Priorities and Practices for Crafting Effective School Statements
Publicly responding to a national or world event is nerve-wracking, and the stakes feel very high. Increasingly, schools are expected to use their roles as community leaders to provide acknowledgment, a little perspective, and maybe even comfort to help people process a confusing and often unsettling time. Schools need to build multiple robust, regularly used communication channels with constituents to demonstrate awareness and empathy.
Schools are some of the strongest communities we have right now. So if your constituents are impacted by a global or national event, at a certain point, if you choose not to communicate at all, you are saying something. And that “something” is a blank projection screen over which you have no control.
Let’s explore the question of “to write or not write an institutional statement?” We will start by acknowledging and accepting that national and global events will happen, and that they can disturb and upset your constituents in myriad ways. You will examine how your values and the school’s values come together so that you can express them in an individualistic and authentic way. We will work through the discomfort and difficulty of assuring your school community that things will be okay. Together we will hone in on authenticity as a driving force for positive engagement with your school community that instills confidence in the school. You’ll come away better prepared to offer meaning and hope through local connection… even when things are haywire outside the school walls.
Key takeaways include:
- The current landscape of constituent expectations and how they evolved over recent years.
- Why “we don’t issue statements” is not an effective decision.
- Recommendations for when you need to address the community and when it’s a risk to stay silent.
- Best practices for crafting a statement.
- Guidelines for assessing and improving current communications channels.
- How to establish and communicate a transparent policy around the issuance of school statements.
- Major trends and issues outside school walls leaders should contemplate.
This workshop is best suited for public-facing school leaders, including Heads of School and Admissions, Advancement, DEI, Marketing, and Communication leads.
Dates & Venues
Thursday, January 18, 2024
3:30 – 5:00 PM
This workshop will be presented virtually via Zoom.
Register
| Attendees | Member Pricing | Non-Member Pricing |
| 1 – 3 | $85/pp | $185/pp |
| 4 – 7 (Save 10%) |
$75/pp | $175/pp |
| 8 – 19 (Save 20%) |
$65/pp | $165/pp |
AISNE seeks to create an inclusive learning environment for all. If you have accessibility questions or needs, please contact us at info@aisne.org.
About the Facilitator
Julie Faulstich, Principal, Stony Creek Strategy
Julie Faulstich is a seasoned leader in independent school education. Working her way up from a dorm staff position to Head of School in a 25+ year career, Julie brings a blend of strong interpersonal skills, creativity, and analytical rigor to change management in schools.
Julie’s most recent role was as Head at the Westover School, a girls boarding/day school in Middlebury, CT, where she revitalized a strong but aging institution, growing enrollment and fundraising, establishing cutting-edge advancement communication practices and refreshed branding, renovating and updating large portions of the beautiful 1909 campus, and adding significant enhancements to the School’s signature Women in Science and Engineering program and its Rasin Center for Global Justice. During her tenure, the Board of Trustees endorsed a comprehensive Vision for Belonging and Justice, establishing a commitment to inclusion and equity across the institution.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations and transfer requests must be sent via email to info@aisne.org. Cancellations will receive a 100% refund, less a $50 administrative fee. Transfers of registrations from one person to another are permitted up to 2 business days before the start of the event, or the first event of a series of events.
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