Transcript Context – PDK Poll

Common Core Implementation:
Communication Matters
CERA Conference
TOM TORLAKSON
December 6, 2013
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Nancy S. Brownell, Senior Fellow
California State Board and Department of Education
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Context – PDK Poll
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• 62% of those surveyed in poll have not
heard of Common Core
• 45% of those surveyed with children in
schools have heard of Common Core
• 22% polled said testing helped local schools,
another 36% said testing hurts schools
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FrameWorks Institute
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Dominant Media Frames Related to Education
• Education is a consumer good.
• Processes of learning are separated from the
education system.
• The Education System is in crisis.
Overarching Patterns in Media Coverage of Education Issues
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Media Results
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Presents a narrow story of education
compared to what we want to tell.
• While education’s problems are
severe, effective reforms that
improve outcomes get lost.
• Breadth and nuances of success as
well as optimism for improving
education are missing from the media
narrative.
Overarching Patterns in Media Coverage of Education Issues
4
Communication Tools
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Use of the “educational orchestra”
metaphor provides a counterpoint to
the ongoing educational conflict
narratives
• Educational remodeling rather than
reform is more concrete, slows magic
bullet thinking
• Future preparation, college and
career readiness, orient the public
toward a collective importance of a
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strong public education system
Communication Priorities
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
C
Communicate the big
O
Operate in an organized,
R
Reach out and engage those who can
E
Engage with parents and other
picture in your district.
coordinated, transparent way.
lend support.
constituents early and often
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) August 2013 Meeting
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
7
CA State Board of Education
Action Assumptions
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Ongoing, two-way communication must
occur between students, parents,
teachers, school and district leaders,
community members, higher education
faculty, business leaders, the media,
and state policymakers since it will
require all parties working together over
time to ensure students are prepared for
college and career.
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Communications 101Delivering Messages
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• As changes take place, resistance increases
unless a consistent, encouraging message is
offered and echoed.
• For messages to “stick,” they must be
repeated frequently and powerfully and
tied to existing initiatives.
• Clear and consistent messages need to
increase knowledge and reduce fears and
misconceptions.
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CCSS Systems Implementation
Leadership
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Engagement &
Communication
CCSS
Professional
Learning
Curriculum,
Instruction,
and
Assessment
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What is College Ready?
Career Ready?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
.
11
TOM TORLAKSON
What will they be doing
five years after
graduation?
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
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Communication &
Engagement
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Now that we are implementing CCSS, it is even
more crucial to communicate with internal
and external audiences.
• With whom do we need to communicate?
• When do we need to communicate with
them?
• What information will they need, or have?
• How will we provide or acquire needed
information?
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Key Educational Constituents and
their “Stake” in Student Success
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Group
What is at Stake?
Students
Personal success, future opportunity
Parents
Pride, success, opportunities for their students
School Staff
Personal efficacy and job satisfaction
School &
District Staff
Professional efficacy and accountability
expectations
School Board
Fulfilling the district’s mission, accountability
Tax Payers
Getting a good return on investment
Community
Community pride and “livability”
Business
Ability to hire graduates with needed skills,
community economics
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Key Questions for
Messaging
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• What are the district/organization
messages about CCSS implementation
and the overall vision for student
success?
• To what extent are the goals and
messages about the importance of the
CCSS pervasive throughout the
district/organization?
• How are local constituents involved?
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Avoid “Random Acts of
Continuous Improvement”
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Instructional
Strategies
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Aligned Acts of Improvement
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
District multiyear, Governance & Leadership
multidimensional
Teams: Setting &
Communicating Direction
PLAN
“Critical
Selected”
GOALS
Community
Schools
Classrooms
PLC Teams
Students
The focus and vision are
developed from common
beliefs and values, creating a
consistent direction for all
involved.
Internal and External
Stakeholders/Constituents
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Internal – those who work within the
school system on a daily basis and who
largely control what goes on there.
Includes teachers, administrators, staff,
district leadership and staff, and school
board members.
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Internal and External
Stakeholders/Constituents
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
External – those outside the day-to-day
work of the schools who have a strong
interest in school outcomes but who do
not directly determine what goes into
producing those outcomes.
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Audiences & Levels of
Engagement
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Inform Consult
Involve
Collaborate
requires
broad level
of
awareness
and may
also be
influential
with others
have a high
level of
engagement
and are
involved in
decisionmaking
processes
responsible for
implementing
and monitoring
need to have
a good
understanding and will
provide input
at key times
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CDE Communications Toolkit
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Strategic Communications
Audience Mapping
Key Messaging Purpose and Tips
Audience Specificity
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/
Great City Schools - Messages
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
1. Identify key audiences.
2. Develop a set of primary messages, secondary
messages with more detailed information geared to
particular audiences.
3. Connect with stakeholders through real-life examples
of the common core in action.
4. Include messages that prepare stakeholders for an
apparent drop in test scores.
5. Identify other likely stakeholder concerns and
misinformation, and prepare messages in response.
6. In all messaging, link common core standards and
assessments to other broad reforms underway in the
district that will benefit children.
Communicating the Common Core Standards
Great City Schools - Messengers
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
1. Make sure classroom teachers know the local
district goals and story.
2. Think of parents and community members
not only as consumers of district
communications but as communicators as
well.
3. Equip all district staff to serve as messengers
to the external community.
4. “Deputize” local businesses, universities,
celebrity graduates, and others to speak on
behalf about the value of raising the district’s
academic standards.
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California CCSS Awareness and
Capacity Building Campaign
(CCSS Campaign)
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
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What Do We Communicate?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Positive Changes
(College & Career Readiness)
• Consistent & Constant Messages
• Focused on Simple Things First
(Don’t make the Gap too big!)
• Connect to Other Initiatives
• Rationale
(Why: Success for ALL Students)
• Capture Community’s Imagination
Opposition Themes
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Not Locally Developed
• Takes control away from locals
• Greater turmoil and confusion for
teachers and students
• “Massive unevaluated” experiment
• May break the district’s bank – fiscally
irresponsible
• Federal intrusion into state and local
decisions
• Privacy and data collection issues 26
Opposition: Create Doubt
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• “Dubious college and career ready
standards, undermine local control”
• Data mining, “using our children”
• National standards and tests
• “Subjectivity and lowest common
denominator pedagogy”
• “Menace to our children and families”
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) August 2013 Meeting
27
Knowledge of Common Core
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• What does common core mean in the local
context and community?
• What is on district/school websites?
• How does CCSS strengthen and extend
existing initiatives?
• Who are key district advocates?
• What does the opposition
understand/say/communicate?
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Strategic Communications
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Build on the effectiveness of current
communication efforts.
• Establish priority audiences and the best
channels to reach them.
• Define the image of your
organization/district/schools by staff, parents,
and other community members.
• Implement two-way communication techniques
that work for your district/organization.
• Provide frequent, ongoing information desired
by your priority audiences.
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Need for Proactive
Communication
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Hold focus and parent group meetings
• Provide messaging resources for Board
• Distribute clear, understandable
information in multiple languages
• Engage business and religious leaders
• Address the EMOTIONs of change in
place before mastering the
OPERATION of change
• Coordination and consistency is key 30
CDE Common Core Website
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Subscribe:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
• Opposition
– www.truthinamericaneducation.org
– National School Public Relations Association
http://www.nspra.org/commoncore/index/
Nancy Brownell - [email protected]
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So.. Key Fears to Address
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
As much as we fear the NEW…
We may fear giving up the OLD even more.
Habits, Mastered Content, Clarity and Practice…
Provide Comfort
Support Ego / Self Esteem
Organize Structure and Coherence
Within the Community and Schools
Considerations and Take Aways
• Communications matter
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• “These standards are not intended to be the new names
for old ways of doing business.”
• Strengthen everyone’s leadership, can’t implement
successfully alone.
• Communicate frequently with internal and external
constituents, build on existing initiatives
• Strive for “simplexity”:
– What to do now?
– What to do next?
– What to do later?
“Simplexity: finding the smallest number of high-leverage, easy to understand actions
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that unleash stunningly powerful consequences.” Michael Fullan