What is teacher & parent communication?
Teacher and parent communication is ongoing, two-way engagement. In an effective relationship, teachers, parents, guardians, and family members exchange information and updates to support the student’s education and well-being. Parent-teacher communication fosters a collaborative partnership that enhances the student’s learning experience and overall development.
Why is it important for teachers and parents to communicate better?
When teachers and parents effectively communicate with each other, they can collaborate and share ideas from different perspectives in the best interest of the student’s development and success. Collaboration and partnership combine classroom insights with home observations and provide a holistic view of the whole child, opening up possibilities for personalized education, tailored support, and early interventions.
Research shows that students succeed when families are involved in the education process.
- Students earn higher grades and do better on tests when parents are involved
- Meaningful family engagement has a positive impact not only on academic achievement but also on mental health and behavioral health
- Teachers report significant changes in their classrooms around student motivation, behavior, and attendance when families help ensure students attend class, encourage and support learning at home, and regularly communicate with school staff
Benefits of teacher and parent communication
Great things happen when families engage in their student’s education. Research shows that when parents are involved, students have higher success in graduating from high school and attending post-secondary education. Plus, when schools nurture family connections and build strong school-family relationships, you can reduce absenteeism by 40%.
Student benefits
When teachers collaborate with families, students benefit with improved academic performance and development. Teachers and parents working together help identify and address educational challenges, learning difficulties, and behavioral issues early on, leading to better student outcomes. A strong connection between school and home can also identify areas of student success and mastery, informing personalized education efforts to help advance the student to meet new challenges.
Parent, guardian, and caregiver benefits
When parents actively engage in their students’ education, students perform better academically, have higher self-esteem, and develop a more positive attitude toward school. In the shared responsibility of educating the student, parents are informed about what their student is learning and experiencing in school. The partnership between parents and schools fosters trust between these contributors, and parents often gain more confidence in the school’s ability to provide a quality education.
Educator benefits
By communicating regularly with parents and guardians, teachers gain better insight into the whole child, including the student’s behavior, home life factors, and support system. This additional perspective provides a more comprehensive understanding of the student, leading to more effective teaching.
7 ways teachers can improve communications with parents
Effective communication between teachers and parents is crucial for a student’s success and well-being. Here are seven ways teachers can improve their communication with parents:
What to consider when selecting a classroom communications platform
Effective communication between schools, educators, and parents is essential to a child’s academic success. The challenge is that there’s no shortage of classroom communications solutions available these days, and it can be difficult for schools to choose the right platform that meets their needs.
By understanding the following factors, schools can choose a platform that meets their unique needs and fosters a collaborative environment for students, parents, and educators.
Getting parents involved
Parents play a critical role in their child’s education, and by keeping them informed and engaged, schools can create a supportive environment that promotes academic success. Increased parent engagement can be achieved through regular updates, accessible communication channels, and easy-to-use tools that allow parents to stay connected and informed about their child’s academic progress.
Protecting data
As the use of education technology accelerates, it’s essential to ensure that student data is kept secure and confidential. With many apps for educators to choose from, it can be difficult to understand the risks of using those platforms.
Ultimately, it is best to limit the number of vendors that have access to this type of data and work with platform providers you can trust. By prioritizing data security, schools can create a safer and more secure environment for students and parents, and foster trust and confidence in the platform.
Ensuring consistency
With a multitude of apps and platforms available, it can be challenging for parents to keep track of everything. A streamlined and user-friendly platform can make it easy for parents to stay connected with their child’s education.
The right platform for specific needs
In today’s digital age, many classroom communication tools are available to facilitate the typical types of classroom communication. Whether schools want to send parents updates on student progress, share photos of classroom activities, or send invitations to join after-school groups, there are plenty of mobile apps, websites, and other services that claim to help with that.
6 things to look for in teacher-parent communication software
When selecting communication and notification software to facilitate interactions between teachers and parents, it’s important to consider features that enhance transparency, efficiency, and engagement.
PowerSchool SchoolMessenger is a trusted platform for delivering student support with increased parent and community engagement. SchoolMessenger combines mass communication, emergency messaging, school-specific notifications, digital forms, and attendance management within one easy-to-use platform. This communication system increases student support while saving time and providing more immediate, complete engagement throughout a school community.
Here are six benefits of SchoolMessenger’s teacher and parent communication software:
How PowerSchool helps teacher and parent communication
We understand that a quality school communications strategy requires effort and consistency at the district level. Oftentimes, this work is guided by a communications director who knows the best ways to engage families around student learning and success.
When a communications leader can effectively share district-wide communication goals and processes with school staff, this trickles down to the ways in which teachers connect with families and students. With a cohesive strategy, and the right tools, teachers can reliably enact best practices in communication to foster student achievement.
Learn More >> https://www.powerschool.com/blog/teacher-parent-communication-guide-for-success/