Teachers and school administrators naturally – and rightly – have their attention focused on teaching and learning. Sometimes, though, that focus should also include telling the community about what's going on in classrooms and school buildings. Why? There are several reasons.

People want to know.
On any media readership survey or public opinion poll, education is among the top three issues that the American public wants to know more about.

People have a right to know.
Public school systems are paid for by public funds. The public has a right to know how their funds are being spent.

Education is always under scrutiny.
Between the natural connections the community feels to its schools, the changing accountability brought on by the No Child Left Behind Act and increasingly sensationalistic broadcast media, school districts, schools and teachers are constantly under the magnifying glass. If we’re going to be under a magnifying glass, we might as well make sure it spends some time pointed at the things we’re most proud of and the things that benefit our students the most.

Not all our patrons are our parents.
Nationally 72 percent of taxpayers have no children in schools. So while they are people who vote in bond and school board elections, they probably don’t visit schools and see firsthand the dedication and passion of teachers. They don’t see their children’s artwork and papers hanging on a classroom wall. That means that most of what they know about schools is what they hear from friends and acquaintances and from the media. We should make sure at least some of what they hear is good news.

This is the media age, and this is a new media we are dealing with.
Media has changed in the last 20 years. News, particularly television news, is more sensationalistic in its approach than it used to be. To counterbalance that, we need to tell the good news about our schools. Don't simply complain that the media doesn't treat education fairly. Help change it.

Education works better with informed, involved, supportive parents and patrons.
Schools are more effective if parents trust and support them. Most of that trust and support is earned in direct relationships between parents and educators. But a steady stream of good news builds a bank of good will in the community, which in turn makes our jobs easier.

We’re doing a good job in our schools, and our community should know it. Media coverage of good news is one way to get that word out.