Social Media and Positive School Culture

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

In a relatively brief period, social media has progressed from a place of information exchange to an online gathering place, a retail platform and a powerful 21st-century marketing tool. Each of these purposes represents an important, albeit ever-challenging, method of communication for school districts.

In its purest form, social media can be an effective way for schools to bring families, community members and people around the world into our classrooms and share wonderful news about our students, faculty, administrators and staff.

How do we manage social media so that it stays pure?

Encourage social media as a place for positivity. Whether it is sharing your latest district accolade, a fun and fascinating project happening in a 2nd-grade classroom, a beautiful middle school choral performance or an innovative learning experience at your high school, social media should be a place to share positive news.

Creating a supportive and positive school culture — one that is bursting with proud families and students, teachers and staff — minimizes negative and unproductive comments, replacing them with accurate and uplifting information. Take it further by implementing an easy process for families to share their own positive experiences with the district. Develop unique hashtags and promote your district’s social media handles so the community can tag schools in their own inspiring stories about the district.

Teach children and families the reality of social media. As educators, we should encourage families to monitor their children’s social media use and teach them how to use these platforms safely and appropriately. Remind families that studies have proven social media can negatively affect children’s and young adolescents’ mental health and self-esteem.

In addition, while social media allows for easy access to information, some of this information is misinformation, which may not always be obvious at first. Educating children, both inside and outside the classroom, about how to tell the difference between a credible source and one that is not credible is essential. This will curtail the spread of false information and negative messages.

Make social media only one source of information. With so many communication platforms readily available, we should not use social media as the sole method to communicate with stakeholders. Digital newsletters and well-designed and attractive websites are excellent ways to share school and district news and essential information. Text messages and apps effectively allow district personnel to communicate with families directly.

Parents and community members should view district leaders and the resources the district creates and communicates with as the most credible sources of information. When families know they can trust the district to provide accurate, honest, timely information, that’s where they will turn — not to the plethora of biased social media sites and rumor mills.

As educators and leaders, our job is to ensure our students, families, staff and communities have access to accurate information and clear messaging. We can control the information and the message and ensure it is accurate and truthful by providing precise, direct and timely communication. We can create a positive sentiment about our schools and their leadership by being out in front and proactive in our messaging. Social media is but one tool.

Take control and seize the moment and the message. In the long run, this will save you time and energy and promote the positive public relations necessary to run an effective school system.