As education in Texas continues to evolve, Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) is doing its part to help those charged with communicating with their stakeholders. HCDE’s Marketing & Client Engagement and Communication & Creative Services divisions hosted a half-day conference titled, “Communicating in Chaos” on May 1. The event brought together more than 80 school public relations professionals virtually and in person from across the state to discuss and share strategies to market school districts in a choice environment.

Superintendent James Colbert Jr. welcomed conference attendees, as he spoke on the state of education in Texas and the vital role communication teams play in reaching stakeholders.

Three sessions followed, including the first of two presentations by Randy Barber, chief communications officer in Boulder (Colo.) Valley School District. His morning session focused on reversing the trend of declining enrollment and the importance of pushing accurate and encouraging messaging. Barber closed the conference with his lessons learned from more than 30 years of school choice since the passing of Colorado’s Public Schools of Choice law in 1994.

In between, Justin Dearing, communications strategist for the Center for Effective School Operations, led a session on communication teams best positioning their respective districts in the school choice era.