Should Public School Administrators Use Social Media (Twitter) for Communication?

Contemporary educational literature referring to 21st century learning often emphasizes the importance of students using technology tools in our classrooms. Education however is not only about learning: it is also about teaching as well as leading the environments in which our students learn.  Howard (2013) writes about educators’ responsibility to learn and understand the language of the technological landscape that is an integral part of today’s students’ lives. Larkin (2013) concludes in his article about “Tweeting the good news” that “we are really not teaching responsible citizenship if we are not modeling appropriate use of digital resources” (p. 71). Educators that truly understand the language of digital literacy and can navigate social media can make effective use of it in school leadership.  In this paper, we will take a look at how K-12 public school leaders can utilize social networking tools such as Twitter to enhance communication between the school and its stakeholders.

Why should we use social media?

First, let’s look at the obvious benefits of using social media. Using social media tools can enhance our overall communication (Cox & McLeod, 2014). While communication may seem as a simple task, it is an important one in the era of heightened accountability in public education. Leaders need to be able to convey their message and promote their vision to gain support of the stakeholders. The media will typically pay attention to schools when something newsworthy happens, and the outsiders will then portray a picture of the school that may not necessarily align with the school leader’s vision of the school. Choosing to use Twitter allows the school leaders to start branding their image (Cox & McLeod, 2014), taking control of what information is disseminated about their school.

Literature on school leadership often reflects the isolated nature of our jobs where school principals typically have very few counterparts (Sauers & Richardson, 2015; Carpenter & Krutka, 2014). School leaders can use the social media tools such as Twitter for enhanced collaboration and communication (Sauers & Richardson, 2015; Carpenter & Krutka, 2014; Lu, 2011), and to create communities of practice (Sauers & Richardson, 2015). Additional benefit of social media tools in educational administration is that it can widen personal learning networks (Wejr, 2011). Heightened engagement with peers in general can improve our leadership (Sauers & Richardson, 2015) because we would be more up to date with the recent trends in our profession. Paus (2013) discusses the transformational use of social media in public institutions that allows the leaders to enhance their organizational operations and create a culture of sharing. Sharing information on a regular basis leads to increased interaction with stakeholders (Cox & McLeod, 2014) which is a worthwhile reason to look into including social media as a tool in our leadership arsenal.

To understand exactly how to make the best use of Twitter in public school leadership, let’s start with a discussion on the nature of “tweeting”. Tweets are small bursts of information, each of which is no more than 140 characters long (Twitter, 2013). They are short and on topic, making them time efficient and easy to use. Carpenter and Krutka (2014) list the brevity, immediacy, and openness as three main benefits of communication via Twitter. They also list efficiency and accessibility as perceived benefits by Twitter users in their study. The nature of instant tweeting allows collaborations to take place in real-time (Sauers & Richardson, 2015). Kurtz (2009) emphasizes the personalized nature of communication via Twitter, providing parents a “window into their children’s days” (p.2). In their study of the school district superintendents using social media, Cox and McLeod (2014) echo the abovementioned benefits of Twitter, adding also greater transparency, impact on their personal growth, and stronger connections as additional reasons we should utilize the social media tools in our leadership. Furthermore, the superintendents that participated in their study emphasize that the use of Twitter is no longer an option but a must in 21st century leadership. They go as far as naming the use of social networking (Twitter) as a 21st century communications strategy.

Institutions also try to tap into the benefits of social media in crisis management situations. Immediacy, access, and firsthand exposure to information are just a few of the benefits that tweeting can offer when disaster strikes. United States Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students training module (available at https://rems.ed.gov/docs/Training_SocialMediaInEM.pdf) for using social media in school emergency management outlines posting information about the school dismissal and closure procedures, during the emergency updates and post-emergency status, as well as post-reunification protocols. Using social media allows us to communicate firsthand information and eliminate the other media as the middle man in our crisis situation. We cannot underestimate the fact that all of the abovementioned benefits are available for school administrators at no cost as Twitter (as most other social networking tools) is available to users free of charge.

How should we “tweet”?

Twitter lends itself to extending the content through the use of hyperlinks that can link to the institutional website or the administrator’s blog. Hashtags (#) can be used to relate to similar content on the particular topic posted by others – therefore creating professional networks and interest groups that can be further used for professional development (Carpenter & Krutka, 2014; Jackson, 2012). One of the important aspects of using social media for communication is stability. We cannot simply use it daily one week and then quit posting for a while. To overcome the time crunch and the possibility of forgetting to post important information such as upcoming events, important dates, etc., we can tap into the feature of scheduling our posts ahead of time, therefore using Twitter strategically and continuously but on a schedule that will allow us to take some time off of tweeting if needed. Strategies suggested by Cox and McLeod (2014) in making Twitter part of our brand image include posting tweets simultaneously on social media as well as on our institution’s website, using the icon of Twitter in an e-mail signature, as well as on our school letterhead. Those that still have business cards can also include their Twitter handle on their cards.

Finally, while advertising has typically not been a practice of public schools, we cannot overlook the potential of using Twitter for that purpose. When public schools compete with private schools, and more recently with the virtual schools and home schooling, it is increasingly important to use social media as part of our business strategy to attract potential students as well as to retain our existing students. While this may be a more immediate concern for post-secondary education, it is not too early to think about the same in a public school setting. Every additional student on our enrolment list translates into additional FTE (Full Time Equivalent) dollars, and every student attending our school out of zone (or moving to our school zone due to the popularity of our school) has a potential to bring in another involved parent that can become an active participant in the school’s PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) - further enhancing the communication between us and the community. In addition to attracting students, a positive and even attractive digital image can also spark the interest of potential new educators that can become an asset to our schools.

What are the concerns?

Before making a decision to use social media or not, it is also important to understand the limitations of electronic communication. Just because tweeting is popular, it may not be appropriate in every situation and for all audiences. School administrators in Sauers and Richardson’s (2015) study expressed the concern about the public perception of social media caused mainly by inappropriate tweets and cases of online bullying.  In other instances, parents and community may not be fond of social media due to the negative and inaccurate information that is often posted on public sites (Cox & McLeod, 2014).

It is also important to consider the nature of the audiences that we are attempting to reach. For an elementary school administrator, the audiences would be clearly the parents, staff, and the community, while in the case of a secondary school we must also consider the students as our potential audience. Other concerns expressed in the literature about using Twitter by institutional leaders deal with rules and regulations of individual work places. In many instances, those wanting to use Twitter for educational and professional purposes still report the incompatibility of this kind of communication with the institutional policies (Carpenter & Krutka, 2014). Implementing Twitter based communication may not be suitable in a community where another network has been chosen by the audience as an alternative over Twitter (Carpenter & Krutka, 2014). In their study, Carpenter and Krutka (2014) also point out the concerns about privacy and academic integrity and lack of evidence based material when it comes to the use of any type of social media, but I would like to pose a counterargument to their claim. Namely, our goal in using social media tools is indeed to break the walls of silence and inform the public of our opinions. When using social media mindfully and meaningfully, it can be a powerful tool in shaping the perceptions and the image of our school as we see it, and not as the public wants to regard it due to the lack of having better information. The non-use of social media can lead to perceptions formed on social networking sites behind our back without a chance for us to protect ourselves and our institutions.

Carr (2012) brings out the final but important aspect of using social media as a tool of communication: social networking should not take the place of the traditional ways of communicating with our community and the stakeholders. Tweeting is an additional, 21st century mean for communication that can lead to a heightened collaboration and engagement with the community and the stakeholders.

References:

Carpenter, J., & Krutka, D. (2014). How and why educators us Twitter: A survey of the field. JRTE, 46(4), 414–434.

Carr, N. (2012). Technology for effective communication, in Hancock, R. and McLeod, D. (Eds). What school administrators need to know about technology leadership? International Society for Technology in Education. Washington DC, p.1-30.

D. Cox, D., & McLeod, S. (2014). Social media marketing and communications strategies for school superintendents. Journal of Educational Administration, 52(6), 850–868. http://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-11-2012-0117

Howard, K. (2013). Using Facebook and other SNSs in K-12 classrooms: Ethical considerations for safe social networking. Issues in Teacher Education.

Jackson, C. (2012). Synthesis & Sensibility: Twitter 101 for school leaders: Four reasons to join the conversation today! Retrieved from http://carriebjackson.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/twitter-101-four-reasons-to-join-the-conversation-today-2/

Kurtz, J. (2009). Twittering about learning: Using Twitter in an elementary classroom. Horace, 25 (1), 1-4.

Lu, A. (2011). Twitter seen evolving into professional development tool. Education Week       30(36), 20.

Paus, V. (2013). New media and leadership: Social media and open organizational communication. Change and Leadership, (17), 73–78.

Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center.   (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2016, from http://rems.ed.gov/

Twitter. (2013). About Twitter. Retrieved from https://about.Twitter.com/company

Wejr, C. (2011). Connected leadership: A journey. Retrieved from http://connectedpincipals.com/archives/4833

3

Digging Deeper in Behavioral Economics

Despite the good advice from one of my professors, Dr. Antonenko, to read at least one professional article a day, I have decided to take a few days off reading Sadker & Zittleman’s “Teachers, Schools, and Society” for work, and dozens of peer reviewed articles for my literature review at school topped with Dooley’s “Social Research Methods” - for school as well. I am fully aware that taking time off from reading is not something that a doctoral student can afford to do, however…. my recent interest in behavioral economics has not subdued, and I am starting to find ties from the discipline of economics to the discipline of education in ways that are quite intriguing and I feel compelled to follow until I either reach a dead end, or - perhaps find a lead that will necessitate doing some more reading and additional research. 

All of this takes me back to Richard Thaler’s (2015) book, “Misbehaving” which at glance does not have much to do with education whatsoever. Even at Barnes and Noble, this book is far away from the sections of Education and other social sciences. So - being an educator, where does my fascination with behavioral economics stem from? First, I found the discipline of behavioral economics interesting because it recognizes the centerpiece of our educational system - a human. Our clients are solely human beings, and as described by Richard Thaler, humans misbehave; they construct their experiences based on hunches that are not always reasonable, but nevertheless perceived to be good for them in a certain way. The first few chapters of “Misbehaving” are literally telling the story of our world in public education. Thaler’s discussion of statistical lives vs. identified lives also has a perfect application in schools. With the accountability measures, we are always looking at the statistics of the test scores. This data gets analyzed at so many levels by many different departments, but improved results in student learning are slow to follow. That is because we are dealing with statistics. When we start looking at individual students (identified lives), and working with each and every child at the classroom level, we can expect to see results. That is not to say that the statistical data does not matter. It does, but the difference can only be made when addressing the needs of individual students, one at a time.

Second, I could not help but chuckle when reading about the “endowment effect” - descried by Thaler as a phenomenon of people valuing what they already have higher than something that they do not currently have (but could have). This is the story of of our school system! While public perception of our schools is generally lower than average, parents of children attending our schools are generally (77% at the time) satisfied with the schools that their children are attending (giving the school an “A” or a “B”); (http://www.gallup.com/poll/142658/americans-views-public-schools-far-worse-parents.aspx). Furthermore, those that can afford, will opt to send their children to private schools altogether (http://humanevents.com/2013/10/17/where-do-public-school-teachers-send-their-own-kids/). The question is - why do parents favor the schools that their children attend while the general public is still doubtful about the efficacy of American education? While the data provided by Gallup is from 5 years ago, there are reasons to assume that the situation has not improved. In the sate of Florida, we have dumped one ineffective test (FCAT) for another (FSA) that could be (possibly) effective, however, the schools will not receive the majority of the test scores until several month into the next school year, hence continuing the saga of the same old murky waters of American education. 

Could behavioral economics provide a different lens for viewing our education? Let’s leave the value added models aside (once we have determined that the values that we are using are indeed valid for the purpose for which they are to be used) and look at the human aspect of education - our clients’ (students and parents) satisfaction. What is the picture that we get of American education then? This is a million dollar question, but using the theory of behavioral economics may provide some insight into understanding the perceptions of parents and students that are our clientele today.

A Letter to Graduates

Back in June, Florida Department of Education blogged about 6 Things that High School Grads Need to Do Before Leaving for College. While some of them were the good old common sense pointers such as “learn how to do your own laundry” and “know how to keep your things safe”, others were practical swim or survive strategies. Two of them resonated with me as a college instructor, as a professional, and as a graduate student.

Time Management

First, you need to get a grip on your time management. The deadlines have just become real. You may get lucky and have a professor that will fall for your excuses that you simply “did not know” that something was due, or that you needed a book for the course - but this is not going to last. YOU are the one in charge of your learning. Reach out to others. Build networks of support. Contact the instructor. The majority of colleges have the outline of their courses online, and you can see what is coming up. There are no secrets! If you have not done it yet, now is a good time to build a good work ethic that will be a great asset for years to come.

Social Presence

FLDOE blog outlines the importance of crafting a good resume and learning how to network. What a better way to do it than creating an online profile! Have you Googled yourself recently? What did you find? If it is the pictures of your undergraduate wild side, then it is time to make a change. A good resume is great, but you must link it to sites that put your name out there for others to see. A great start is using a professional site such as Linkedin where you can share your competencies and experiences. Be sure to update it on a regular bases! Also, Twitter and Facebook can be used for promoting professional presence. It is okay to keep the personal accounts but you have to be mindful about what you post and how you grant access.

A Few More Tips for College and  Beyond

With all the excitement of the new beginnings comes the responsibility to live up to the challenges that you will face. In his 2015 Commencement Speech at Trine University, Lou Holtz  spoke about what matters in life. He did not paint a rosy picture of unobtainable dreams that many of us have. Quite opposite, he was realistic and said that we will all have problems. Problems are part of life. We should embrace them and find solutions! He spoke in simple words and in the most powerful way, reminding us of the very basics of life: Do right, do everything to the very best of your ability, and show people that you care. He asked, if you did not show up at work, would anyone miss you and why? These are important questions to ask, and now is the time to start thinking about the answers. Have dreams but understand that life will also bring problems. It is what you do with them that makes a difference. Do your best, and never settle for less.

Best of luck graduates! The world is yours to conquer!

Discovering  Behavioral Economics

One of the criteria that will resurface over and over during any professional practice doctoral student’s studies is the importance of connecting theory to practice. After all, this was the reason I decided to pursue this degree in the first place - to be able to use proven and research based practices in my current profession. A topic that has surfaced in my recent readings and is highly applicable to my professional practice is behavioral economics (Thaler, Benartzi). Thaler’s recent publication of “Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioural Economics” provides an interesting account on the topic, and is described as “bringing the academic discipline (of studying humans as central agents in economy) back to earth”. This is a timely topic as we recently walked away from a parental advisory committee meeting learning that our students’ parents would like to change the way of communication - they would like to get school information on their phones in the form of a text message. While I did not know what to think of that request at the time (or how to go about it), I am recognizing the validity of their request after having a subtle understanding of the behavioral economics. Thaler’s blog http://www.misbehavingbook.org/blog/ for his recent publication provides an example of the text based feedback used by one of the blood donation centers in Sweden where participants receive a text message when their blood is used. While there is not enough research available at this time to discuss the effects of this  phenomenon on the numbers of people donating blood - one must agree that it is a really neat idea! Without further research, one can assume that if people know that their blood was used to make a difference, they are more likely to donate blood again.

Why not use this analogy at schools? I know from personal experiences that e-mail and voice message are not effective, text message however may be the next “big thing”. Giving feedback in a form that is timely, easily accessible (our smart phones have become wearable technologies), and specific, can only aid in parent-school relationships. Of course, since we are talking about a public entity as well as data that may be confidential or otherwise sensitive, proper planning must go into developing a system as well as guidelines for making this happen at schools.

Reflections of the first year doctoral student

One year has passed since I started the doctoral journey and a new job as an Assistant Principal. Much of what I planned to do never happened (both at work as well at school) as I was busy surviving the challenges thrown at me from both directions. Looking back, I wish I had taken more time to reflect. Perhaps, hoping that my thoughts would be useful for someone with a similar journey.

Here are my biggest takeaways:

1. First Year Doctoral Students - you should NEVER start a new job at the same time when you are starting your studies. You need stability for both your own sanity as well as for the professional context that is much needed in a professional practice doctoral degree. Lacking either one of them will be a challenge that will result in frequent headaches and a lot of extra work. Also, you must develop a system for everything that you do. Most of all, this applies to categorizing the materials that you read. Readings in a graduate program are different in several ways: first, the volume of reading is overwhelming (and the information is not always easy to retain), and second, the references to the readings will keep on resurfacing over and over. In other words, you are better off creating a system that allows you to easily find the information that you read. I tried RefWorks and Mendeley and settled for the latter. After searching articles, I upload them to Mendeley on my desktop, and immediately sync the account so that these articles would be available on my iPad. Sounds like I had a great system. Wrong! Just a heads up - as a doctoral student you will need to be able to synthesize and find information from past readings based on the authors (easily found in Mendeley), core concepts (also easily searchable), research design and methods (not easily searchable), further research suggestions (good luck with that!), etc. To make it more explicit - here is the list of categories that I have had to search for: journal name, search terms that I used to find the article, type of methods that were used for conducting the research, underlying theories, environment and area of application (K-12, higher ed, professional, etc.) to name a few. Organization is a key component for your success, and lack of organization can very well be the end of it all. Finally, while it seems like there is so much to read every day, the reality is that it is still not enough. A good suggestion from one of my professors, Dr. Antonenko, at the end of year 1 was to read one (additional) article every day just to stay current with the literature in the field. I wish that I had done that... I am starting my second year, feeling a bit behind but nevertheless, feeling confident about where I am heading.

2. My first year as an Assistant Principal flew by before I knew what had happened. The biggest challenge was the time management. Once you become a school administrator, you can count on being the first one there, and often the last one to to leave. That is a really tough combination if you have other responsibilities like most of us do. Your children will become very familiar with the school as they will do chores for you before and after school because there is no-one else there. In addition to managing the learning environment, you are now in charge of the facilities, air conditioning, water and plumbing, pest control, storage, lawn maintenance, playground inspection, discipline, testing, technology and labs, equipment, inventory, special events, employees - and oh so much more. It can be quite overwhelming. The payoff comes when you realize that you are rehired, and that you have a clear plan for what you are going to do the next year!

3. If you have a second job, please quit it as soon as possible! Being a doctoral student with a new job as well as trying to teach night classes at the college is not going to work. Remember, you will also need some time for your family! When you children start talking about research methods, it is time for a break.

If you survive the first year, you are half way there. Persistence and dedication will pay off. Just remember, there must be a system to the madness or all will fail.

Exactly one month ago when I was up in Ganiesville for my first face-to-face meeting for the doctoral program, I got a phone call and was offered the assistant principal position at one of the elementary schools. I gladly accepted! How exciting - a new doctoral student with a brand new job! I will try to keep track of the changes that occur in my life due to this transition, and hopefully help others as they embark on a journey as crazy as mine.