Declining trust between citizens and public institutions has contributed to already tenuous relationships between schools and the communities they serve, but trusting relationships between families and schools are foundational to student achievement and overall school success. Effective messaging is critical to building trusting relationships, while poor communication is corrosive. Drawing and acting upon existing knowledge about messaging from the communication field can support educators in fostering trust between schools and the public. The first step to improving communication practices is to understand the current state of communication. For this study, I sought to answer the main research question: To what extent are the principles of mass communication theory evident in mass school communication? Sub-questions sought to illuminate the decision-making process of designing and delivering mass school communication, who was involved in that process, and to what extent were they equipped to direct communication. Because no analytic framework for assessing communication comprehensively existed, I created one by drawing from common mass communication theories. The framework addressed elements of audience, content, medium, design, and timing. Over eight weeks, I collected written mass communication artifacts from two urban schools that represented diverse communities and conducted semi-structured interviews with the staff responsible for creating the artifacts at both schools. Three themes emerged from analysis of the communication artifacts and interviews. The most pervasive theme was that written mass school communication shows very limited evidence of the principles of mass communication theory. The second theme was that schools lack intentional systems or structures to support the design and delivery of effective messaging. Finally, the third theme was that persons responsible for school messages lack confidence and training to create effective communication. The results of this study indicate that greater attention and support for mass school communication is needed if educators hope to foster equity, repair trust, and build lasting relationships necessary to improve school and student outcomes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]