Better Answers
We owe people better answers. I don’t know if it is because of the conversations we see on cable news or the interactions that take place on social media, but it is becoming harder for people to hear questions as anything but a personal challenge. It is natural to tense up and get defensive when others question us. It can feel like they are targeting us. Our personal connection to our work is great in some ways, but it does make us susceptible to overreactions to reasonable scrutiny. Regardless of how we feel, we owe our organizations to respond effectively.
Curiosity and skepticism sit close together in the human experience. Curiosity is positive and hopeful. Skepticism is negative and cynical. When we can understand what someone really wants to know, and can provide information to help them achieve that, we keep them at curiosity. But if we don't answer the question, or answer the wrong one, it makes it seem like we don’t know enough about our work, or that we are trying to hide something. We risk pushing them toward skepticism.
In the political landscape surrounding the education industry, we already have groups misrepresenting data and decisions to stoke skepticism. We already have people who have had negative education experiences who are ready to be stoked. If we throw our hands up or get upset at questions, it will only give them more reason not to believe what we are sharing.
So if we are going to provide better answers, we must know our work. We must know our organization. Who are they? What work are they doing? How are they doing that work?
We must know the results we are after. How are we doing? Are we getting better? What are we doing to improve?
We must know about new trends. How will they impact what we do? What does that mean for our people and our results?
To provide better answers, we must listen to the questions being asked and what they mean to ask. Most people are not educators, so many people are going to get the terminology wrong. Anticipate common misconceptions or misunderstandings, and respond first with a clarifying comment to help align their intentions with what can be answered. Once the question is clear, give an honest, complete answer. It is tricky to find the right level of specificity for the audience before you, while also ensuring the answer can be understood by people who do not work in the industry, but the better we do in this area, the more people will support our work.
As education leaders, it’s important to consider the impact that better answers will have on various groups.
Better answers for our staff mean a better understanding of future situations. When staff ask about a process, it can be tempting to give a fast answer and move on. Sometimes that is necessary because of limited time, but if that becomes our default response, then we are doing them a disservice.
A well-supported response not only provides employees with guidance on what to do in this situation, but it also reveals your leader’s Intent, allowing them to respond more effectively in the future. It also gives them confidence that your response is thoughtful and not just a quick dismissal of their concern, and that confidence will show up in the quality of their work.
Example of Leader’s Intent
Teacher's Question: "A parent is asking if we can add a sensory break every hour to their child's IEP. Should I agree to this?"
Special Education Director Response: "Let's look at what the data tells us about this student's sensory needs and regulation patterns - gather baseline data for a few days, tracking when the student needs movement or sensory input. Our goal is to only provide support that is necessary to help students meaningfully access their education. If the data supports hourly breaks, the team can consider writing it into the IEP.”
Better answers for parents that we serve means better relationships and deeper trust. Parents of students with disabilities have been trained by the medical, social, and education systems that, in many cases, the only way they can get their child what they need is through assertive advocacy. When they have questions, they are looking for the traps that are being set to slow them down and are skeptical of our responses.
Helping parents understand that we are a team working together to support their child, and providing clear steps that the team will take to support them, is so helpful. Letting them know about interventions that are available before a referral is made, or being forthright about the timeline for an evaluation, helps them feel more secure in the actions that are occurring and can give them more patience with the team.
Better answers for policymakers, such as board members or legislators, improve their understanding of the education industry and help paint a more complete picture of how their policies impact what happens at the shoulders of the students.
While most policymakers have strong views of education, many are also incredibly curious about how it works. When we get questions about outcomes, or statistics, or our decision-making process, we need to understand these things so well that we can give proper context. Even if a negative tone can be heard, it is better to take a breath and give the best answer that we can. To hear what isn’t being said and help connect the dots. To anticipate what they are looking for and have a response that scratches that itch. It is reasonable that questions are asked about how we know that what we are doing is working. It’s reasonable that we have good answers for that.
At the end of the day, our answers matter because relationships matter. Every question is a chance to either build trust or tear it down. When we take the time to really listen, understand what people need to know, and respond with honesty and clarity, we keep people curious instead of pushing them toward skepticism.
This isn't about being perfect or having all the answers. It's about knowing our work well enough to explain it clearly, caring enough to listen carefully, and being courageous enough to give honest responses even when the questions feel challenging.
The people we serve—our staff, parents, students, and communities—deserve leaders who can engage thoughtfully with their concerns. When we provide better answers, we create the conditions for better relationships, better understanding, and ultimately, better outcomes for the students we're all here to serve.
I enjoyed reading your post.