Maximum Impact is an affirmation of the importance of communication by America’s local boards of education and superintendents. The book is based on principles developed in our professional roles as authors, a district superintendent, educational researcher, broadcast journalist, public affairs and social media director and government spokesperson. Each chapter - highlighting critical aspects of team communication by boards of education and the superintendent - is grounded in our work and experience. Our belief in communication as a tool for district transformation leads us to focus on dynamics between school leaders and the need to deploy a strategic communication strategy, a first book in today’s literature. We endeavor to help boards of education and superintendents - aspiring, novice or veteran – to recognize the vital nature of communication in the governance and leadership of public education, now and in the future. With the call for more transparency in government, including public education, we offer our primary target audience of school leaders with new principles of communication that will help them to engage the community, employees and stakeholders in helping to make their school district successful!

Gunther, McGowan and Donegan draw on their own experiences and those of others in the field, to explain the importance of communication in school leadership. In focusing on the communication process—why it's critical for schools, and how it can be executed well—they make the case that communication must be a primary emphasis for leaders, not an afterthought. In Strategic Communications for School Leaders, the authors provide the insights and skills necessary for understanding the role of communication in educational leadership. They also lay the foundation for helping leaders-and those that aspire to be-create and execute communication plans that help to win the trust of an increasingly skeptical public and provide a means to advocate for schools' appropriate share of scarce resources. Topics addressed in the book include the following: understanding the audiences and their information channels; aligning the school leaders' messages with their educational goals and values; telling stories and using illustrative examples; delivering honest and credible messages (including admitting mistakes); using technology intelligently and appropriately; and creating and adhering to a communications plan.

Arvind Singhal and Everett M. Rogers have developed this unique volume focused on the history and development of entertainment-education. This approach to communication is the process of designing and implementing a media message to both entertain and educate to increase audience members' knowledge about an educational issue, create favorable attitudes, and change overt behavior. It uses the universal appeal of entertainment to show individuals how they can live safer, healthier, and happier lives. Entertainment formats such as soap operas, rock music, feature films, talk shows, cartoons, comics, and theater are utilized in various countries to promote messages about educational issues. This book presents a balanced picture of the entertainment-education strategy, identifying ethical and other problems that accompany efforts to bring about social change.

Increased competition, declining resources, changing demographics, news media scrutiny, and the importance of public perceptions are reasons why schools and school districts need an effective marketing program. However, even school and district administrators who recognize the importance of marketing often feel unprepared to initiate and maintain a strategic marketing effort. How to Market Your School is a comprehensive guide that provides school administrators with tools to help them create, implement, and maintain a successful marketing program. Topics covered include developing a marketing strategy, marketing research, communications, media relations, building beneficial partnerships, public relations, and fund raising. Although written for public school administrators, the book is equally applicable to private and charter schools.