Using the Dashboard to tell our stories
It ’ s important that our California School Dashboard interviews , presentations and Q & As are carefully tailored for different audiences , compellingly messaged and delivered strategically by the most effective spokespeople .
18 Leadership
When it comes to telling the stories of our schools and districts , a brutally honest assessment is that , collectively , we don ’ t always do it as effectively as we might hope . Maybe it ’ s because we headed into education through the classroom and lack that strong foundational knowledge of marketing or communication . Maybe it is because educators are generally humble and not as adept at tooting our own horns .
But when it comes to the new California School Dashboard , we must do just that . We must be chief strategists and competent spokespeople who use the data to shape the stories we need the public to hear . In the era of instant information and misinformation , advocacy around programs , schools and districts must take us from educating to activating .
Communicating about the Dashboard and how it can be used isn ’ t intuitive . While it looks very similar to a Consumer Reports review , the context in which it is used and the words we choose to explain it must be focused and intentional . Superintendent Pam Hernandez of the San Antonio Union Elementary School District shares that communication about the Dashboard needs to move beyond the traditional avenues of board meetings and newsletters and toward more interactive approaches .
She explained , “ It is a work in progress , but also a potential opportunity to engage families in a deeper understanding of how we can work together to increase student success in all of California ' s education priorities and in understanding the significance of the Local Control and Accountability Plan .”
What is important to remember is that our Dashboard messages need to be carefully tailored for different audiences , compellingly messaged , and delivered strategically by the most effective spokespeople .
Dashboard 101
The first step in effectively painting the picture of our schools and districts for the public , with new lenses on data , came when the California School Dashboard , a collection of indicators that summarizes how schools and districts are performing , was launched this past year . The color-coordinated indicators use progressive icons as well as five colors ranging from blue ( great ) to red ( danger ). Unlike the Academic Performance
By Lisa Gonzales and Holly Edds