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Communication Analysis Report

Andrew V. Silbaugh

Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership, University of West Florida

EDS 6105

Dr. Julie Gray

September 27th, 2020

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Whenever the principal of Renaissance Charter School of St. Lucie posts on Facebook,

Twitter, or through any other service, parents, teachers, and stakeholders sometimes think that

they are directly interacting with the principal. However, unbeknownst to most people, the

principal does not even own a social media account. Instead, the school’s social media accounts

are run by a Social Media, Marketing, and Events Coordinator. The social media coordinator

posts, emails, and blasts messages, Tweets, posts, and more to parents, staff, students, and

stakeholders so that everyone can be up to date on anything going on at the school. It is because

of this coordinator position that Renaissance Charter School of St. Lucie is providing more

opportunities for communication and more direct interaction with stakeholders.

Stakeholder Communication

Renaissance Charter School of St. Lucie (RCSSL) provides an abundant amount of

communication to its stakeholders. Stakeholders primarily receive communication through

email, the school’s website, and social media. Currently, RCSSL maintains accounts on

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok (J. Todd, personal communication, September 23,

2020). Each week, the social media coordinator sends out an email about upcoming events and

other announcements about the week ahead and this information is posted directly to the school’s

website. The social media coordinator also communicates frequently to the school’s business

partners, community leaders, and realtors to keep those stakeholders updated on current events

and potential collaboration opportunities. Before the COVID pandemic, the school would host

community leader and realtor luncheons to network and inform community stakeholders about

the school and to potential partnerships (J. Todd, personal communication, September 23, 2020).

When asked about potential social media opportunities, the social media coordinator

stated that she was happy with current stakeholder engagement and that she believed the current
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channels worked effectively (J. Todd, personal communication, September 23, 2020). RCSSL’s

social media channels all appeal to different stakeholders. The Facebook channel appeals more to

parents and community members, Twitter appeals more to the charter company and other

professional organizations, Instagram appeals more to students, and Tik Tok (the newest

channel) also appeals to students, particularly middle school. (J. Todd, personal communication,

September 23, 2020). The school’s social media has been effective in reaching students. For

example, during the COVID pandemic, the school posted on Instagram and Tik Tok to advertise

laptop distribution and participation in online classes (J. Todd, personal communication,

September 23, 2020).

Improving Communication

When asked about ways to improve communication, the social media coordinator stated

she was happy with the way things are now (J. Todd, personal communication, September 23,

2020). Overall, because there are multiple ways communication is distributed, each stakeholder

can find a way to communicate that fits his/her needs. One area of concern that our social media

coordinator brought up was the school’s phone application. The school’s charter company once

maintained a phone application that allowed authorized users to send messages directly to

application users. Users with the application downloaded would receive push notifications and

would be received in real-time. However, this year the school’s charter company went in a

different direction and moved to a new platform that works via text messaging, however, this

program is not fully set up yet (J. Todd, personal communication, September 23, 2020). From

our social media coordinator’s position, she informed stated that some parents are upset since

they liked instant notifications and feel the instant notification aspect was important in feeling

connected (J. Todd, personal communication, September 23, 2020). As for other stakeholders,
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the social media coordinator stated that she frequently posts in Facebook and other groups for

potential partners and that the communication between businesses has been very successful and

that those stakeholders are easy to keep updated (J. Todd, personal communication, September

23, 2020).

Role of Stakeholders

Overall, stakeholders have multiple opportunities to be involved with the school and

make decisions. The school’s charter company sends out a bi-annual survey for all parents and

4th and 7th grade students that allows individuals to voice their concerns and provide feedback for

improvement. RCSSL also holds monthly meetings of the school’s Parent Teacher Cooperative

(PTC), which is essentially the school’s PTA. PTC is run by the principal and the group allows

parents to ask questions, make choices as needed, and be more involved with the school.

Additionally, this year RCSSL will be creating its first School Advisory Council (SAC). SAC

members are elected to their positions and serve two-year terms. SAC members consist of the

school’s leadership team, parents, teachers, students, and community members. SAC has more

of a say in budgetary concerns, planning for the school year, and other major issues that impact

the school. All in all, stakeholders, particularly parents, have multiple opportunities to be

involved in the school’s operations (J. Todd, personal communication, September 23, 2020).

Stakeholders in RCSSL can express their opinions and concerns, but this does not always

mean their opinions and concerns are implemented or addressed. Parents will typically question

why there is a policy change or why something new is implemented. However, sometimes

decisions are made that are beyond the school level. RCSSL must follow guidelines and rules set

by the county school board, the local government, the charter company, the state government,

and the federal government. Sometimes the decisions implemented are not popular, however, the
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school tries to inform stakeholders of changes by stating who is responsible for the change (J.

Todd, personal communication, September 23, 2020). However, stakeholders are not without a

voice. The school holds a yearly planning meeting in which stakeholders can submit opinions

and complaints on what works and what does not work for the school (J. Todd, personal

communication, September 23, 2020).

Conclusion

All in all, Renaissance Charter School of St. Lucie is very fortunate to have a position

that solely manages the school’s social media and marketing efforts. Principals are frequently

trying to manage multiple things at their school and social media is often something that is

pushed to the side or handed off to someone else. However, because RCSSL is a charter school

and its success is contingent on enrollment, having active communication and frequent social

media posts draw significant attention to the school. The school’s social media accounts are

thriving, and stakeholders enjoy being able to interact with the school in a new way.