Para la operación del SNE de la entidad federativa:

Building trust in OPS leadership should continue to be a priority, both internally and externally. By maintaining open communication about decision-making processes, the Board and administration can clearly demonstrate their commitment to a “transparent” style of leadership that allows stakeholders to monitor and participate in the educational process. This not only helps to foster trust and credibility in the system, but also encourages all stakeholders to assume responsibility for the success of their schools.

Focus group participants, both internal and external, said that they appreciate

opportunities for face-to-face interaction and indicated that would like to see increased visibility of district leaders in the schools and in the community. Some strategies to consider include:

■ Increase the accessibility of Board members and administrators at meetings. Board

members and administrators can create positive interactions with the public by being available in the lobby or meeting room prior to the start of a public meeting as well as afterwards. Having Board members available to welcome and interact with constituents and staff is a powerful public relations tool. We also suggest that the Board consider scheduling some of its regular committee meetings at times when interested citizens can attend (i.e., evenings or Saturdays) instead of always during the work day.

■ District leaders should visit schools and attend parent group meetings as often as possible. While this is time-consuming, employees appreciate any efforts by district

administrators and Board members to visit schools and spend time in classrooms and lunchrooms. When leaders are visible in the schools, it helps build staff morale and counteract the perception of TAC as an isolated “ivory tower” that is disconnected to the schools. Administrator visits should not be strictly limited to business meetings or problem- solving. Efforts also should be made to visit food service, transportation and maintenance support staff. Board members should try to visit schools when their schedules allow. We recommend that all visits be reported on in some fashion as a follow-up. For example, the superintendent, administrators and Board members could report on visits or attendance at special events as a regular part of the Board meeting agenda. Other avenues include adding brief notes in school and district publications or websites and sharing impressions at staff meetings. In a district as large as OPS, administrators may only be able to visit a limited number of schools every month, so something as simple as a “Superintendent’s Travels” box on the website or in the staff newsletter that lists the date and site visited will demonstrate that administrators are not locked behind closed doors. Not only do regular site visits raise

the visibility of school leaders, it also gives them “bragging rights” about the school system, which builds pride and staff morale.

■ Encourage district leaders to become active in local civic and service organizations.

Community and business leaders are regularly asked to become involved in education and the schools. It is equally important for the Board and administrators to play an active role in the community and demonstrate their commitment to those who support the schools on a regular basis. This also provides ongoing opportunities to share information about OPS with influential community leaders. Cabinet members should be encouraged to get involved in various agency and foundation boards and commissions, either at the city level or with local businesses in the community. This will help to position OPS as a leading school system and ensure that it is well-represented with important community groups.

■ Increase collaborative efforts and OPS involvement in community projects and development initiatives. Another important consideration is to ensure that OPS is “at the

table” when major community issues are being considered by key community leaders. Given OPS’ location and prominent position as the largest school district in the state, leaders should maintain a visible presence and have a prominent voice in decisions that impact Omaha.

■ Consider creating a Superintendent’s Business/Civic Advisory Council. Implementing a

Business/Civic Advisory Council could also serve to increase involvement, build a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for student achievement and school success, strengthen relationships, build understanding of the needs of schools and business, and allow OPS to tap local expertise. Business/Civic Advisory Council members could be invited to meet with the superintendent and other administrators several times a year to discuss management, budget, marketing and resource challenges facing the district. Business and civic leaders could also assist OPS in helping to frame issues in lay terms and in disseminating information to the constituents they serve.

Some school systems have used business/civic advisory councils to examine the business side of operations and make recommendations for improvement. Others have had

representatives train school employees in management and customer service strategies. In many cases, these business/civic leaders come away impressed with the school system’s sound business practices and are willing to state as much to skeptical citizens, the news media and elected officials, essentially serving as powerful key communicators to the community.

These advisory council members should be included on mail and email lists to receive district publications and news updates. They also should be included in the Key Communicator Network (see Recommendation 7).

■ Implement a “speakers’ bureau” that community organizations and businesses can tap for meetings and conferences. A speakers’ bureau would provide OPS with an opportunity

to directly communicate programs and initiatives to key civic and community groups and patrons. Identify various administrators and employees (such as award recipients or topic specialists) who are available for speaking engagements on a variety of topics. Prepared

PowerPoint presentations and videos will make this effort professional. This service could also be offered online for easy access and booking. A speakers’ bureau would allow OPS to take its message to the public rather than always bringing the public to the district.

■ Seek out opportunities to present sessions at state and national conferences. In order to

raise OPS’ profile and build its status as a leading urban school system, it is important to share successes at educational conferences around the state and nation. OPS has much to brag about and some truly stellar programs that could serve as models for other school districts, but unless you “take your show on the road,” OPS will continue to be known best for its politics rather than its quality educational program.

■ Plan activities to introduce the new superintendent to the district and community.

Whenever a new leader joins an organization, it is important to quickly connect that person with the community in order to establish a solid foundation for future interactions. Some suggestions to consider for introducing the new superintendent include:

 Schedule a series of individual meetings with influential community leaders (i.e., elected officials, major employers in the district, editor of the Omaha World Herald, Chamber of Commerce director, local community college/university presidents, ministerial alliance, etc.). These leaders can then be invited to be part of the Key Communicator Network.  Schedule meetings with key district groups such as teacher association leaders, the

Minority Achievement Council, and the Citizens Advisory Council;

 Invite patrons to attend a special “Meet the Superintendent” reception before or after a regular Board meeting; and

 Schedule short introductory meetings with staff at each school within the first few months on the job. We believe it is critically important to immediately establish the superintendent as open and accessible, and if employees feel they are a low priority it will be difficult to create a positive momentum for change. In the short term, creating a video message from the new superintendent outlining his vision and initial plans would help to set the tone and facilitate a timely and consistent introduction to staff at all buildings.

■ Consider starting a Superintendent’s Blog or posting regular video messages on the website. Focus group participants indicated they would welcome more district

communication from the superintendent and a regular blog or video message would provide an excellent opportunity to expand the superintendent’s outreach and raise visibility across OPS. A blog can be used to address topics such as current issues and updates on the district’s progress, and raise awareness of legislative decisions that impact the schools. Video

messages also can be used to address issues, highlight progress toward goals, celebrate student and staff successes, and deliver key messages. These types of message features should be placed in prominent positions on the website homepage and sent out via links in e- publications to garner maximum exposure.

■ Use Twitter to highlight school visits. Whenever the superintendent visits schools, take

advantage of the opportunity to highlight programs and feature individual schools in a proactive manner. Consider setting up a superintendent’s Twitter account for tweeting comments, photos and links to teaching and learning experiences during school visits. An intern or a student assistant could accompany the superintendent on visits and be trained to send tweets on direction (so that the superintendent can focus attention on the visit). Encourage stakeholders to follow the superintendent’s Twitter account by announcing it in school newsletters, on websites and at meetings. An example of how a superintendent is using Twitter successfully in this manner is Dr. Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. See an example on his webpage at

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/superintendent/.

■ Investigate opportunities for the superintendent to write a regular column for the Omaha World Herald or appear as a guest on a municipal cable television or local radio show. Contact newspapers and the local cable channel to see if they might be interested in

having the superintendent provide a regular column or update on the schools and answer questions about how OPS is preparing students for the future. Local media outlets often welcome additional material to fill space and times, so we encourage OPS to reach out to them to determine if opportunities exist to work together in keeping the community informed about the schools.

Recommendation 12: Implement branding/marketing strategies to