Why Good Schools Get Misunderstood: Communication Strategies That Build Trust

Presented by Dr. Chantell Manahan, CETL, Director of Technology, MSD of Steuben County (IN) Moderated by Joyce Whitby, CEO, Innovations4Education Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features. Good schools don’t struggle because they lack heart, effort, or expertise. They struggle because their work is misunderstood. In today’s fast-moving education environment, teachers, leaders, and families are often speaking different languages about the same initiatives. Policies feel unclear. Classroom realities feel unseen. Family communication feels confusing. Over time, those small misunderstandings quietly chip away at trust. In this engaging and practical edWebinar, Dr. Chantell Manahan explores why even strong schools experience communication breakdowns and what educators can do to fix them. Attendees will learn a simple, powerful approach to translating their work across three essential directions: upward (classroom to leadership), downward (policy to practice), and outward (school to community). Because fixing misunderstandings isn’t about saying more; it’s about saying what matters in ways people can actually hear. This edWebinar will be of interest to PreK-12 teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and education technology leaders. Dr. Chantell Manahan is a K–12 educational technology leader, speaker, and author focused on strengthening communication and trust in public schools. She currently serves as Chief Technology Officer for a public school district in Indiana, where she leads strategic initiatives in digital systems, data privacy, AI readiness, and family engagement. Dr. Manahan is the author of Capes Optional, Communication Essential, a book inspired by her doctoral research on how school communication impacts enrollment decisions and community trust. A national presenter and former classroom teacher, she brings a practical, systems-level lens to leadership conversations—bridging the gap between policy, practice, and parent understanding. Dr. Manahan serves on the Board of Directors for CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) and is an advocate for people-centered innovation in education. Her work helps schools ensure their strongest efforts are not only effective—but truly understood. Joyce Whitby is a lifelong EdTechKnowLedgist who started off as a special education educator in New York City and then taught graduate-level EdTech courses at Long Island University. Since then, Joyce has been in the business of educational technology and has held key leadership roles in sales leadership, professional development, and marketing with organizations like Apple Computer, Scientific Learning, and SchoolMessenger. She also has extensive experience working with startup EdTech ventures. In 2017, Joyce and her husband (aka @tomwhitby, co-founder of #edchat) launched their consulting business working with emerging and growing EdTech companies, helping to bring instructional technology solutions to schools, Inn