In an article in the Denton Record Chronicle, Denton ISD Superintendent Jamie Wilson discusses engaging the community to help shape the future of the district. He notes that while the district appreciates support from individuals, businesses and organizations, the role and purpose of education has changed from the early 1900s when its focus was producing industrial workers. Today a high school diploma provides access to more opportunities. The superintendent encourages community input to determine current needs as the board and Education Improvement Council establish the district's mission, vision and goals. Denton ISD will actively solicit feedback from various stakeholders to help guide its path forward.

1. . . . in pursuit of excellence . . .
The mission of the Denton Public Schools,
in partnership with home and community, is to
provide the best educational opportunities in a
challenging yet supportive environment where
individuals and cultural diversity are respected, so
that our students become knowledgeable and
responsible citizens, capable of life-long learning and
of demonstrating the skills necessary to contribute
productively in a complex and ever-changing world.
The former mission of Denton ISD was 67 words long.

2. The former Denton ISD logo
The district improvement plan contained 491 pages.?!
When asked to take on the lead of the Denton ISD Educational
Improvement Council, I agreed on one condition… I wanted to throw the
baby out with the bath water and remodel the tub.

3. Going back to the DuFours’ work on PLCs in the book, Learning By Doing,
the EIC looked back at the basics of a PLC.
What constitutes the essential foundation of a PLC?
(http://www.allthingsplc.info/frequently-asked-questions)
The foundation of a PLC rests upon the four pillars of mission, vision,
values, and goals. Each of these pillars asks a different question of the
educators within the school. When teachers and administrators have
reached consensus on their collective positions on those questions, they
have built a solid foundation for a PLC.
Mission asks the question, “Why?” (or more specifically, “Why do we
exist?”).

4. Vision asks “What?” (that is, "What must we become in order to
accomplish our fundamental purpose?”).
Values (or “collective commitments”) ask "How must we behave to
create the school that will achieve our purpose?"
Goals identify the targets and timelines for what the organization hopes
to achieve as a result of improvement initiatives (i.e. "How will we know
if all of this is making a difference?”).

5. After reading one teacher’s perspective Igniting a Passion for Reading:
Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers by Steven Layne
(https://www.amazon.com/Igniting-Passion-Reading-Successful-
Strategies/dp/1571103856), the following quote resonated with the
teachers:
“I will never, ever, forget the difficulty I had in one of my schools at the
annual faculty meeting, during which the principal always announced to
the teaching staff the goals that had been set for us by the board of
education for the upcoming year. Good friends would harness me to my
chair and duct-tape my mouth shut at this yearly meeting for fear I would
start a revolution and get myself and multiple other people fired for
insubordination. I’m sorry, but is this not the most ridiculous thing you
have ever heard? How motivated are you to reach goals someone else is
setting for you—and especially an entity you do not even believe should
exist? (But that’s for the book I’m still threatening to write.) I never cared
two hoots about their goals. I might have, if I’d been a part of the process
of crafting them, but I wasn’t. Apparently, my input regarding the goals
that my daily work would either achieve or fail to achieve for our district
was not viewed as a significant factor in their plan for goal creation. Is it
any wonder that so many of our schools are in such a mess? One of my
best friends and colleagues would regularly repeat this sentence in our
weekly team meeting: “The system is flawed.” I believe she may have
made a seriously important discovery.
I believe that goal setting can be tremendously motivating—when the
people setting the goals are the same people who will be working to
make them successful. We can use goal setting to build rapport with kids
that will energize and excite them—creating a kind of “catch the wave”
mentality. I have found that goal setting works if we set goals for
ourselves right along with our students, if we keep the goals visible and
refer to them often, and if we show the kids we really do care about how
they’re progressing by talking with them about their goals one-on-one.”
“In most organizations, big decisions are made
by people with big titles. In making those
decisions, senior leaders seldom seek the advice
of the rank and file. That’s a problem on at least
3 counts. First, top-level decisions are often
compromised by executive hubris, positional
biases, and incomplete data. Second, it’s often
those on the ground who are best placed to
evaluate the practical issues that will make or
break a strategic move. And third, as the
business environment becomes more complex,
the number of variables that needs to be
factored into key decisions will grow apace.
Given all that, companies need decision-making
processes that are politically neutral, exploit the
organization’s collective wisdom, and
encompass a broad range of views and inputs.”
“In most organizations, big decisions are made by people with big titles.
In making those decisions, senior leaders seldom seek the advice of the
rank and file. That’s a problem on at least 3 counts. First, top-level
decisions are often compromised by executive hubris, positional biases,
and incomplete data. Second, it’s often those on the ground who are
best placed to evaluate the practical issues that will make or break a
strategic move. And third, as the business environment becomes more
complex, the number of variables that needs to be factored into key
decisions will grow apace. Given all that, companies need decision-
making processes that are politically neutral, exploit the organization’s
collective wisdom, and encompass a broad range of views and inputs.”
From What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change,
Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation by Gary Hamel (Feb
1, 2012)

6. https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-
Everyone/dp/1591842808/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qi
d=&sr=
https://startwithwhy.com/
https://goo.gl/PpLQgn

7. https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_ac
tion
But it was Seth Godin’s free eBook, Stop Stealing Dreams: What is School
For? (https://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/stop-stealing-
dreams6print.pdf) that fueled the fire. Godin wrote in his education
manifesto, “School belongs to parents and their kids, the ones who are
paying for it, the ones it was designed for. It belongs to the community,
too, the adults who are going to be living and working beside the
graduates the school churns out. Too often, all these constituents are
told to treat school like an autonomous organism, a pre-programmed
automaton, too big to change and too important to mess with. Well, the
world changed first. Now it’s time for school to follow along.”
Godin continues, “That whisper in your ear, that hesitation about taking
dramatic action—that’s precisely why we still have the system we do.
That’s how we get stuck with the status quo. When it’s safer and easier
and quieter to stick with what we’ve got, we end up sticking with what
we’ve got.”

8. Thinking of a teacher’s perspective of goal setting, of Facebook, of
students, of the future, and of all of educators, Shade responded said,
“What if we had a ‘campaign’…and asked our stakeholders, beginning
with our students, our students’ parents, our Denton ISD educators, our
businesses, and our community, via social networking (Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, etc.) and took online polls, surveys, and asked specific, but
open-ended questions such as, ‘What is school for? What matters to
you? Why are you here in Denton ISD?’ And what if we kicked off the
campaign with a video…one where educators answered these
questions… and put it out there on social networking sites, our district
webpage, TV, etc. to generate a buzz. And told our story?”
What matters to you?
What is school for?
Why do you do what you do?
Why are you here?
Isn’t this “risky business” (opening yourselves up to online criticism)?
What if people say bad things on social media?
“Being heard, then, requires bravery. We have to be willing to open
ourselves to criticism and to interact directly with important stakeholders
in order to be taken seriously. While doing so is definitely risky in a field
as staid as education, it carries tangible rewards in the form of stronger
and more meaningful relationships with the communities we serve.
The goodwill generated from two-way interactions in social media
forums is exponential, spreading beyond just the individuals you are
interacting with. That’s because in a social media world, each resolution
is played out in front of an audience. Every message has the potential to
answer questions that others haven’t asked. What’s more, every
message is a tangible demonstration—a mini-commercial, so to speak—
of your commitment to service.” Communicating and Connecting with
Social Media (Essentials for Principals) by William M. Ferriter, Jason T.
Ramsden, and Eric C. Sheninger

9. Some may do so.
“Developing positive relationships with important stakeholders in the
new digital space requires authenticity, bravery, and consistency. We
worry about parents and students using social media tools to complain
about our decisions, our programs, or our performance. More
importantly, we worry about those complaints being made in a public
forum that anyone can view. Used to doing damage control anytime
negative messages about our buildings surface, specifically creating
forums that enable the easy sharing of negative message runs contrary to
our instincts. Avoiding social media tools, however, is far riskier because
they have been widely embraced beyond your buildings, fundamentally
changing the nature of communication in today’s world. Your important
stakeholders—teachers, parents, students, and community leaders—
might not know it yet, and perhaps neither do you, but in just a few years
if you haven’t adopted social media in a signification way you risk
shutting out the best and most powerful communications channel we’ve
ever known, a channel that values authentic interactions…at its core.”
Communicating and Connecting with Social Media (Essentials for
Principals) by William M. Ferriter, Jason T. Ramsden, and Eric C.
Sheninger
Perhaps, we need to listen.

10. Or in some instances, we need to remind ourselves, “If you aren't in the
arena also getting your ass kicked, I'm not interested in your
feedback.” Brené Brown
http://www.slideshare.net/chrisshade/project-eic-for-41712-denton-isd-
board-meeting-part-1-12573240
http://www.slideshare.net/chrisshade/project-eic-for-41712-denton-isd-
board-meeting-part-2
http://www.slideshare.net/chrisshade/project-eic-handout-for-denton-
isd-school-board-meeting-41712
http://www.dentonrc.com/opinion/columns-headlines/20120929-jamie-wilson-help-form-disds-future.ece
Help form DISD’s future
by Jamie Wilson, Denton ISD Superintendent
Over the past few months we have shared with you the
importance of engaging our community in creating a stronger
future for our students.
Our district is fortunate to have many individuals, businesses
and organizations providing countless volunteer hours,
resources for our classrooms and mentors for our children.
In the early 1900s, school was designed to create a constant
stream of workers for U.S. factories and industry.
Approximately 9 percent of Americans had a high school
diploma in 1910, with that percentage increasing to just over
50 percent in 1950.
Today, the high school diploma is the gateway to additional
educational and economic opportunities. After graduation, all
of our students will enter the work force. Some directly out of
http://www.dentonrc.com/opinion/columns-headlines/20120929-jamie-
wilson-help-form-disds-future.ece
In the Sunday edition of the Denton Record Chronicle, Dr. Jamie Wilson,
new Superintendent of Denton ISD, wrote an article entitled, Jamie
Wilson: Help form DISD’s future.
Over the past few months we have shared with you the importance of
engaging our community in creating a stronger future for our students.
Our district is fortunate to have many individuals, businesses and
organizations providing countless volunteer hours, resources for our
classrooms and mentors for our children.
In the early 1900s, school was designed to create a constant stream of
workers for U.S. factories and industry.
Approximately 9 percent of Americans had a high school diploma in 1910,
with that percentage increasing to just over 50 percent in 1950.
Today, the high school diploma is the gateway to additional educational
and economic opportunities. After graduation, all of our students will

11. enter the work force. Some directly out of high school, or through the
military, while others will arrive after attending college.
As a community committed to education, we need your input. Just as the
function of education has changed in the last century, so have the
expectations of our community.
It is no longer adequate to focus student learning on developing 21st
century skills. Our focus already includes 21st century skills. What worked
yesterday does not necessarily work today.
The Denton school district board of trustees works with district staff to
establish the mission, vision, values and goals for the district.
This workload is shared with the Education Improvement Council (EIC), a
district site-based decision making committee consisting of
representatives from across the district including a teacher from every
campus, representatives from the central office, counselors, nurses,
librarians and principals.
Key members also include parents, community and business
representatives. The function of the EIC is to advise the board in
establishing and reviewing the district’s educational goals, objectives and
major districtwide classroom instructional programs.
To further engage our community, the Denton district will be actively
seeking input from staff, businesses, teachers, community members,
parents and students.
Input will be collected by a variety of methods including the use of
Facebook. This initiative is known as “Project EIC.” The purpose is to
provide an avenue for meaningful feedback on what really matters in
educating our children.
We will solicit responses to five guiding questions via Facebook over the
course of five weeks by asking one question per week.
• What is school for? Posted: Sept. 30.
• What matters to you? (What’s really important to you?) Posted: Oct.
7.
• What is success? (What does success look like?) Posted: Oct. 14.
• Why do you do what you do? (Why are you a student, parent of a
student, a civic-minded community member, an educator, a teacher,
etc.) Posted: Oct. 21.
• Why are you here? (Why are you in Denton school district?) Posted:
Oct. 28.
Background information regarding the development of these questions
can be found on the “PROJECT EIC” FAQ page at
www.dentonisd.org/Page/284.
There are great things happening in Denton school district, and we want
you to get engaged with us. Please take the time to access more

12. information regarding “PROJECT EIC” on our website at
www.dentonisd.org/eic.
Starting today, find our questions online at www.facebook.com/disdeic.
Our community has a long history of commitment to the public school
system, and the benefits of education for all. As a public school system,
we would be remiss if we did not make a concentrated effort to engage
the entire community in this process.
Conversation began in the EIC. It is now time for you to help us shape the
future of our school system.
The future is not something you enter; it is something we create. Please
join us in creating our future.
And with that, “Project EIC”, constructed on Facebook on September 24,
2012, officially launched online on Sunday, September 30.
http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20120508-
school-district-to-revisit-its-roots.ece#slcgm_comments_anchor
http://www.dentonrc.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20120509-
project-could-improve-schools.ece

13. Some comments were very positive…
…and some comments were not so glowing.

14. http://topnonprofits.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mission-Vision-
Worksheet.pdf
http://topnonprofits.com/examples/nonprofit-mission-statements/
Top 10 Company Mission Statements:
http://drdianehamilton.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/top-10-company-
mission-statements-in-2011/

15. To open the January 2013 Meeting, members sat in table groups of six.
Each was given two minutes to share and be heard. Instructions were
given as follows:
1. When you arrive, review your notes. Highlight any item numbers
from the handout relevant to share.
2. Welcome to the meeting.
3. Each table will number off 1 - 6.
4. A number will be called (i.e. 4).
5. Speaker 4 will have 2 minutes to share. Others listen.
6. Deep breath.
7. Repeat until all have been heard. (12 minutes)
8. Table group will determine key points. (12 minutes)
9. Numbers will meet together (i.e. 1s will go to a table with other 1s;
2s to a table with other 2s; 3s with 3s, etc.) to report original table group
findings. (12 minutes)
10. Number groups (i.e. 1s, 2s…) will report findings to all. (12 minutes)
11. Discussion.
After being dismissed, the following message was shared with EIC
members:
From: Shade, Chris
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 1:08 PM
Subject: 3 nouns, 3 verbs, and 3 adjectives
Do you realize [together] we took a massive amount of information and
condensed it down to this…three nouns, three verbs, and three
adjectives?
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives

16. Future
Community
Citizen
Engage
Empower
Foster
Lifelong
Global
Resilient
I believe these are to be the essence of our statement.
Our next step is to take these words, although not necessarily all nine (
i.e. “resilient” may be determined to be a part of a list of values we
“foster” instead of including it as part of the mission) to create a
statement. (Using “resilient” was simply for example’s sake only. You
may wish “resilient” to be in the mission statement and another word
not included).
I will send further guidance as to how to approach this further, but I was
too excited to sit on this info. Know I am open to feedback; and I hope
you share. In the meantime, feel free to begin giving it life by putting
language to the words. Remember, it’s a statement of why we exist. A
slogan will rise up from it, I’m certain (as will a logo).
This is coming along awesomely!
How I arrived at these nine words:
Taking from the two rounds of discussion, I recorded the words utilized
and tick marked those used multiple times (i.e. “empower” was recorded
nine times); and I marked a line through the words you said not to use
(i.e. “successful” was struck through four times after the group said, “Do
not use ‘success’.” four times).

17. In Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard
(https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-
Hard/dp/0385528752), the Heath Brothers use an analogy coined by
University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt in his book, The
Happiness Hypothesis. Haidt wrote, “Our emotional side is an Elephant
and our rational side is its Rider. Perched atop the Elephant, the Rider
holds the reins and seems to be the leader. But the Rider's control is
precarious because the Rider is so small relative to the Elephant. Anytime
the six-ton Elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go,
the Rider is going to lose. He's completely overmatched.
If you want to change things, you've got to appeal to both. The Rider
provides the planning and direction, and the Elephant provides the
energy. Finally, you must shape the path or provide direction for the
elephant and its rider. To change behavior, you've got to direct the Rider,
motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path. If you can do all three at
once, dramatic change can happen even if you don't have lots of power
or resources behind you.”
Using the Heath Brothers checklist for change, EIC members examined
the possibility of Project EIC.
• Does it evoke emotion?
• Does it feel doable?
• Are there bright spots?
• Can it connect to the big picture?
• Would it create positive peer pressure?
• Is it consistent with the way people think about themselves in the
organization?

18. From: Shade, Chris
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 9:47 AM
Subject: How to describe EIC Monday
I wish you all could have witnessed the work of the EIC on Monday
afternoon. In essence, in groups of six, each member had two
minutes to talk of the key points from the [almost] 200 mission
statement/slogan submissions provided via email. After 12
minutes, the group summarized the key points offered. Numbering
off 1 to 6, the group repeated the activity with a new group (1s met
with other 1s, 2s with 2s, etc.). After synthesizing the info, groups
reported out and the common themes were recorded. From the
discussion, nine words stood out: three nouns (future, community,
and citizen), three verbs (engage, empower, and foster), and three
adjectives (lifelong, global, and resilient). With those nine, the EIC
is crafting a mission statement.
Following the meeting, I asked members to describe the afternoon;
and I wanted to share with you all. While there is no way to capture
the energy and essence of the meeting in words, here is how the
members described Monday…
· Inspirational
· Amazing
· Focused
· Collaborative
· Purpose driven
· Productive
· Exciting because we're narrowing it down!
· It was refreshing to see how quickly we were able to come
together as a group to capture exactly who we are, who we serve,
and what we have to offer that sets us above the others.
· I thought it was interesting, as it often is, to see how
differently each campus level (elementary, middle, and high)
perceived different ideas and phrases.
· I really enjoy being a part of creating a new mission
statement that fits where our district is today. Yesterday was very
productive and invigorating.
· There was a sense of community within the group and I felt
that that sense of community extended out to those who shared
their ideas online and through email.
· I felt that we were successful in getting our thoughts and
ideas cohesive with that of our community.
· Finally feeling involved.
· Engaging
· Empowering
· Global
· Team work
· Respect
· Interesting

19. · Inspiring
· Powerful
· Eager
· Valued
· Growth in understanding of how important it is to
communicate our mission to people in and out of Denton ISD.
· I love being a part of this committee.
· I felt a sense of leadership. How cool is it that I get to play a
small role in making history in Denton ISD.
EIC Reps present to the Denton ISD Board of Trustees 2/5/13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4SSarlY5Lg&feature=youtu.b
e
District administrators provided input into the mission; and
statements were narrowed down and distributed to all EIC
members and district principals.
“From: Shade, Chris
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2013 1:59 PM
Subject: Reply with your TOP 3
Importance: High
To the EIC and FYI Principals:
Please read the submissions below, seek input from your
colleagues, and reply with your top three choices in order of
preference by next Friday, February 15:
1.
2.
3.

20. From: Shade, Chris
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2013 9:44 AM
Subject: Feedback requested: Mission Statements
Importance: High
The following statements garnered the most votes. By assigning a
point to each of the submissions value (3 points for first choice, 2
points for the second choice, and 1 point for the third choice),
totals were gathered. For example, if Person A chose Statement #7
as his first choice, and Person B chose Statement #7 as her third
choice, then #7 was assigned a total of 4 points, etc.
We meet Monday afternoon at 4. The board is expecting a
recommendation Tuesday night. The board meeting begins at 6.
You ALL are invited but not expected to attend. Anyone want to join
me in sharing this with the board???
Based on your feedback, here are the top choices:
• The mission of Denton ISD is to engage and empower productive
lifelong learners.
• The mission of Denton ISD is to engage, foster, and empower
lifelong learners to impact the local and global community.
• Lifelong learners
Engage
Impact
Empower
• The mission of Denton ISD is to equip and empower lifelong,
engaged, innovative and resilient global citizens.
Please offer insight into the statements above by replying to all by 4
PM tomorrow. I will gather all feedback and synthesize all feedback
onto one document on Friday afternoon and email it to you for you
to review and consider as we prepare for to make a decision.

21. Project EIC Mission Statement Video Presentation for the Denton
ISD Board of Trustees:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XieNCkSqets
Board response to the "Project EIC" mission statement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1AypWJvr5k
EIC members were called on stage where Chris Shade, Chairman,
remarked, “We did a lot of work beginning a little over a year ago.
We had the idea to rebrand our district with our mission. I think
you’ll find that these people that are standing with me as well as
the other names that scrolled across the screen have been heavily
invested. We did something that no one to my knowledge has ever
done before through communicating with our community, our
educators through social media, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter. We’ve
had a unique opportunity to lead the way here in Denton. And I’m
very proud to have had the opportunity to work with these folks
here that are representatives of those that have worked with us as
well as the opportunity to work with you guys and hear the support
you have offered. So with that, I’ve shared with you our mission.
We narrowed it down to 17 words. They were based upon all of the
feedback like the numbers showed at the beginning. We narrowed
that down to the nine most frequent words, which very ironically
were three nouns, three verbs, and three adjective. And we
included six of those. Two from each category. It is really

22. remarkable to see this unfold. Last Thursday, we worked on our
final draft as you saw we had 700 some-odd emails through the
course that I’ve kept. Last Thursday I sent a final message. [We
responded to one another] 109 times on Thursday and Friday. It
was really a remarkable sight to behold. It was a very unique
opportunity that I was very proud of these people in the
investment they made in their time. So I am grateful for the
members of our community, you’ve come; our administrators; our
teachers; counselors.
Mia Price, President, said, “I don’t know how you did it. But, I’m
very proud of you. And of your product. I don’t think people would
ever realize how much time and work truly went into this profound
statement. It’s so appreciated, and I love what it says. And it pretty
much says what that big long thing said before.”
“There are similarities,” Shade replied. “I think that the one thing
that stands out is the idea of the local and global community. That
our kids will live in one community, do their groceries, do their
banking, go to church, go to school, and sell their ideas and
products all across the world so they live in both communities at
the same time. But you are right. There are some very close
similarities between the two.”
“One word. One syllable. One consonant. One vowel. WOW!”
smiled Dr. Glenna Harris, board Vice-President, which drew awes
and laughter from the audience.
“I don’t think it needs any comments,” offered Dr. Jim Alexander.
Board Secretary, Dr. Rudy Rodriguez remarked, “Thanks for keeping
us in the loop. Throughout the process, I for one felt a part of the
good work that you’re doing all along the way,” describing the
mission statement as “a beautiful, signature statement.”
In closing, Dr. Jamie Wilson, Superintendent, said, “This Education
Improvement Committee, this group of people, made up of all
individuals of our learning community, parents, businesses,
nonprofits, faith-based organizations, that’s what it takes to truly
make a difference and to truly help our kids grow. [The children]
are counting on us to do exactly what this says. They’re counting on
us to make those things happen. And we appreciate you for helping
us get to this point so we could communicate that to all the
members of our community. Thank you for your work, thank you
for your leadership, and thank you for your risk-taking. That’s a big
jump to jump out there and do what you just did. And this group, I
just can’t say enough to you all in appreciation for your work and
for really keeping the first thing first, and that’s our kids.”

23. “Branding, a term synonymous with marketing and business, is
beginning to find its niche in education. Brands promise value—
essential for maintaining support in difficult economic conditions—
to specific audiences or stakeholder groups. Brands are designed to
stand out, to influence consumers, and to build confidence in
products. Sustaining a sense of trust is an integral component of a
brand’s ability to promise value. Successful brands open
themselves up to scrutiny, respond to criticism, and make every
effort to own up to their mistakes, and work to improve based on
consumer feedback.
In education, schools are considered a brand, promising their
communities the academic preparation necessary to succeed.
Many families choose to live in townships with schools that have
proven track records. Stakeholders become convinced that their
schools prepare students well and provide a quality return on their
investment of time, energy and resources. Schools can leverage this
brand presence for additional community investment in teacher
quality, curriculum, facilities, and professional development
initiatives. The bottom line is that schools actively building their
brand are supported by their communities, and that support
translates into continued improvement and success.”
Communicating and Connecting with Social Media (Essentials for
Principals) by William M. Ferriter, Jason T. Ramsden, and Eric C.
Sheninger
The words of William Ferriter in Communicating and Connecting
with Social Media (Essentials for Principals) inspired the use of
social media. Ferriter wrote,
“Using traditional media for branding and communication does
little to encourage give-and-take between schools and the
communities they serve. While traditional media can deliver
messages, receiving and responding to feedback is almost
impossible. This lack of responsiveness can make school seem aloof
and uncaring. Worse yet, traditional means for branding and
communication are inherently slow. By the time messages are
crafted and delivered, they are also outdated and unimportant.
This lag in message delivery runs contrary to the immediacy that
defines communication in today’s digital age.” Communicating and
Connecting with Social Media (Essentials for Principals) by William M.
Ferriter, Jason T. Ramsden, and Eric C. Sheninger

24. “Parents and teachers who have grown to expect open channels,
instant responses, and customized opportunities to participate—
and who, increasingly, will have grown up in social media spaces—
will lose faith in building that refuse to adapt. Instead of hiding
from this new media ecology, tomorrow’s best [leaders] will
embrace transparency and portability that tools like Twitter and
Facebook enable, creating and managing multiple streams of
communication at once.
Sadly, parents and students often see schools as the same kinds of
impersonal places. Once easily recognizable neighborhood icons,
principals are often too busy to fully interact with their
communities; high rates of transience in teacher and student
populations make it unlikely that parents will have long-term
relationships with faculty members; and standardized testing has
created a culture that turns students into nothing more than
numbers. The result of impersonality is a general sense of distrust
between individuals and the organizations that serve them.
Breaking through distrust requires frequent, open interactions
between stakeholders—behaviors that social medial tools enable
and amplify.
Relationships between consumers and the businesses they support
are changing. New tools have enabled progressive companies to
interact directly and informally with customers in ways that were
once impossible. They have also enabled businesses to craft
interesting and exciting messages that entertain and capture
attention. As a result, education’s stakeholders are beginning to
expect the same kinds of innovative messages from their schools.
The static communication patterns that we have come to rely on
are seen as standoffish and distant. Not only do these one-way
messaging patters fall short of the expectations of parents,
students, younger staff members, and community leaders, they are
likely to be lost in the digital noise that our communities are
swimming in.” Communicating and Connecting with Social Media
(Essentials for Principals) by William M. Ferriter, Jason T. Ramsden, and
Eric C. Sheninger

25. Mark Rovner, founder of Sea Change Strategies, says of simplicity,
“If you can’t tell your brand story to a 9-year-old it’s no good.”
Unveiling of the NEW Denton ISD Logo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvWIDYBcfow