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"Teaching to the test" and other communications challenges in a hashtag world

Every day, seasoned public education leaders find themselves trying to communicate ever-more complicated information to an audience that now thinks that bite-size news may be just a bit too much to swallow all at once.

While the “readers” out there might find themselves on an endangered species list or on the side of a milk carton one day (“Have you seen me? I’m a reader. I am actually interested in what you have to say!”), the masses ingest their news and information in as little as 140 characters per dose. 

Like the review process for a pile of resumes from job seekers, what you have to say is quickly shunted into the “yes” (I care) pile or the “no” (Moving on) group. There is no “maybe” (I’ll get back to this later) about it. News consumers decide in the blink of an eye whether or not they will process what you have to say.

Certainly, not everyone a school district is trying to reach gets his or her view of the world exclusively through a Twitter feed. But the popularity of this and other forms of news aggregation and dissemination provides a valuable reminder: Messages that are meaningful to the recipients, and that are easy to absorb, are the ones that are most likely to be remembered.

This is hardly a news flash, of course. “What’s in it for me?” has always played a role as target audience members sort through the news that’s served to them through various media. What’s changed is that those same individuals can look at your news – and, for that matter, you and your organization – through the prism of a hashtag.

Hashtags, of course, are those kitschy phrases in Twitter announcements that all begin with the # symbol. If you want to see what others are saying on the topic, you simply enter the hashtag and read the opinions of those near and far.

It is admittedly simplistic to say that all news delivery is dictated by hashtags. However, the idea of boiling down the discussion to a more basic word or phrase (such as would follow the # symbol on a hashtag) creates unique communications challenges.

Consider this phrase that we, at Patron Insight, see all the time in patron research projects we complete for school districts: “All they do is teach to the test” (or, spoken in “hashtag,” #teachingtothetest). You can probably add your own short, snappy phrases on subjects like funding, Common Core, class sizes, student safety and anything else that might be specific to your district to this list.

The genie is already out of the bottle, and you will never again get a consistent level of in-depth attention from your target audience members. As your information becomes more complicated, their attention spans grow shorter. How can you best deal with this reality?

  • Simple is always better. If hashtags teach us anything, it’s the value of shrinking down what you have to share to something easily memorable. This doesn’t mean you abandon the details; that’s what your website is for. Just recognize that 80% of your audience wants the basic, why-should-I-care information.
  • Use your language, not theirs. If you want to explain what role state-mandated testing plays in how classroom time is allocated, for example, by all means do not say, “How we teach for our students’ needs – and not to the test requirements” or anything close. Steer clear of refuting the claims of others, unless there is no other choice. Instead, seize the conversation on your terms.
  • Repeat. A lot. And then repeat again. Twitter experts will tell you that it’s perfectly fine – and, in fact, encouraged in many cases – to send out the exact same message multiple times, because this media is very much a case of “drive-by” content. If you post it once and the individuals you are trying to reach don’t happen to be looking then, it might as well have not happened. Follow this mantra in whatever you communicate. If it’s important, you can’t say it often enough.

Fall ballot? Now is the time for research with your voters

If you are considering a ballot issue this fall, conducting research now can sharpen your proposal and help you plan how you will communicate most effectively when your campaign gets into full swing later this year.

Patron Insight has helped school districts secure more than $6 billion in new tax revenue from their patrons through such research. We stand ready to assist you, by helping you think through your options, crafting research tools that will secure the data you need – no matter where you are in the planning process – and delivering results that tell you what parts of your proposal hit home, what aspects may need a little more polish, and what components (if any) fall flat.

Contact Rick Nobles to find out more and to see whether the time is right for research, 913-484-0920 or rick@patroninsight.com.

Climate Study principles extend beyond school buildings; departments and programs can
also benefit

Climate Studies utilize words, phrases and ideas to rate the environment (the “climate”) within a building or a school district as a whole, so that successes can be celebrated and strategies can be identified for areas that need attention. It’s a great way to separate what is true from what is merely loudly expressed.

The same principles found in a building-focused Climate Study also apply when you want to learn more about the performance of a department or a program within your district. Targeted research with those inside the program, users (such as parents) and even the community at large can pinpoint perceived areas of strength and weakness, helping school districts plan more effectively.

If you’d like to know more about how Patron Insight can put the power of Climate Studies to work for you at the department or program level, contact Rick Nobles at 913-484-0920 or rick@patroninsight.com.

Best Practices Consortium

Peers sharing ideas to 
enhance learning for all.
How cool is that?
Learn more.

School Communication that Works: On the role of communications about the work of the Board of Education and the superintendent

"If the focus (of communications) is on the success of students and staff, the Board and superintendent will be seen as contributors to that success.
(Page 95)

Order your copy of the book here, and support the National School Public Relations Association in the process.


Ken DeSieghardt
Ken DeSieghardt
816-225-0668

Rick Nobles
Rick Nobles
913-484-0920

Craig Larson
Dr. Craig Larson
314-267-6992

Dennis Fisher
Dr. Dennis Fisher
816-392-7387

Marsha Chappelow
Dr. Marsha Chappelow
314-910-7401

Dr. Chris Belcher
Dr. Chris Belcher
573-239-7356

Steve Mulvenon
Dr. Steve Mulvenon
775-690-1145

Susan Nenonen
Susan Nenonen
913-481-7080


Patron Insight, Inc. 
19733 Birch Street
Stilwell, KS 66085
Office: 913-814-7626 
Fax: 913-814-3864 
info@patroninsight.com


Patron Insight, Inc.
19733 Birch Street • Stilwell, KS 66085
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