ERIC Number: EJ1400764
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2374-1473
Clarity of Communication for Facilitating Change
Ebner, Aviva
Journal of Online Learning Research, v9 n2 p133-140 2023
Schools are typically highly structured institutions, so any shifts in processes can potentially generate anxiety, confusion, and even anger among staff. As such, when there is frequent change, initiatives often fail to achieve their intended goals. Well-intentioned initiatives can go awry when not consistently implemented correctly by all staff; lack of buy-in due to confusion of how the initiative is necessary also impacts outcomes. Ensuring buy-in and consistent implementation of new initiatives can be even more challenging in virtual school environments. How changes are communicated is crucial to how they are received and to the success of their implementation. A communication intervention was implemented at a 100% independent study personalized learning non-classroom-based remote setting of 2400 students where the staff of over 200 works from home. All departments agreed upon common goals and a common template for rollouts was instituted. Staff reported less confusion and administrators reported less "pushback" over changes as well as vastly reduced misimplementation of initiatives, resulting in improved academic outcomes for students. The determination was made that the more clarity there is in rollouts, the better equipped staff are to support students, and student outcomes are more likely to improve.
Descriptors: Virtual Schools, Change Strategies, Reliability, Access to Information, School Personnel, Communication Strategies, Organizational Communication, Charter Schools
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 719, Waynesville, NC 28786. Tel: 828-246-9558; Fax: 828-246-9557; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: https://www.aace.org/pubs/jolr/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A