Tell your school's story and grow your personal and school brand
BrandED shows school leaders how to move beyond mascots and clever taglines to showcase their school's assets—and enhance communication with students, parents and all stakeholders. Through smart conversations about the genuine power of branding in education, this book shows how a "BrandED" mindset can improve schools by strengthening relationships, improving communication, telling your story, and increasing resources. Ideas borrowed from the world of business are adjusted for the unique needs of education. Practical tools, templates, and resources allow you to implement the strategies presented quickly and easily, while stories of real-world schools illustrate what BrandED thinking can do for your students, teachers, and community.
Today's school leaders cannot remain in the ivory tower. This book will help you drive positive transformation as you craft and share the powerful story of your unique school brand.
- Leverage digital tools to become the storyteller-in-chief and build better community relationships
- Strengthen internal and external communications among students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders
- Increase resources by establishing strategic partnerships and strengthening ties to key stakeholders
- Promote connectivity, transparency, and community to build a positive culture that extends beyond the schoolhouse door
Authors Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin, experts on school branding and change leadership, show you how BrandED thinking captures the focused spirit of the outstanding work taking place in schools every day; work that can be easily recognized, talked about, and valued. Get the word out, and invite the community in to build the positive relationships that benefit everyone.
About the Authors xv
Introduction: Our BrandED Short Story 1
Eric’s Path 1
Trish’s Path 4
“The Brandality Modality” 6
Welcome to the BrandED Conversation 9
Conversation 1: From Brand to BrandED 11
Part One: In Brand We Trust 12
Part Two: BrandED Matters to Today’s School Leaders 33
Part Three: BrandED Unifies a School Improvement Plan 42
Conversation 1 Tips 58
Conversation 1 Reflections 59
Conversation 2: In the Zone for BrandED Innovation 61
Part One: The Psychology of BrandED Innovation 63
Part Two: Tools to Inspire BrandED Innovation 79
Part Three: BrandED Reputation Management 89
Conversation 2 Tips 93
Conversation 2 Reflections 94
Conversation 3: Developing a BrandED Leadership Presence 97
Part One: A “Personal Professional” BrandED You 98
Part Two: Be the BrandED Storyteller-in-Chief 113
Part Three: The BrandED Leader as “Edupreneur” 132
Conversation 3 Tips 136
Conversation 3 Reflections 137
Conversation 4: Developing Your BrandED Strategic Plan 139
Part One: The BrandED Drivers 140
Part Two: Your BrandED Strategic Plan 160
Part Three: BrandED Stakeholder Relationship Management 161
Conversation 4 Tips 165
Conversation 4 Reflections 165
Conversation 5: Sustaining BrandED Innovation 167
Part One: Invest in BrandED Leadership 168
Part Two: The Trend-Setting Stance of a BrandED leader 175
Part Three: The BrandED Competitive Advantage 180
Conversation 5 Tips 192
Conversation 5 Reflections 192
Conversation 6: Communicating With BrandED Leadership Tools 193
Part One: The BrandED Payoff of Distributed Leadership 194
Part Two: Press, Networking, Digital Presence, and Thought Leadership 197
Part Three: The Law of BrandED Attraction 210
Conversation 6 Tips 215
Conversation 6 Reflections 216
Conversation 7: Keeping Up With the Digital Joneses 217
Part One: Disruptive Digital Behavior That Innovates Schools 218
Part Two: BrandED Partners in a Digital World 225
Part Three: Connecting With Parents on the Digital Playground 230
Conversation 7 Tips 232
Conversation 7 Reflections 233
Conversation 8: Return on Investment in the BrandED School Community 235
Part One: Be the BrandED Relationship Steward 236
Part Two: Local to Global BrandED Investment 240
Part Three: Sustain a BrandED Community Through Return on Relationship 245
Conversation 8 Tips 250
Conversation 8 Reflections 250
Appendix A: Developing a Mission Statement 253
Appendix B: Crafting Positioning Statements 255
Appendix C: Stewardship Model of BrandED Development 256
Appendix D: Suggested BrandED Digital Tools 258
Appendix E: Media Advisory Template 262
Appendix F: A BrandED Leadership Timeline 264
Appendix G: Online Marketing and Brand Resources for Educator BrandED Adaptation 267
Glossary 269
References 275
Acknowledgments 285
Index 287