The purpose of the qualitative study was to examine the communication patterns of superintendents in Northeastern Indiana. The demand for accountability, transparency, and student achievement calls for today's superintendent to increase communication strategies and support the needs of the varied stakeholders. Today's public school leaders are required to define the stakeholder groups and seek opportunities to communicate and share information about what is happening within the district. Three questions guided the discovery of the communication patterns of these superintendents: How do public school superintendents in Northeast Indiana communicate with their school stakeholders? What do public school superintendents in Northeast Indiana communicate with their school stakeholders? Why do public school superintendents in Northeast Indiana communicate with their school stakeholders?

The participants in the study were 10 public school superintendents in the Northern Indiana counties of Elkhart, Kosciusko, Lagrange, Noble and St. Joseph. The stakeholder groups examined in this study are parents, school board, faculty/staff, and business leaders.

Three areas were explored in the review of literature: the historical context of communication strategies in education, understanding why communication issues are present in education, and communication strategies used with stakeholders within public education. Interviews were conducted by the principal investigator and the superintendents' answers were coded.

Three themes emerged through the dialogue with the interviewed superintendents: knowledge, transparency, and engagement. These themes reflected the reality of the communication between the 10 Northeast Indiana superintendents and their districts' stakeholder groups. Implications from this study could provide superintendents with insights into the value and methods of effective communication patterns in their school districts.