List of Tools and Artifacts

SECTION 1: AUDIENCES

Lesson 1: Be Strategic, Prioritize Audiences

• Hillsborough County (FL)
  
  • Summary of communications priorities
  • Upcoming milestones document
• Denver
  • Communications and teacher engagement plan
  • Week-by-week communications timeline
    

Lesson 2: Engage Teachers Early and Meaningfully

• Denver
  • LEAP design team application
  • Core values alignment worksheet
    
• Aspire (CA)
  
  • Advisory group presentation
  • Elementary student survey on teacher performance
  • High school student survey on teacher performance
    
• Atlanta
  • Annual online survey of teachers
  • Teacher e-newsletter
    
• Memphis
  • Teacher Effectiveness Measurement website
  • Teaching and learning framework
    

Lesson 3: Involve Principals from the Start

• Hillsborough County case studies/lessons learned
• Pittsburgh
  • Emerging Leadership Academy presentation
  • Principal accountability system website
    

Lesson 4: Proactively Explain Changes to Parents

• National PTA parent guides to the Common Core State Standards
• Communities for Teaching Excellence
  • Parents guide to communicating with teachers
  • Parents guide to supporting effective teaching
  • Parents guide to academic standards
  • Teaching Excellence Report e-newsletter
  • Parent- and teacher-developed model evaluation system
    
• A+ Schools (Pittsburgh)
  • Results of principal and teacher survey on first year of implementation
  • School board meeting report card
  • Pledge to support effectiveness as rationale for layoffs
• Hillsborough County PTA
  • District initiative e-zine
  • Overview of parent role in initiative
  • Video about parent initiative
  • PowerPoint presentation about initiative
    

SECTION 2: MESSAGING

Lesson 5: Craft Positive, Supportive, and "Connected" Messages

• Denver rationale for reform
• Memphis rationale for reform
• Pittsburgh rationale for reform
• Messaging research
  • Communications Implications from Education Opinion Research (GMMB summary of research by the Winston Group, Peter Hart, and Harris Interactive)
  • The Big Picture: The Impact of National Storylines on Local Reform (Brunswick Group and GMMB)
  • Public Opinion Research on Education Issues (The Winston Group)
  • Primary Sources teacher surveys (Scholastic)
• Memphis I Teach, I Am campaign website
• Pittsburgh Believe campaign materials

 SECTION 3: TACTICS AND MESSENGERS

Lesson 6: Elevate Principals and Teachers as Key Communicators

• The Winston Group Public Opinion Research on Education Issues
• Memphis principals' teacher recognition program toolkit
• The College-Ready Promise sample training for principals
• Atlanta
  • Communications toolkit for principals
  • Effective Teaching in Every Classroom website
• Denver teacher and principal training materials
• Hillsborough County communications liaison responsibilities
• Pittsburgh working conditions survey teacher liaison job description
  

Lesson 7: Streamline Communications

• Green Dot
  • Weekly email for principals
  • Daily teacher email updates during contract negotiations
• Pittsburgh website
• Hillsborough County website
• Denver website
• Atlanta website
• Memphis website
• Prince George's County (MD) website
• Tulsa website

Lesson 8: Invest in Staffing

• Atlanta organizational chart
• Denver communications manager job description
• Memphis I Teach, I Am campaign website
• Aspen Institute Education & Society Program guide to developing effective teacher evaluation systems
• Pittsburgh project charter

 Lesson 9: Partner with the Teachers Union

• Denver website
• Pittsburgh
  • Website
  • Professional development PowerPoint presentation
  • Newspaper article on layoffs
    

Lesson 10: Engage the Media at the Right Time

• Tulsa
  • Media Plan
  • Overview of "value-added" growth measure
  • Press release on adoption of system across most of the state
• Memphis
  • Clergy United for the Memphis Schools website
  • Clergy United for the Memphis Schools report on the teacher effectiveness program
  • Newspaper articles and press releases on the report
  • Media advisory on follow-up celebration
  • Newspaper article on celebration

Lesson 11: Work with External Champions

• A+ Schools (Pittsburgh)
  • Tumblr for layoff campaign
  • Actions stakeholders can take
  • Website
  • I Heart Great Teaching campaign
  • Report on professional development, staffing patterns, and working conditions
  • Progress report
  • Make Great Teaching Count campaign
• Council for a Strong America (Memphis)
  • Website
  • Clergy United for the Memphis Schools website
  • Clergy United for the Memphis Schools report on the teacher effectiveness program
  • Newspaper articles and press releases on the report
  • Media advisory on follow-up celebration

SECTION 4: MEASUREMENTS

• Atlanta
  • Annual online survey of teachers
  • Annual online survey of administrators
  • Annual online survey of principals
• Hillsborough County teacher survey
• Denver educator survey
• Pittsburgh
• Teacher working conditions survey
• Survey promotion campaign poster, flyer, and counter cards
• Survey website
• Survey results press release

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