The Most Trusted Person in America Works in YOUR School District
WRITTEN BY KATIE TEST DAVIS
Remember that old spelling tip? There’s a PAL in principal?
Well, that saying has more than one meaning these days, as new data reveals that school principals are critical spokespeople for school districts.
Check this out:
September 2019 data from Pew reveals that 84 percent of people believe principals to be caring and provide fair and accurate information to the public — the most of all professions.
The Data Quality Campaign reports parents trust those closest to their children (such as teachers, principals and guidance counselors) to appropriately support them, with 88 percent trusting principal support.
That’s not only stunning. That’s communications gold.
Savvy school district leaders will take this data as their cue to double down on principal empowerment. Here’s a quick checklist of questions to ask yourself:
Do our principals have the most up-to-date information on our district’s newest offerings?
Do our principals know the answers to our most frequently asked questions?
Is there a new program that the district has started recently that our principals should know about?
Do our principals know about any recent awards the district has won, or any new accolades?
Can our principals effectively connect prospective parents with the right person from the district office to help them get more information?
If the answer to any of those questions is no — you’ve got a great opportunity ahead.
Are you already using principals as spokespeople? We’d love to hear all about it. Let us know how it’s going — the good and the challenging!
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But there were also many, many lessons that I’m still using in my career today, 15 years later. I’m including one of my favorites, and some additional best practices, below.
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