Strengthening School Communication Across Alaska
It was an honor for Joe Donovan and Jerry Gallagher to represent Donovan Group as keynote speakers at the Alaska Superintendents Association’s Summer Meeting in Juneau.
Joe and Jerry had the opportunity to collaborate with superintendents from across Alaska around one of the most important challenges facing public education today: How do we more effectively communicate the incredible work happening in our schools every day?
Their presentation explored practical strategies for moving from reactive to proactive communication, including:
- Building a sustainable communications system with repeatable content, core pillars, and consistent planning rhythms.
- Increasing communication output through repurposing, tools, templates, and shared responsibilities.
- Making leadership more visible, relatable, and authentic.
- Activating community champions and expanding reach through local media and trusted influencers.
- Managing risk and knowing when to respond, when to pause, and when to take a conversation offline.
- Tracking indicators of trust, including engagement and sentiment.
- Turning ideas into action through immediate, structural, and leadership visibility shifts.
At the heart of the conversation was a simple but important message: strategic communication is a long-term investment in building trust with families and communities—not a quick fix.
We’re grateful to Dr. Lisa Parady and the Alaska Superintendents Association for the invitation, hospitality, and opportunity to learn alongside Alaska’s education leaders. Partnerships like this allow us to share ideas, learn from one another, and support superintendents as they work to strengthen their schools and communities.
We’re proud to partner with organizations that are committed to helping school leaders tell their stories, build trust, and ensure their communities see the incredible work happening in their schools every day.
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