There Seems to be a Disconnect

I remember the first time I ever heard a radio advertisement for a public school district. I listened to the information, thought it was pretty good and completely bought what the ad was saying. The school district — so the radio voice said — was a "top school district designed to meet the needs of students today, but to also prepare them to tackle the challenges of tomorrow." To me, that's a home run. Who wouldn't want that in their school district? Well, due to the fact that the district was running ads saying all of those really wonderful things, someone, or a group of someones, didn't think the district was all that great. There was a disconnect between what the district thinks and the way families actually see school life. That's a tough thing for a radio advertisement to overcome.

I think there is a disconnect that not only exists in our schools, but throughout our society. Rarely does it seem that people have a solid grasp on reality. For instance, take government spending (this isn't a rant, just pointing something out). There was a recent article in the Detroit Free Press talking about a new bond issue for Detroit Public Schools that would be tied to federal stimulus dollars. The article said that "the November bond initiative will be a better deal than a traditional bond because the measure will be tied to federal stimulus programs, which means the government is subsidizing some of the costs, saving taxpayers millions." Here's the disconnect (and how did a major newspaper editor miss this?): If the government, through federal stimulus dollars, is subsidizing a bond program, doesn't that mean that the taxpayers are paying for it? I mean, the people who are paying for the stimulus money are taxpayers. There's a disconnect, and when that happens, it's hard to have accountability and excellence.

That's why I love competition within schools and why I believe parents should have more of a choice. I realize this is scary because districts and schools feel as though they may lose money and resources, but shouldn't there be a reward for success? If the school is successful, then parents will talk and nothing spreads better like some good 'ole positive word of mouth. Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing has taken on a new life with Facebook, Twitter, blogs and any other form of social media you can think of. People want to know what is going on and they trust what other people are saying more so that slick advertising. When you buy something on iTunes, you check out the reviews because you want to know what real people are saying.

Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Fay Group, a research firm that specializes in WOM, explains it this way: “The number-one way that consumers make decisions is through word of mouth. Brands realize that consumers are willing to engage with them in conversation, and they realize that they have no choice but to participate if they want to be a part of the consumer decision-making process.”

How does this apply to education and things being in disconnect? Because if we lose a connection with our school families and community, we might as well pack up and go home. I'm not sure it matters who is in the White House, right now there is a disconnect between the American people and the government. According to the Pew Research Center, people do not have a favorable view of federal and state governments — there's a disconnect.

Schools and districts, public and private, can change this sense of disconnection and turn it into a renewed connection. It starts with confidence — confidence that your school or district can be great! No. 2, competence: Increasing the competency within our teaching ranks (same goes for teacher colleges) raises the standards for students, which re-instills the confidence for the school community. No. 3 and No. 4 go together: Connect through communication. Parents want to be involved and they should be. Communicate news and information, ask for help throughout the school. Get them involved, build a connection, then have these parents blog, Twitter or Facebook about their experience with the school they love. The above items take time, but might prove to be a great new way to change an old problem.