LET’S TALK: “The plethora of new digital communications tools is both a blessing and a curse for district communication officers.” That’s one of several observations from a new report (PDF) by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow, surveying how districts and PR teams use digital tools to share news with students and parents. More than half of K-12 parents say text messaging is the most effective form of notification, besting school portals and mobile apps. An accompanying report (PDF) found that “two-thirds of school principals now want new teachers to be proficient in using digital tools such as social media apps for communications with parents and students.”