Communications and engagement are the essential foundations for improving achievement in Rochester schools. Our work to strengthen instruction, align resources with results, improve school climate and better match Central Office support to school and student needs depends on clear understanding and active participation by the customers we serve.

As part of Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams’ 100-day planning process, the Listen and Learn Communications Team sought input on how communication and engagement are working now and how we can improve moving forward. We broke our challenge statement down into a few questions addressed in this report.

Communications

• What do stakeholders want to know?
• How are they receiving information now?
• How would they like to receive information in the future?

Engagement

• How are stakeholders involved in their school and the District?
• What prevents them from being as engaged as they would like to be?

Customer Service

• Do stakeholders feel valued by their school and by the District?
• How do stakeholders feel about customer service when they receive help from their school and/or the District?

We began by reviewing exemplar surveys, policies and practices from other districts. Through online surveys we received direct input from more than 1,600 students, parents, staff members and community partners. We reviewed quantitative data with students, teachers, school administrators and community partners as part of extended-team conversations. Project leads participated in focus groups and large-group meetings with teachers and administrators for additional insight.

A few key findings emerged that cut across stakeholder groups.

• Schools are viewed more positively than Central Office for communication, engagement and customer service
• Academic performance and ways to improve achievement are the most important topic that all stakeholder groups want to know about
• Email is a preferred means of communication – the top choice of all groups surveyed for receiving general information
• Views on use of social media and smartphones during school hours are mixed

We should note that Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams has taken actions during the development of our plan that align with these findings. One is the creation of Leadership Link, a weekly round-up of essential information for school administrators that is designed to reduce the demand on schools to review and respond to a high volume of emails from multiple Central Office departments. A second example is “At Your Service,” a dedicated resource in the Superintendent’s Office to ensure responses within 24 hours to concerns that schools or District departments have not addressed in a timely way. In December 2016 the District launched “RCSD Headlines,” a web-based resource that covers District news and administrative actions for staff members, community partners and families.

Our report provides recommendations in six areas to build on these actions and strengthen communication, engagement and customer service.

• Expand utilization of existing tools by improving processes and practices
• Develop strategies and toolkits to address the mixed satisfaction ratings between schools and Central Office
• Create flexible, comprehensive and inclusive policies and regulations on social media and student cell-phone use  Provide coordinated support to partners
• Improve communication and engagement on controversial or complex issues by adapting the multifaceted approach employed by the City of Rochester, which includes facilitated forums, “telephone town halls” and online surveys
• Initiate an ongoing process to review communication and customer service satisfaction levels among stakeholders so that we can assess progress and areas for improvement