The Fires are Burning and The Waves are High

There have always been critics of public education, but the current politicized climate has made navigating the waters a bit more rocky for school leaders. Whether the conversation is heating up about mask mandates, what’s being taught, how students are learning or your district’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, opponents are organizing and responding. In this session CESO senior strategists and experienced school PR professionals will share effective messaging and communication strategies that can help school leaders proactively promote a positive narrative around their district’s decisions and strategic work while also lessening the need to react and respond to negative and inaccurate messaging. Participants will gain insight into the well-organized strategies of opposition groups. They will learn best practices for responding to critics, and how to lower the temperature and navigate through difficult conversations with credibility by focusing on transparency, truth and by cultivating long-term trust.