEL INFORMATION

BLACKBOARD CONNECT HAS HELPED EXTEND COMMUNICATION DEEPER BY INCORPORATING SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS INTO MESSAGING OPTIONS

OPEN APIS

BLACKBOARD PRODUCTS& SERVICES BLACKBOARD CONNECT

“ What we like most is through our Blackboard Connect system, we have one message through many mediums.”

Charlie Glazener, Executive Director, Community Relations and Communications atAsheville City Schools

VISION:SAFETY IS PART OF OUR MISSION. OUR VISION STATEMENT SAYS THAT EVERY STUDENT, STAFF MEMBER AND PARENT HAS THE RIGHT TO A SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. A SAFE SCHOOL PROMOTES AN ATMOSPHERE OF MUTUAL RESPECT WHICH HONORS DIVERSITY AND INTEGRITY; FOSTERS PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY WHILE RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS; AND CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT

ORLAND PARK, IL• 5,300 STUDENTSBUSINES DISTRICT OUTSIDE CHICAGO

ACHIEVEMENTS GIVING PARENTS CHOICE THROUGH

PORTAL: ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFO CUSTOMIZED COMMUNICATIONS

COMMUNITY OUTREACH GENERAL REMINDERS EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION INCREASED SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE

HOW BLACKBOARD HELPED BROADENED PARENTAL CHOICES KEEPING STUDENTS AND STAFF SAFE

DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER AND TIMES OF INSECURITY

ALERNOW HAS MADE COMMUNICATION EASY AND DEPENDABLE

BLACKBOARD PRODUCTS& SERVICES ALERTNOW WITH PORTAL

Bridgette McGuiggan, Community Relations Coordinator