January means it’s a new year on our calendars.

However, for schools and many politicians it’s mid-term time.

Teachers use mid-terms to evaluate students mastery of content. As a result, adjustments will be made, lesson plans may change, or students may move up or down levels.

It’s mid-term time for many politicians, also. State of the Union, State of the State, or State of the Municipality addresses will echo throughout the nation in the coming weeks.

It’s a time of assessment. Or, should I say reassessment.

Maybe it’s time for a mid-term of sorts for school administrators.

In my work with schools across the country, I always suggest that administrators consider writing a “State of the School” at mid-year. Tout the various successes during the first half of the year, share your vision for the second semester, and place it within the context of your long range vision. Distribute it to current parents, prospective families, Board members, benefactors, alumni, and community. Put it on the school’s website and link to it via Twitter or Facebook.

Likewise, it’s a good time of year for administrators to conduct a “Parent Satisfaction Survey.” SurveyMonkey, Zoomerang, or ConstantContact are ideal should you wish to use an online survey. You could even use the Super Bowl as a theme for the project. Something like, “I watch as the teams go in at halftime, make revisions, and come out with a renewed sense of purpose for the second half. Well, we’re going to so the same thing here at XYZ School.”

Find out how you’re doing. Prioritize and address the issues that are on their minds. And, just as important, share positive feedback with your school’s publics.

Remember the enthusiasm everyone had to open the current academic year. The “State of the School” message and the “Satisfaction Survey” are terrific tools to re-energize families, teachers, Board members, benefactors, the community, and, yes, even students.

It’s based on a basic tenet of marketing – that good marketing is mutually beneficial for all parties involved. If that’s so, then let’s market to our constituencies in a way that says, “I’m listening, I’m revising, and together we’ll ensure that we stay on course in achieving our vision for your sons and daughters.”