Educational leaders often need to communicate complicated information or information that can elicit strong emotional reactions from parents, staff, and other stakeholders.

In some cases, in an effort to communicate just the basics, school leaders avoid providing all the details about certain issues, even when stakeholders want the information.

However, in most cases, other than in confidential matters, it is better to provide too much information than too little.

When it comes to working with the media, bad news stories often develop because the reporter or the public understand only a part of the issue or think that they understand something that they don’t.

If you do not provide enough information, you are surrendering your messages and your story to others. As a result, rumors often get started, misinformation gets treated as fact, and people lose trust in you and the district.

Your goal should always be to raise the level of dialogue about educational issues in your community. To do this, you need to err on the side of over-communicating. When in doubt, use a Frequently Asked Questions document to address areas of stakeholder concern and rumors.