The Principal's Guide to Managing Communication

E. Joseph Schneider - Education Consultant
Lara L. Hollenczer - Freelance Publicist

Series:
Leadership for Learning Series

Other Titles in:
Communication Skills | School Management

March 2006 | 200 pages | Corwin

Schneider and Hollenczer approach the topic of managing communications from a strategic perspective. Moving from a one-way, top-down approach to communication, the authors show how headteachers can manage communications much more strategically by using a fluid communication strategy that involves all of the school's stakeholders - teachers, support staff, students, parents, central office administrators and community members.

Schools are much more transparent institutions today because of access to data, and headteachers need a more open communication style as a result. Strong communication management skills between principals and the school's stakeholders can lead to more success in achieving the objectives for their schools. This book explains how different communication frameworks can be used in different situations and also covers school-family-communication partnerships, technology and communication, and communication tools.

List of Tables and Figures

Series Foreword

Series Introduction

Preface

About the Authors

Part I: Understanding Stakeholders and Publics

1. Who Are the Stakeholders and Publics in Your School?

2. Engaging Stakeholders in Meaningful Communications

3. Four Approaches to Communication Management

4. Strengthening School-Family-Community Partnerships

Part II: The Strategic Management of Communication

5. Applying Communication Management in Different Settings

6. Communicating Under Pressure

7. Thinking Strategically About Communication

8. Using Technology in Communication

9. Implementing Effective Communication Practices

10. Answering the Call to Leadership

References

Index

"I like this book. Joe Schneider and Lara Hollenczer recognize that communication is the essential skill for school leaders, and that in a public enterprise, communication is as much about listening and responding as it is about initiating and persuading. Practical school examples make this book useful for new and seasoned administrators alike."

Stinson Stroup, Executive Director

Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators

"The Principal’s Guide to Managing Communication is a timely and informative book that offers knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the turbulent waters of school administration in the 21st century. It’s a must read for those who would be effective school leaders focused on continued school improvement."

Walter H. Warfield, Executive Director

Illinois Association of School Administrators

"Schneider and Hollenczer fully understand the principal's critical role as a community relations expert. Their strategies weave through the entire community fabric and focus on much more than merely manipulation information. Establishing good communication is hard work and does not happen automatically - Schneider and Hollenczer get it! This book must get to every university preparation program in the country."

Theodore Creighton, Executive Director

National Council of Professors of Educational Administration