California Professional Standards for Education Leaders · 4B–4
Participate in local activities that engage community members and staff in communicating school successes to the broader community.
Telling the school’s story is a public responsibility: celebrate real progress, credit the people behind it, and explain the evidence without turning students into marketing material.
What this looks like in practice
Strong communication makes success concrete. Instead of “scores improved,” explain what educators and students changed, which measure moved, for whom, over what period, and what work remains. Permission, privacy, accessibility, and translation belong in the planning—not at the end.
Local events are also listening opportunities. A service club, library program, neighborhood gathering, board meeting, or student exhibition can reveal what the community understands about the school and what needs clearer explanation.
Developing the practice
Choose an honest story
Connect a student-centered accomplishment to credible evidence and acknowledge unfinished work.
Prepare people to tell it
Give staff and students concise facts, privacy guidance, accessible materials, and room to speak in their own voices.
Listen after sharing
Capture questions and misconceptions from the audience and use them to improve the next communication.
Useful connections
Family-notification systems
SDLA’s collection can help leaders understand the district tools available for extending a local story across appropriate channels.
Questions for reflection and mentoring
- Are we communicating an outcome, the learning behind it, or merely an event?
- Have students and families consented to how their stories and images will be used?
- What did the community ask that should shape our next explanation?