This document outlines a presentation given by four school superintendents on leadership in the information age and the changing role of superintendents. The presentation covered topics like using social media for community engagement, examples of positive promotion of their districts, and higher expectations for communication from staff and the public. It provided examples from school districts of developing brand promises and assets, creating communication plans, using social media to share information about events, and marketing their districts. The document showed how technology has increased expectations for fast, personalized communication 24/7 and how different generations of staff prefer different communication styles.

1. Leadership in the
Information Age:
A Changing Role for
Superintendents

2. Leadership in the Information Age:
A Changing Role for Superintendents
Today’s Presenters:
Bridget O’Connell, Superintendent
Palisades School District, near Philadelphia,
PA
2014 Bammy! Award Finalist for
Superintendent of the Year
@BridgetOConnell
Brad Saron, Superintendent
Chippewa Falls Area School District, WI
2012 Tech Savvy Superintendent of the Year
in
eSchool News
@BradfordGS

3. Leadership in the Information Age:
A Changing Role for Superintendents
Today’s Presenters:
Joe Sanfelippo, Superintendent
Fall Creek School District, WI
2014 Bammy! Award Finalist for
Superintendent of the Year
@JoeSanfelippofc
Dan Frazier, Superintendent
Litchfield School District, MN
2012 Tech Savvy Superintendent of the Year
in
eSchool News
2014 Bammy! Award Nominee for
Superintendent of the Year
@DanielLFrazier

4. Our Topics and Agenda
1. Our Changing World
2. Community Engagement through
Social Media
3. Positive Promotion: Examples
4. Higher Expectations by Staff and the
Public for Communication

5. OUR CHANGING WORLD

6. COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
THROUGH
SOCIAL MEDIA
Public Relations and Telling Your District’s
Story

7. Clearly this will
not be…

11. Should
Should
Should
Should
Should
Should
Should
Should
ShouldShould

20. The Experience Feels Different for
Everyone!

30. Where do many stakeholders live?
Parents Students

31. “I can’t wait to go home
and look at the
District website”
-Nobody

32. 2005

33. 2013
Image via businessinsider.com

34. Kindergarten Concert
Image captured by Joe Zydowsky, Cadott School District

42. 406,000 Tweets
377,000 Unique
Twitter Users
21,600 Photos
Viewed
120,000,000 times
1.7 Billion Person
Reach
13,000 people
attended

43. 406,000 Tweets
377,000 Unique
Twitter Users
21,600 Photos
Viewed
120,000,000 times
1.7 Billion Person
Reach
13,000 people
attended

44. Never Give Up
The Opportunity to
Say Something
Great
About Your School

45. Chippewa Falls Area Unified School
District

46. Communication Audit

47. Communication Plan

48. Build Your Asset Package
Brand
Promises
Elevator Speech
Brand
Attributes
Representation
of Brand
Signature
Style
Graphic Identity
and Story

50. Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District
Our Brand Promises
• Personalized Attention
• Dedicated and Highly Trained Faculty
• Education of the Whole Child
• A Culture of Excitement
• A Sense of Belonging
• Inbounding Strategies
• Pictures of Graphic Identity
• Telling Our Story
• Using Facebook to Link Back to Our
Website
• Communication Plan

51. Build Your Asset Package

52. Build Your Asset Package

53. Build Your Asset Package

55. Build Your Asset Package

56. Build Your Asset Package

57. Build Your Asset Package

58. Build Your Asset Package

59. Build Your Asset Package

60. Build Your Asset Package: School Promotion

80. AWARD of EXCELLENCE:
1. Annual Report - Budget Book 2013 (Annual Report/School Performance category)
2. Governance Brochure (Marketing Material category)
AWARD of MERIT:
3. The Cardinal Line - (Newsletter - Community category)
4. Compensation Framework (Special Purpose Publication/Project category)
5. CFAUSD Website (Website category)
6. Chippewa Chirp - DEC2013 (Newsletter - Internal category)

81. Build Excitement, Create Pride, Develop WOM

82. Positive Promotion:
Examples
Bridget O’Connell

83. Palisades School District
Community Outreach 2014

84. Of note since we last met…
• Hurricane Sandy impacted our area in
October,2012 – Palisades’ Red Cross Shelter
Remained Opened Longest in Bucks County;
Excellence in Leadership Award received for
our efforts.
• Riegelsville Borough Students Officially
Enrolled in Palisades as of July, 2013 –
approximately 50 new students enrolled.

85. • Pennsylvania State
Police Workspace
Grand Opening in
October, 2013
• Grant received to work
with Seniors for Greater
Education in Bucks
County for our PEARL
volunteers.
• Significant decrease in
reporting of underage
drinking and marijuana
usage by students.
CTC grant monies very
effective.

86. Comprehensive Plan 2013- 2016
• Goal 1-Academic Achievement
• Goal 2-Enriching Environment
• Goal 3-Leadership Opportunities
• Goal 4-Community Engagement

87. Goal 1: Academic Achievement
• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Replaced with
School Performance Profiles (SPP)
– Palisades High School – 88.6
– Palisades Middle School – 80.1
– Durham Nockamixon Elementary School – 90.8
– Springfield Elementary School – 83.5
– Tinicum Elementary School – 91.6
All information regarding School Performance Profiles can
be found at - http://paschoolperformance.org/
Total of 100 points possible. School improvement plans
are shared annually at our Education Programs and
Services Meeting which is open to the public.

88. Outstanding
Achievements:
• PHS is ranked among the top
2000 high schools in the nation;
coming in at 1398/25,000 schools!
• Cyber centers established in our high school and our
middle school for students who are taking classes online.
Online learning is available K-12.
• Our SAT scores remain above the state and national
averages; 538 for Math, 508 for Verbal and 516 for
Writing were reported for 2013.
• Our Advanced Placement scores remain above state and
national averages – 70% of students who have taken AP
exams scored a 3 or better.
• Odyssey of the Mind teams competed at the world level -
PHS took 3rd place and PALMS took 7th place.

89. Goal 2: Enriching Environment-
Facilities Improvements/Security
• Installed softball field
drainage system
• Resurfaced tennis courts
• Installation of new turf
field planned for summer
• Conducted security inspections at each school
and noted areas of concern
• Parent-Child Reunification drills conducted for
students and parents – Palisades practices
reuniting children with parents–Intelligencer, Nov. 2013

90. Improving Security
• State Police held security
awareness training for all
staff at beginning of year
• Captured vestibule installed at PALMS
• Installed 911 emergency call buttons at each of
our schools
• Implemented access control system at each
school
• Received $26,000 grant from Department of
Homeland Security for camera installation
• New security doors being installed at Durham
Nockamixon Elementary School

91. Anti-Bullying Programs
• “Stand Up to Silence” high school students
presented their anti-bullying message in
Doylestown and were asked to come back to
the Central Bucks Schools for an encore
performance.
• Peace Center of Bucks County offering
“Respecting me, respecting you” program at all
elementary schools and support group for
victims and perpetrators in Quakertown

92. Wellness Initiative
• New “Food Court” set up
at the high school with
salad and deli bar.
• Fresh fruit smoothies are being sold in all schools
this year, along with fresh fruits and vegetables at
the salad bars.
• The district received a $5,000 grant for non-
competitive physical activities for all grades.
• Stadium refreshment stand was refurbished.
• All schools will be planting gardens to
further our nutrition education program
and initiate a “farm to table” program.

93. Goal 3: Leadership Opportunities
• Developing “pathways” for student leadership
opportunities, examples include:
– Environmental Stewardship
– Red Cross-Disaster Relief
– Emergency Responders-firefighter, EMA, EMS
– Youth Sports Organizations or Summer Recreation
– School-Based Opportunities-working with younger
grades
– Junior Council Person
Program

94. Goal 4: Community Engagement
• PEARL Property Tax Rebate Program
connects with SAGE – Senior Adults for
Greater Education; grant received for
training/mentoring
• Parent Engagement – Tinicum Elementary
School is ramping up their opportunities for
families and school personnel
• Operation Recognition – Awarding eligible
veterans with a Palisades Diploma
• Social media options for district
communication – Facebook and Twitter
accounts active

95. Spotlight on Our Alumni
• Chris Creveling – US Olympian and Silver
Medalist; competed in Winter 2014 Olympics.
• Patrick Bogard – Scientist (molecular biology),
Ariosa Diagnostics.
• Tina Haskins – Biological Oceanographer,
currently conducting research of phytoplankton
along the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Palisades…Investing in the Future!

96. Thank you for support of
Palisades’ schools, students
and families!
Dr. Bridget O’Connell
Superintendent
boconnell@palisadessd.org
610-847-5131, ext. 4024

97. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0UTD8mXpVg

98. In preparation for the White House visit I put a presentation together to
share our #FutureReady efforts...is this something we would include as
an example of marketing your district/communicating a message?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0UTD8mXpVg&feature=youtu.be

100. HIGHER EXPECTATIONS
by STAFF and the
PUBLIC for
COMMUNICATION

102. Social Networking Fact Sheet
Highlights of the Pew Internet Project’s research related to social
networking.
As of September 2014:
71% of online adults
use Facebook
23% of online adults
use Twitter
26% use Instagram
28% use Pinterest
28% use LinkedIn

105. The Near Future:
2.7 zetabytes
(2.7 x 1021) of
unique new
information
will be created
worldwide this
year.

106. The Near Future:
Third
generation fiber
optics will carry
10 trillion bits
per second
down a single
strand of fiber.

107. The Near Future:
The smart phone of
2020 may be as
capable as today’s
business server.

109. Your School District Website

110. Create an Internal Network for
School Communication

112. Generational Differences of
Staff and Communication
Baby Boomers and Gen X Millennial Generation
Grew up without World
Wide Web, cell phones,
and social media.
Prefer a traditional office
hierarchy.
Gen X and Millennials ask,
“WHY?”
Have been raised in a time
defined by boundary-less
communication.
Sharing and networking.
E-mail threads with double
digit CC’s.
Prefer a flat organizational
structure where all equal.

113. Technology & Communication
➢Modern technologies have increased the
speed of modern communication, so it
has also increased the expectation for
fast and accurate communication.
➢These tech have increased the need to
personalize the message
➢Because of technology, we are on-call
and available 24/7.
➢60 percent of all communication is non-
verbal.

115. Leadership in the
Information Age:
A Changing Role
for Superintendents
Questions and/or Comments?