The Overlooked Power of Communications and IT in International Schools

Two departments often work in the background yet influence almost every part of school community life: Communications and Technology. 

Often, these teams of specialists are seen only in operational terms - sending updates, fixing systems, and managing platforms. 

In fact, Technology departments are the central nervous system of daily operations in busy schools. From hardware to software, they ensure systems are in place so that people can teach, learn, and communicate effectively. They maintain the technological links to the wider community and the world at large.

Communications teams connect with every part of the school: teachers, students, parents, and even prospective families. Their remit includes internal messaging as well as outward-facing marketing and branding, making them the voice of the school both within and beyond its walls.

Individually, each department has enormous influence over how a school functions and is perceived. When we step back though, it becomes clear that their impact can reach far beyond those functions. Together, they hold untapped potential as strategic partners in shaping the future of schools.

Missed Opportunities

Those who have worked across different international schools have likely seen the less effective side of these teams:

• Communications teams that focus primarily on presenting gushing stories of student achievement yet don’t engage with staff and students from the inside. 

• Technology departments that are viewed as unapproachable experts, offering fixes without explanation, leaving teachers or staff feeling no more knowledgeable.

  
  

In both cases, the result is the same: departments that should be enabling growth instead miss out on opportunities for creativity and collaboration.

Reframing Perspectives

A shift in perspective can make a significant difference. Schools are, at their core, service organizations, providing opportunities for engagement and learning. If Communications and Technology are understood as learning and engagement partners, actively welcomed to the table to contribute to the overall school experience for all members, then new possibilities emerge.

With a juggling of priorities, these departments could:

• Work together across boundaries, finding efficiencies and reducing duplicated work.

• Engage with focus groups of staff, students, and parents to uncover opportunities for better communication and collaboration.

• Reduce workload and screen time by simplifying how learning and achievements are shared with the community.

• Open doors to creative input, inviting students, parents, and staff to shape initiatives rather than simply receiving them.

Such changes don’t require major new resources - just a willingness to bring the right people into the room and think differently about their roles. 

The Bigger Picture

When Communications and Technology are given the mandate to collaborate and innovate, they stop being “support teams” and instead become strategic partners. They can help schools adapt more quickly, highlight achievements more effectively, and create stronger alignment between day-to-day work and long-term vision.

Without purposeful conversations about how Communications and Technology teams could be engaged more broadly, schools risk overlooking transformative opportunities that are right at their fingertips. International schools thrive on connection - between cultures, between disciplines, and between people. Communications and Technology already sit at the intersection of many of these connections. By thinking more strategically about their roles, and by giving them space to collaborate and listen to their communities, schools can unlock new ways to innovate, grow, and strengthen learning environments.