Regular and steady connection between schools and parents is an essential component behind student success. In fact, research shows that 57.5% of senior high school students strongly believe that regular parental involvement results in better academic performance.
This ensures effective communication and proper information sharing between educators and parents. Thus, parents know how to guide their children better and help them academically and in life.
If you’re a school staff member looking for ways to increase communication and connection with students’ parents, this guide will share the best strategies!
Digital Platforms
School staff can use several digital communication platforms to stay connected with parents and share the latest updates with them. Some options are:
School-Specific Software/Apps
Implement student information management systems that can be used to track attendance, assignments, grades, and report cards. These keep parents updated about their child’s academic performance without connecting with each subject teacher.
Choose one that also offers family-interactive web portals and mobile apps where the school staff can update any real-time data about students to parents. If there’s any issue with student behavior, you can also input such incidents and the steps taken against them.
School Website/Blog
Another option is to regularly update a school website, portal, or online forums. Parents can log in to the portal through a computer or phone browser and check for recent school news and events. You can also build a secure portal where parents can log in to their respective ward’s performance charts.
Lastly, you can forward the latest updates, including events and student performance, via email. Create a template for the email and customize it as needed every time. However, this can be daunting and way more time-consuming.
Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTM)
Another idea for open communication with parents is regular parent-teacher meetings. This is a prime method to discuss student progress and address serious concerns early on. Some measures to undertake are
Virtual Meetings
Besides in-person meetings, arrange virtual parent-teacher meetings as well. This will ensure that parents who are busy with work or have medical emergencies can also stay connected from any location. Try to accommodate their schedule to eliminate the constraints.
Yearly Parent-Teacher Conferences
Besides holding parent-teacher meetings just after exams, the school must also hold conferences 1-2 times in an academic year. This will be all about informing parents about students’ behavioral development, other needs, and goal-setting for academic and life improvement.
Parent Engagement Programs
Not to be confused with PTM, parent engagement programs aim to support and enhance students’ development. In this, the school and parents collectively arrange and partake in activities. Some examples are:
Parent & Friends Committee
In this, headed by a diverse group of parents together, they offer value to the school from their perspective. It ensures better connections between parents, school staff, and students. Everyone collaborates to organize school and fundraising activities.
Welcoming Activities for Families
These can be conducted whenever new students get admitted. Brief the new student’s parents about the activities to help children.
Seminars & Workshops
Through these, teachers can guide parents in helping with homework and curriculum. They can empower parents to be more involved in their children’s academic life.
School Events
Another great option is to keep parents involved in every school event. These include information sessions, parent trivia nights, and special assemblies. They can be great events to gather all parents and staff and get acquainted with each other.
Encourage parents to attend these events by promoting them via different channels, including the school website, student management apps, social media posts, and email marketing. Further, incentivize parents with complementary drinks and snacks to ensure their participation.
Home Visits
If parents can’t make time at all to connect with educators, the only remaining option is a home visit. Of course, this can’t be a permanent solution. However, it will show parents that you and the school only want to connect for the student’s betterment.
Sometimes, parents can’t keep in touch because they are working more than one job a day to offer their little ones the best.
Perform a home visit along with the basic guidance on homework help and behavior management. This will help them understand the importance of connecting with the school.
Conclusion
Consistent connection between parents and school builds a supportive environment for students and assures parents that they always prioritize students’ welfare. So, implement these ideas and identify which one works the best for your school!
