Thanks to Learning Forward for inviting M2 to present at their December 2014 Annual Conference. We led a skill building session based on research conducted with practitioners and stakeholders in states across the country on how changes in assessments and higher expectations for students were communicated. Participants gained practical information on audience identification, messaging and communications strategy, tactics and methods.

 

Thanks to the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and their terrific members for attending our Looking Back to Move Ahead: Common Core Assessments Communications session at their national seminar in Baltimore on July 14, 2014.  We presented our research on communication around changes in state assessments and facilitated at a working session.  A smart, insightful group of district level communications directors from around the country engaged in a great planning session on communicating about more rigorous standards and assessments.  To learn more about our session, check out NSPRA’s national seminar website.

 

"Communication is Key to Common Core"

Kappan magazine, March 2014

Read Pat Maunsell’s article, “Communication is Key to Common Core” in the March 2014 issue of Kappan magazine. Based on her research commissioned by the Education Trust that looked at how districts across the country communicated recent changes to state assessments, Pat identifies effective and replicable strategies to facilitate a smooth transition to the new assessments. Key to success is making sure all stakeholders --from state superintendents to classroom teachers -- are engaged and valued throughout the process so they can become effective communicators.

 

Download Communication is Key to Common Core

 

Looking Back to Move Ahead: Lessons for Effective Communcations to Support Implementation of Common Core-Aligned Assessments

 

Looking Back to Move Ahead, written for the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, takes a look back at the communications strategies used by states across the country that implemented new, more rigorous assessments. The research, commissioned by the Education Trust in Washington DC, addresses the fundamental question: What makes the difference between public support and public confusion? With the vast majority of public school systems having adopted the Common Core State Standards and aligned assessments – answering this question has become paramount to districts across the country. Our research findings offer a practical and instructive lens into how effective communications can garner support for new assessments and provide a template to successfully move forward.

 

Download Looking Back to Move Ahead.