Our Blog: where do you stand?

Education Communication: 5 Questions with an Industry Veteran

By: Melissa Lackey | 09/24/2010

Parkway School District Director of Communications Paul Tandy has more than ten years experience in school communications. Our education team recently visited with Paul to get his unique perspective on trends and changes in K-12 education.

1.   What’s been top of mind for you lately?

Recently I heard a speaker say that change and life are synonymous; you just have to get used to it.  Schools by and large haven’t kept up with that change.  Many look the same as they did years ago, but students learn differently today.

The challenge is equipping schools with the right technology.  At Parkway, we’ve passed two bond issues, thanks to community support, that have placed a major emphasis on putting technology resources into schools. 

Just the other day I saw a group of kids at one of our high schools working on a project. They were saying things like “I think you can find something on that topic on this site, text me that and post it to our page so we don’t lose it.” If you teach the way you always have, you’re going to lose these kids.

2.   What emerging technology and trends are affecting school communications?

It’s become really important to monitor what’s being said about your organization in social media. Many districts are using those tools to get their messaging out, but they also need to focus on listening. It’s an effective tool in our toolbox and enables us to keep a finger on the pulse of our school community.

3.   What’s the most prevalent challenge facing school communicators today?

Many schools in the country are facing serious budget challenges.  We’re so fortunate here at Parkway to have a strong local tax base. We only receive about 4-5% of our funding from the state. The rest is from the local community.

Another challenge is the overall image of public schools.  Recently, we asked parents and staff what three words come to mind when they think of Parkway School District. The answers were words we hoped to hear: quality and excellence.  As long as we can continue delivering on that promise, we’ll be okay.

4.   What’s the biggest change in school communications in the past five years?

Our ability, through technology, to rapidly communicate with parents and staff is a big change. Most districts now have an emergency rapid communication system where you can email, text or call parents and staff. We absolutely could not function without it.

5.   How do you think school communications will look in the future?

Who knows? Things change so fast. What I do know is that it won’t look like it does today. We will probably see more robust ways to interact and engage each other, whether it’s from the classroom, the school community or the district. Everybody’s got to keep learning.

Posted in