Strategy #5 Example: Always, Always Double Check Any Examples

 

Example #1a: Lincoln Elementary’s Family Engagement Plan

At Lincoln Elementary, school leaders implemented Epstein’s model by creating a family engagement team. For learning at home, they distributed grade-level learning packets with suggested family activities. For decision-making, they invited families to participate in school leadership teams. Volunteering was redefined to include virtual roles (e.g., reading with students via Zoom), especially useful post-pandemic. The result was increased family satisfaction and higher homework completion rates.

This is a verifiable example, and a copy of the plan for the 2021-2022 school year can be reviewed online.

 

Example #1b: Community-School Partnerships in Urban Districts

In a large urban district, a community school model integrates health clinics, after-school programs, and family resource centers within the school building. This approach acknowledges that children’s success is affected not just by their immediate classroom, but also by services and policies that surround them.

Look at the very general wording: it’s impossible to verify this in any way. While it’s presented as factual, it could be completely fabricated.

 

Example #2a: HubSpot’s HEART Culture

HubSpot’s HEART culture (Humble, Empathetic, Adaptable, Remarkable, Transparent) drives talent retention by embedding these principles into hiring, promotions, and daily interactions, resulting in high engagement and innovation​.

This refers to a real company; double-checking online reveals that the company’s own website and blog confirm commitment to their HEART culture.

 

Example #2b: Impacts of Stress on Employees

In high-stress industries such as finance and healthcare, employees who operate under continuous stress often make riskier decisions, suffer from burnout, and struggle with long-term cognitive decline​.

This second example puts forth several factual claims, including the impact of stress on long-term cognitive decline for those working in finance and healthcare, without mentioning any specific instances, citing any research, or offering any other form of verification. In fact, a recent compilation of studies presented on the website of the National Institute on Aging concluded that it is the complexity of the work that plays some role in future cognitive decline, with those in more complex work that involves more communication experiencing lower rates of cognitive decline. While Example #2b may not be a complete falsehood, it lacks nuance, doesn’t provide full information about predictors of cognitive decline, and it is certainly not completely accurate.

 

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