There’s a scene in the Oscar-nominated film American Hustle in which Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Rosalyn, sheepishly confesses, “I don’t like change … It’s really hard for me.”
Rosalyn is not alone. Many of us are resistant to change. It can be scary and threatening, a far cry from the comfort and security of the familiar, no matter how flawed the status quo may be.
However, improvement requires change. Leaders of schools, districts, and non-profits – any organization, in fact – often are charged with driving change. Over the past two decades in particular, public education has been characterized by sweeping reforms in policy and practice, including new standards, assessments, accountability measures, educational models, technology and much more.
Effective communication is a critical component of any change movement. No organization can be transformed without a comprehensive approach to informing and engaging everyone affected and involved. In this edition of e-news, we look at Horan Communications’ work to help schools, districts and non-profits communicate effectively about several major changes: new Common Core standards, a new Superintendent, and new instructional practices.
Recommended reading:
Leading Change by John P. Kotter, especially the chapter, “Communicating the Change Vision.”