Communication drives success

A recent Ed Surge article highlights Monterey Peninsula USD sharing how they are successfully “Communicating Through Change: How a CA District Is Supporting Families in the Year Ahead” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fundamental to MPUSD success is district leadership understanding that student participation and attendance are a process, not an event. Student outcomes improve when you infuse a culture of showing up into every learner and their family in the district.

...impart positive, timely information parents need to keep kids on track.

This is only possible with collaborative leadership. District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh has led the district since 2014. We highlighted his visionary leadership style pre-COVID here. “(Do not) underestimate your community’s desire to hear from you and to connect with them early and often. Even if you don’t have everything figured out, sharing what you’re working on and where you’re at can help your school families,” said Superintendent Diffenbaugh.

Increasing communication has been key at Monterey Peninsula. MPUSD is leveraging Attention2Attendance’s suite of communications—which use text messaging, email, and mail-based communications to impart positive, timely information parents need to keep kids on track. In addition to A2A, “MPUSD launched a live Q&A on Zoom for families with multiple time options as well as meetings in Spanish and English to make them more accessible. Turnout was so high that the team created “We’re Better Together Wednesdays,” a virtual weekly seminar for families to understand more about topics they’ve expressed most interest in, including using Google Classroom and Zoom, and overcoming anxiety during COVID-19.”

And Monterey Pen’s multi-faceted communications strategies are working, “At a time when there is so much uncertainty in the face of our on-going shelter-in-place orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, I really appreciate MPUSD's efforts to communicate with families,” shared Camilla Mann, the parent of a junior at Monterey High School.”