Giving Compass' Take:

• The author discusses the main takeaways from the TCEA 2019 conference in San Antonio, which included a panel on how school districts can reform their relationship with the media to communicate their educational achievements to the world. 

• How will rebuilding this relationship also help school districts with funding opportunities?

• Here are six K-12 schools to watch in 2019. 

We live in a media obsessed society—and media literacy isn't just for students. Educators need it too. Learning to interact with the press is a big part of that because too often schools find themselves reacting to news coverage, instead of helping shape it themselves.

“There's a lot of good stuff that goes on in school districts that we're not aware of, especially if teachers, principals and communications people aren't telling us,” says Alia Malik, an education reporter for the San Antonio Express-News.

At the recent TCEA 2019 conference in San Antonio, Chris Piehler of the public relations firm PR With Panache hosted a panel discussion with EdSurge, Malik and other Texas journalists. Panelists dished on how schools can better work with the media, how they can pitch their own stories to news outlets and how to find the perfect hook. These are the top takeaways from that conversation:

  • Know Your Story
  • Find a face
  • Remember what makes a good story
  • Good news is still news
  • Reach out directly
  • If you request a correction, be polite
  • Clarify what ‘on the record’ means
  • The media isn’t an enemy

Read the full article about the ways schools can form a better relationship with the media by Stephen Noonoo at EdSurge