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Watch this week’s conversation above or listen/download the audio only below.
Superintendent Tom Livezey of Oakridge Public Schools in Muskegon, Michigan, wanted to be heard. So when he discovered that nobody noticed when he stopped sending the district’s printed quarterly newsletter, he began to implement a deliberate approach to communication.
His progress wasn’t part of a grand strategic plan but rather a series of “course corrections” responding to parent needs and changing technology.
The key innovation was unifying staff communication around a single rostered platform that allows teachers to send messages, photos, and updates to entire classes or individual students while receiving responses—all translated into multiple languages. Previously, only the superintendent had access to sophisticated communication tools, while teachers used various free internet platforms, creating a fragmented experience for parents. The district now has approximately 1,000 TikTok followers and receives unsolicited praise from teachers and parents alike.
Tom’s advice to other districts: focus on strategy, message, frequency, and listening rather than obsessing over which specific tool to use. Match solutions to actual problems rather than implementing technology for technology’s sake.
In this snippet, Tom talks about unifying communications for parents.
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In this snippet, Tom offers advice to other districts looking to simplify their communications strategy:
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