Communication Strategies in SBM

Video Transcription

It's essential to develop a communication plan as part of any school improvement plan or site-based initiative. In this tutorial, I'll share with you some basic tips for developing a communication plan. And then, we'll take a closer look at varying communication formats based on the type of team that has been established.

Let's get started. Let's begin with some basic tips for developing a communication plan. Effective site-based management must include transparent communication and use of data. Creating a communication plan will not only increase understanding and buy-in of stakeholders, but it will also improve the efficiency of your plans implementation and build the sustainability of the plan.

There are several elements that any communication plan should include. First, you should include the goals of the communication plan. Next, you should include the expected outcomes of the communication plan. You should also include the roles and specific responsibilities of school community members in the execution of the plan. Be sure to list all stakeholders in order to properly establish all of the roles and responsibilities. The plan should clearly indicate the needed level of involvement or responsibility for each stakeholder, including what they need to know before implementation and what they need to know during the implementation process.

The plan should also include the action steps that are going to be necessary for the execution of the plan. And finally, you should include methods for measuring and reporting progress towards the goals that are outlined in the communication plan. The key to the success of the communication plan is sharing it on an ongoing basis. Several different roles are essential to the successful implementation of site-based management. You'll find that differing forms of communication might be employed by teams occupying each of these roles.

Let's first consider teams that are playing a strategic role. The term strategic refers to the overall strategy of the plan, so a school level or district level strategic team will be responsible for establishing and communicating the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the school or district. This requires long-term big-picture thinking. A strategic team will generally include both teachers and administrators, but team makeup may vary depending on the situation. For reference, a school improvement team would be an example of a strategic team.

Next, let's consider tactical teams. The term tactical refers to the approaches, or tactics, that will be applied in order to support the strategy of the overall plan. The members of a tactical team develop and then communicate specific plans for meeting strategic goals. For example, a tactical team may be charged with determining how to best implement a site-based initiative. A tactical team generally includes administrators, including principals, but the makeup of the team may vary.

Finally, let's consider operational teams. The term operational refers to the operations, or the actual enactment of the tactics, that are designed to facilitate the strategies in the overall plan. So members of an operational team will communicate and implement the plans for meeting the strategic goals. An operational team is responsible for putting together the strategies and goals involved in implementing a plan. An operational team generally includes teachers and other student centered staff, but once again, the makeup of the team may vary.

In general, then, we can see that different teams will be responsible for playing different roles depending on the charge or the unique expectation or purpose defined for the team by leadership. Note that an individual staff member may serve on multiple teams with a different purpose for each team. In fact, some overlap in educators who fill these various team roles is necessary to ensure communication and continuity. Often teacher-leaders in central administration will find themselves fulfilling roles on many different teams. On that note, a recommended strategy for communications is making sure those various teams have clear communication goals and communication plans.

We've discussed strategic, tactical, and operational approaches to site-based management. Let's also consider collaborative and advisory approaches. A collaborative team is charged with working together and communicating progress towards goals or objectives at the team level. Examples of collaborative teams include grade level teams, department or content area teams, or teams that are focused on one specific part of the goals of the larger school, such as bullying prevention initiatives or strategies for increasing literacy.

Finally, let's consider advisory teams. Advisory teams are not decision making in nature. Rather, they research and investigate areas for improvement as identified in school improvement plans or strategic plans. After conducting this research, an advisory team will make recommendations based on their findings to the appropriate overarching team, such as a school improvement team, a strategic team, or the administrative team.

In this tutorial, you've learned about a variety of different approaches to site-based management, and we've considered the different types of communication that might be used by these varying types of teams. Now, it's your tread to stop and reflect. Which of these types of teams are present in your school or district? Have you been involved as an active member of any of these types of teams?

For more information on how to apply what you learned in this video, please view the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. The additional resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.