Improving Your Classroom through Parental Communication
Introduction
Several studies have found that teacher outreach to parents is related to strong and consistent gains in student performance in both reading and math. The effective outreach practices included meeting face to face, sending materials home, and keeping in touch about progress. The bottom line is this: "when schools engage families in ways that are linked to improving learning, students make greater gains."
To improve the connections between teachers and parents, teachers must do the following:
1) Design programs that will support families to guide their children's learning from preschool through high school.
2) Develop the capacity of school staff to work with families.
3) Link efforts to engage families, whether based at school or in the community, to student learning.
4) Build families' social and political connections.
5) Focus efforts to engage families and community members on developing trusting and respectful relationships.
6) Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power with families. Make sure that parents, school staff, and community members understand that the responsibility for children's educational development is a collaborative enterprise.
How A New Norld can help Teachers
Explain classroom goals through weekly posts
The purpose of the weekly post is to help parents understand what you are teaching and why you are teaching it. When the lessons have a clear and shared focus that is understood by the parents, the parents can help relay that information to their children.
Chat with Parents to Clarify Homework Assignments
Through frequent discussions, teachers can enjoy high levels of collaboration and communication. These frequent discussions allow parents to better monitor and explain homework to their children.
Post videos that review previous lessons
Through video, parents can go over lessons with their children and solidify the lessons with their children so that children take the lessons with them for life.
Teachers provide suggestions for activities that support learning
By relaying outside activities that support learning, parents can make learning a daily part of the home.
Post Homework Assignments
Teachers can make homework assignments available online so that parents always have access to homework, even if the child forgot to bring it home.