In the absence of actual knowledge, people tend to make up their own narrative, and it’s not always flattering to public schools. However, educators can change that dynamic—with storytelling.
According to Joe Sanfelippo, the keynote speaker at Thursday’s 1st General Session at the 2026 National Conference on Education, sharing positive news can change the way that people view a school or a school district. He challenged educators to build a culture in which people are eager to share their stories, saying that data matters, but no one should underestimate the power of a good story.
“The story connected to the data drives the movement because the story connects to the emotion of the listener,” said Sanfelippo, who is the author of Lead From Where You Are and once a long-term superintendent in Wisconsin.
School system leaders can drive the effort by taking the initiative. “These stories are literally everywhere, and we can be the connector of all of these stories because we have access to all of these stories,” he said.
When Sanfelippo was superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, Wis., the district began holding signing conferences for new hires. Similar to a sports team signing event, the signings were festive events, complete with a backdrop in school colors and a #GoCrickets hashtag. Photos with a couple of paragraphs from the signings posted to the district’s social media platforms garnered hundreds of views and likes, making new employees feel seen and welcomed when they arrived.
Sanfelippo also sent a video to the parents of every graduating senior, featuring him signing the student’s diploma, along with a favorite story about the student. The parents loved the personal touch.
“Everybody is somebody’s kid, and everybody’s kid deserves to be celebrated,” he said.
Sanfelippo asked the general session audience to stand, turn to a neighbor and tell them a positive story about a colleague. He reminded them to continue to look for ways to recognize and acknowledge each other’s great work. People feel good about you when you recognize them, he said.
“If we go back to how we started and we never give up the opportunity to say something great about our kids, our school or our colleagues, we can change the way that people talk about the amazing things you do,” Sanfelippo said.
(Jennifer Larson is a senior editor with Conference Daily Online and a freelance journalist in Nashville, Tenn.)