Top 7 Family Engagement Tools

Shani Dowell, Possip’s Founder and CEO, spent time between the business, education, and nonprofit sectors. She was also teacher and organizational leader and has seen the need to hear from students, families, and staff.  Shani also saw the many barriers to students, staff members, and families like time, language, and knowledge. Her experience in this field has allowed her to create these top 7 family engagement tools!

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The past 3 years have created a broken trust between families and the schools where they send their children.  The only path to rebuilding is in partnership and trust.

So, here are 7 family engagement tools that can help rebuild trust.

 

1 – Open Doors:

When trust has been fractured, more transparency and connection are needed.  Determine an open door policy that works for your school.  Is there a weekly event or meeting that parents can be invited to?  Is there a weekly time of the week where you schedule tours? Can parents come and eat with their scholars?  Because of the pandemic, restrictions were and are necessary.  But use the restrictions as a problem to solve around, not as the end. 

 

2 – Email or Paper Newsletters:

When my kiddos in elementary school got paper newsletters I would run into their backpacks on Friday like they had gotten a gift.  Now sure it may not have been the most environmentally friendly, but something about holding those papers that summarized what had happened in the past or was coming in the future made me feel tangibly connected to the school.  With the pandemic, those newsletters have shifted to an email newsletter.  They can be hard to do well but as a parent, it’s great to get a weekly and routine newsletter.  Avoid the newsletter being only logistical.  The newsletter also should include:

• Celebrations
• Pictures
• Calendar updates and reminders
• Any policies you want to reinforce
• Themes you’re hearing about through feedback channels

You can either use good old-fashioned emails  – or there are some technology tools including Peach Jar, Emma, Mail Chimp, or Constant Contact that you can use.

 

3 – Texting Platforms:

There are two types of texting platforms – schoolwide or district-wide texting platforms, and platforms for individual teachers to communicate.  Text messages are quick – and our data shows that parents engage more with text messages than with email messages. 

You’ll want to have a method to send text messages to your families.  Standard platforms like School Messenger and Blackboard help. 

You’ll also want teachers to have a way to text with parents.  They can use a Google voice number.  You can also layer on tools like Talking Points so that you can communicate

 

4 – Feedback Platforms: 

You’ll need systems to hear from your families.  Possip is a one-of-a-kind tool that allows schools and districts to engage with their families through routine feedback loops.  Possip allows families to share an overall sentiment, share open-ended questions, feedback, and needs, and give our customers an easy-to-use platform to digest this information.  If a tool like Possip isn’t in your budget priorities, you can create a system with a Google survey.  Without Possip you will need a team member who can regularly comb through the results.  But you want to make sure you have a feedback system for your families to share praise, feedback, and needs routinely, easily, and in multiple languages.

There are also ways to put links on your district or school website to collect feedback and products like K12 Insight.  They do require a higher level of web and digital access and are more passive methods of collecting feedback than prompts through text.  But they can provide another system of feedback.

 

5 – Social Media Platforms: 

Social media can be a school or district’s best friend or worst nightmare.  There are a few best practices we see with social media platforms.  Firstly, use different platforms for your purpose.

• Use Instagram to profile videos and pictures that will reach parents
• Use Linked In to share job opportunities that you want families to see and consider
• Use Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share calendar updates based on weather.  Decide if you want to turn off comments.  If you have a feedback platform you can also direct commentary to the platform as opposed to the Facebook page
• Use Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram to cast any meetings that are relevant for families such as school board meetings, PTO or PTA meetings, etc.

 

6 – Parent Communication Apps:

The utility of these apps depends on the culture and demographic of your school, as well as the resources you have to manage these apps.  Parent Communication Apps tend to be one app that parents have to download that can include update notifications, calendars, and house other resources for a school or district. 

While these can be helpful for parents, they are only as good as they are updated.  Sometimes schools or districts get overwhelmed keeping them updated, and once the information isn’t up to date or relevant, parents stop trusting the app.  This can prompt a bit of a vicious cycle of parents not trusting or using the app.

Parent communication apps can also be tricky if you don’t have a demographic with steady access to smartphones or wifi.  They can be a bit complex to navigate and require a steady connection.

While there truly are no one-stop shops (nor should there necessarily be) this is a close one and therefore having some way – whether a website or a Facebook group or elsewhere – where parents know they can go for up-to-date information, is important.

Some apps we hear about include Bloomz, Parent Square, and Class Dojo.

 

7 – Website:

Having the apps and tools to engage with families is just the first step. Know that money should never be a barrier to having the tools to engage with families.  Firstly, family engagement is well worth a significant investment.  Secondly, there are many free tools you can use, but they may take more time.

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You’ll notice that while some of these top 7 family engagement tools are technological tools, many of them aren’t.  A hammer is still one of the most effective tools out there- and it has been around since (reportedly) 30,000 BC.  That is to say, the best ways to engage don’t always have to involve the most technology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to register for Possip’s Live Demo and learn all about our mission!

 

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Top Ten Testing Tips For Parents & Schools

Tis the season for testing! Kids aren’t the only ones who need to prepare for testing! Our Possip school network lets us see the top ten testing tips for parents and schools! 

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TOP 5 TIPS FOR SCHOOLS

1. Make sure parents know what the testing dates are.

Send home a notice with a colored flyer announcing the dates, grades and subjects that are being tested. 

2. Use every communication channel available! 

Parents need to hear the same information multiple times and in multiple ways. 

Might they get annoyed?  Yes. 
Is it still important? Definitely. 

Use an old-school flyer, a robocall, your weekly Possip, Twitter, Facebook, and any other methods you tend to use.  Your kids and teachers have worked hard to show what they know – so you want them to have fun showing what they know -and communication helps..

Parents need to hear the same information multiple times

and in multiple ways. 

Might they get annoyed?  Yes. 

Is it still important? Definitely. 

3. Let Parents Know Why Attendance Matters & What To Do.

Attendance always matters – and even more so now. Make sure parents know why attendance and on-time arrival is more important than ever.  Give parents clear instructions for if they anticipate any attendance or arrival challenges. For example, should they call the school the night before? Send a text through their Possip account?

4. Expect the best & communicate it!

Research shows that kids respond to the expectations around them. Prompt parents to share a letter of encouragement for students that highlight positive attributes like their child’s focus, attention, willingness to work hard, and how much they have learned this year. 

One Possip school sent parents home notes that they could send back in an envelope. You can also use upper grades or teachers to make each kid feel special by getting them a special note before their testing starts.

5. Celebrate the effort! 

During testing weeks let parents know how it has gone. 

Again, you can use a robocall, an old school flyer, your weekly Possip, Twitter, email, etc.  Let parents know how the school felt (Joyful? Focused? Determined? Happy?) and let parents know how proud you are of their child and all the teachers and staff.

One last note.  Since kids will be using their brain on overtime during testing week, consider pushing pause on homework for that week to give them extra time to relax their brain and be physically active.

 

TOP 5 TIPS FOR PARENTS

1. Know the Testing Calendar!

Make sure YOU KNOW when the test dates are.  Put the dates up on the fridge or wall.

2. Attendance matters.

Make sure your kids are present (if they aren’t sick).  The most important driver to doing well on the test is being present. They’ll get to take the test alongside their peers, which will be a familiar and comfortable environment for them.

3. Keep mornings calm.

Make the mornings especially calm. Save the screaming and frustration for the other 355 days of the year.  We know the mornings can test the patience of a saint.  Still, double down on patience so your child can start the school day feeling calm, happy and ready.  Get them to school on time for breakfast at school, or give them a good breakfast at home.

4. Pump up the Jam!

You ever want a theme song playing as you go to work in the morning?  Give your kid that chance.  Play their favorite music in the mornings, give them the inspiration they need. Even if your mind is spinning with what future school options might be on or off limits based on this test, your kids don’t need to worry about that or anything other than doing their best.

5. Best & Rest.

Let your kid know that trying their best is all you want.  Let them know when they do their best, no matter the outcome, it is going to be one that makes you proud.  Remind them of all of their awesome human skills – working hard, perseverance, humor, focus, kindness, thoughtfulness, etc. Tell them if they are doing their best and being great then that’s all you ask. You can rest easy! Even if your mind is spinning with what future school options might be on or off limits based on this test, your kids don’t need to worry about that or anything other than doing their best.

Click here for tips on communicating academic progress to parents!

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Six Creative Ways to Celebrate Teachers

Savannah, a current Possip reporter, and former educator shares six creative ways to celebrate teachers for all that they do! 

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Teacher appreciation week is just around the corner! We know that over the last few years, our teachers have worked harder than ever to support students academically, emotionally, and socially. While receiving a coffee gift card or a note of appreciation is always welcomed, Possip wants to share a few creative ways to thank our extraordinary teachers this year!

Here are six creative ways to appreciate
your teachers this May:

 

1. Breakfast / Lunch

 

Choose one or two meals during teacher appreciation week to cater breakfast or lunch for teachers. Additionally, be sure to tell teachers in advance when this is happening. Not having to plan breakfast or lunch is just as much of a gift as actually sharing in a delicious meal. Free teachers from any duties during this time, and allow them to show up in whatever way feels best for them. Consider supporting a local restaurant or vendor in the process to further support your community.

 

2. Wish Lists

 

Your school or district may have guidelines about donations, so be sure to review those beforehand. If it’s possible, encourage individual teachers, grade-levels, or departments to create running wishlists that are then available to the community. Spotlight certain items in your weekly or monthly bulletin home to families. For example, “Ms. B’s fourth grade class is working on a science experiment, and they need 22 sets of protective glasses. Here’s how you can support…”. 

 

3. Turn a Meeting into a Self-Care Opportunity

 

Meetings are important, but after a full day of teaching, they can also be exhausting. Consider sending out an email with any necessary information and canceling the meeting. Encourage teachers to instead use the hour to do something for themselves,

 

4. Door Affirmations

 

Throughout the week, encourage students to write words of affirmation for their teachers. You can collect thes during homeroom, at the beginning of each day, or in a collection box. Divide up these notes, and use them to decorate the classroom door of each teacher in your building. Consider using other decorative materials as well that makes this teacher feel special and recognized. Student leadership, or even administration could be responsible for the execution! 

 

5. Get Out of Class Free Card

 

Issue each teacher one “get out of class free card.”  This card would essentially provide them with a sub for one class period. It would provide them with some extra prep time or self-care time. You can create stipulations around how the card is used. Such as, “must be requested two days in advance,” so you can prepare accordingly to find whatever support is needed.

 

6. Teacher Gift Baskets

 

If your budget allows it, consider gifting each teacher with a small teacher gift basket! If possible, create gift baskets that are somewhat unique to each teacher for an extra personal touch! While we all know teachers love colorful pens and classroom goodies, consider adding in items that remind your teachers they are also more than just teachers! You could also encourage students to anonymously drop off family donations to the front office during teacher appreciation week. This could then be added to this gift basket!

 

When I taught high school English, I taught one student in particular who worked very hard, but sometimes struggled to grasp the concepts. During homeroom, we would often practice her writing skills, then during the last few minutes, she would teach me about something she loved and felt confident in–makeup. At the end of the year, she gifted me with her favorite eye-shadow palette. Over the years, I’ve received different gifts from students, but this one was incredibly memorable because it was personal. 

 

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Why Celebrating Teachers Matters

 

Teaching is quite honestly, an incredibly difficult and demanding job. Additionally, there are moments when it feels like asks and expectations are only being added to one’s plate, when teachers are already operating from a place of fatigue, frustration, and sometimes scarcity. 

 

While we can’t change the system overnight, thinking of creative ways to celebrate our teachers shows them how much we truly value them as teachers and as individuals. So this year, rather than just emailing out $5 virtual coffee gift cards, consider putting in some extra thought and creativity when celebrating your teachers!

 

 

 

Click here to read about the power of praise during teacher appreciation week!

 

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6 Parent Engagement Measures – That Aren’t Meetings

Schools want parent engagement measures to see how involved their parents are.  They should!

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Parent engagement is a key lever for a great school. Yet parent engagement often gets reduced to a single measure: PTO or parent-teacher meeting attendance

While these are an indicator,  others can be equally powerful. 

So what else can help you measure your school
parent involvement?

 

Event attendance 

Which event has the most parents attending?  What percent of parents are represented at that event?  Include sports games, art shows, choir performances.  Any activity bringing parents in to celebrate accomplishments of kids at your school deserves measurement.

Measure parent engagement outside of the 4 walls

Give parents chances to engage outside of the 4 walls of the building – signing their kids’ homework or a school weekly newsletter or their tests. What percent of parents sign these items?  Ask for volunteers to do things like sharpen pencils at home, write notes to teachers, or participate in a phone bank.  How many parents sign up for ongoing opportunities?

Parent feedback 

Possip schools give parents a regular opportunity to share parent feedback.  And whether parents are sharing feedback or praise, one word or one hundred words, their response demonstrates engagement.  Schools can use Possip and track what percent of parents are responding.

Daily student attendance

If parents are working to get their kids to school every day that is an indicator of their engagement. Not only is attendance something to track relative to parent engagement, it is also something to celebrate!

Depth of engagement

Even if only a small subset of parents are involved in activities like the PTO, how deep is their commitment?  Have you unleashed a deep level of engagement across a subset of parents?  What are the overall number of hours parents are committing to or volunteering to your school?

Enrollment 

Which direction is your enrollment going?  If your enrollment is decreasing that may be a sign you have a disengaged parent population. A sign of engagement and encouragement from parents contributes to the fact that enrollment is increasing.

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Parent participation in a school organization is undoubtedly valuable. PTO involvement at my kids’ school is one of my greatest joys. Yet it is a single measure – and when we focus only on that one we miss so many other ways parents are showing us they are engaged – or not engaged.

So if you have small PTO meeting attendance, relax!  Look for other indicators of parent engagement. 

And if all indicators point to disengaged parents, then you have information.  And an opportunity to make some changes. 

Look out for a future blog where we’ll share information about how to engage a disengaged parent population – or better channel a hyper engaged one.

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The Building Block of Successful Schools: Trust

It can be difficult as a principal to prioritize tasks and focus on the most important building blocks that lead to school success. According to Payne and Kaba (2001), the level of social trust, the quality of staff-to-staff and staff-to-parent relationships at a school, can predict the quality of a school. This is BIG.

It means that if trust is not present in a school, it leads to fragmentation, disagreements, and a lack of overall success. Not only trust between staff members, but from parents too.

In “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen Covey, he says that “Trust always affects two measurable outcomes: speed and cost. When trust goes down in a relationship, speed decreases with it. Everything takes longer.” In the context of a school where there is only one year to set up our students for success, sense of urgency and speed are crucial. 

Trust allows for strong community building, feelings of safety, and productive collaboration. In high trust schools, there is a 3.5 times greater probability of improving test scores for students when compared to low-trust schools ( https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodgerdeanduncan/2018/07/12/the-speed-of-trust-its-a-learnable-skill/#511f94dd3bbf). 

You can start thinking about building trust by having two vital components present: competence and character. Character includes how people view your integrity, morals, and intent. Competence is seen as your abilities, skillset, and results. Stephen Covey’s book goes through 13 key behaviors to build trust in an organization. We have consolidated some of those behaviors within the context of a school to begin building high societal trust. 

Here are tips to build trust in your school: 

Try to be a YES Principal:

Being able to give teachers, staff members, and parents the freedom to be innovative and extending trust when they have a new idea or initiative builds trust in schools. If you can say “yes” right away, agree to a pilot program before giving a full “yes,” or set up a brainstorm session that could lead to a “yes,” this will demonstrate respect and create a culture of distributive leadership. Of course, a “no” must be given at times. In that case, make sure teachers and staff still feel heard and there is an honest rationale as to why the answer is “no.”

An important part to this is if the idea from another stakeholder becomes a success and leads to great things happening in the classroom, school, or community. Make sure to give that teacher all the credit to ensure your character and the relationship are both kept intact. 

Invite People into Decision Making:

By inviting teachers, staff members, and parents into decision-making processes, this not only builds relationships and confidence in your community but also creates transparency.  Everyone feels trusted and valued when decisions are made jointly with all information on the table.

If you are inviting people into decision making, there must be an element of psychological safety present. Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished, humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes (https://youtu.be/LhoLuui9gX8). Trust grows when the community feels they can speak and be heard, collaborate to make decisions together, and be supportive if a failure occurs. Whenever possible, bring others to the table when making school-wide decisions to increase trust.  

Stay Focused on Your Priorities:

As a leader, what do you value and prioritize when leading a school? Are you consistent with what you care about? Are your responses and rationale for tough questions aligned to beliefs? Do your daily actions tie to your priorities? Leaders who are consistent, keep important commitments, and are predictable in their beliefs allow others to trust them. Think about the ways that your priorities come up daily for you. Does your community know your priorities? Do you truly have priorities that are most important to you? How can you always match your actions to your priorities? These reflections will go a long way in building trust in your community. 

Always Model a Growth Mindset:

A growth mindset was coined by Carol Dweck (https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means) and refers to the idea that people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Modeling a mindset as a principal where you can always grow, learn, and improve positively impacts your entire community. The community members will feel comfortable coming to you with areas of growth for the school, confront tough issues that may impact student achievement, and work to improve as parents or teachers.

One way to demonstrate your growth mindset is to provide opportunities for parents and teachers to give feedback. Parents appreciate being heard and valued through the feedback they give Possip in our weekly pulse checks.  Teachers are able to regularly hear, value, and act on feedback by the surveys around school climate. By confronting reality, practicing accountability, and focusing on improvement, trust in you as a leader will grow exponentially.

Build Genuine Relationships:

Relationships are crucial to having high levels of societal trust. As a principal, think about ways you can informally build relationships with teachers and staff members. Use active listening skills, get to know what others care about, and follow through on commitments made. Strong relational trust builds societal trust in a school. Finding ways to connect in small groups or with your community will go a long way toward building trust.

If you need more tips on this topic, email me at amanda@possip.com.

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Top 10 March Feedback Trends from School & District Staff

Amanda Richards, Possip’s Reporting Team Lead, analyzed data from our Pulse Checks! The results were able to provide you with the top 10 March feedback trends from school & district staff!

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In the month of March, over 5,100 staff members responded through Possip Pulse Checks! 59% of staff members were happy this month. 

What is top of mind for teachers and school staff the past few weeks?

Top 10 Trends

Compensation

Student Discipline and Behavior

Teacher Workloads

School Schedule

Teacher Duties and Requirements

Curriculum

Communication

Facilities and Cleanliness

Professional Development Sessions and Teacher Training

Staff Shortages and Teacher Vacancies

 

Top 10 Trends Breakdown

 

#1: Compensation 

• Staff members are sharing feedback that they need an overall pay raise, teacher incentives and stipends for certain positions. In addition, they want higher pay for school staff like paraprofessionals, substitutes, and bus drivers. We are hearing that due to the amount of work they are taking on that goes above and beyond their normal job duties, along with inflation, it’s fair to adjust compensation accordingly.

#2: Student Discipline and Behavior 

• Teachers are sharing that student behavior is a difficult part of their daily job right now. We are hearing that teachers feel consequences are not being enforced. Plus, teachers are in unsafe situations due to behavior. They don’t feel like there is follow-up from administration when students are referred for discipline situations. Also, teachers are requesting school wide discipline systems, action plans for handling student behavior escalations, and more support through effective restorative practices.

#3: Teacher Workloads 

• Staff members are asking for more manageable amounts of work. Furthermore, Possip data shows that teachers need more time to plan and complete daily tasks. They feel overloaded and continue to get additional work and some also feel micromanaged with the tasks they do complete.

#4: School Schedule 

• Teachers are sharing feedback on different aspects of the school schedule, with the majority of things regarding next year schedule changes. We heard teachers sharing opinions on having longer individual school days versus having a longer school year and asking questions about shortening summer breaks. Teachers were also asking questions about this year’s schedules like end of year events impacting the daily schedule and weather closures impacting the length of the current school year.

#5: Teacher Duties and Requirements 

• Teachers want to ensure their contract time is being followed. Additionally, they are advocating to have planning periods and not take on additional duties like subbing other classes and doing carline late after school hours. Teachers are wanting less duties to focus more on teaching and planning.

#6: Curriculum 

• This month, teachers are discussing the curriculum and giving feedback on new ed-tech platforms that districts are using. We also heard requests for more vertical alignment in the curriculum, less focus on test preparation, and more time for students to enjoy the content of the curriculum. 

#7: Communication 

• Teachers provided feedback on communication from their school and district leadership. They want more transparency in communication, along with clear communication about logistics for the end of this year and next school year. Also, teachers also want their voice and input to be taken into account in decisions instead of just hearing decisions already finalized from leadership.  

#8: Facilities and Cleanliness 

• Staff members shared a variety of feedback on cleanliness and facilities-related requests. In fact, a few examples include turning back on water fountains, cleanliness, fixing restroom and plumbing issues, updating general building facilities, and requests for better supplies and materials in classrooms.

#9: Professional Development Sessions and Teacher Training 

• Teachers shared opinions on the effectiveness of past training and requests for future training that were more content-specific. Moreover, we heard that teachers value more team time to plan and collaborate over trainings that take away their planning periods. 

#10: Staff Shortages and Teacher Vacancies

• We heard staff members share that teacher vacancies are making their day-to-day tasks very difficult by increasing class sizes and putting more duties on their plates. Staff members are advocating that district leaders focus on retention and recruitment. As well as, increasing sub availability, and potentially moving people to fill the most critical positions on campus if there is a vacancy.

If you have questions about these top 10 March feedback trends from school & district staff, how to resolve them in your school or have feedback on our trends blog, please reach out to amanda@possip.com!

Click here to read educators’ answers to why they teach!

 

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Parent Engagement 101: Getting Started on Your Parent Engagement Plans

Educators know that students do better if parents are involved. Truly, they get higher grades, learn at a faster rate, and have better attendance. However, there are still many barriers that decrease parental engagement. Educators are working hard to figure out how to improve parental involvement.

What is Parental Engagement?

Parental engagement is when parents and educators work together to address the challenges students face. Also, they help students’ performance, and improve the school environment. Schools engage with parents for a wide variety of reasons:

• Evaluating academic performance to make sure that students are on track.
• Working with parents so they know how to help their children do well in school.
• Developing relationships with parents so that there is an open dialogue.
• Bringing up issues students may face, such as bullying and drug use.
• Letting parents know about events and programs run by the school.
• Helping the school be better by leveraging the asset and community of parents.

What is the Difference between Parental Involvement and Engagement?

It’s important to distinguish between parental involvement in the school and engagement. Most parents try to be involved on some level. They make sure their kids are engaged in school, doing their homework, and doing well socially. However, this level of involvement doesn’t necessarily mean that they are engaged with what’s going on in the school. Engagement is about building a relationship between educators and parents. In addition, it’s a partnership to enrich students’ lives and help them succeed. Schools alone cannot make all the decisions because they are unaware of existing problems if parents do not communicate. In fact, the difference between parental involvement and parent engagement is that parents help make critical decisions for the school.

How to Measure Parental Engagement

Educators understand the need for parental engagement more than anyone.  Yet measuring engagement has been more elusive. There are a number of ways to measure parent engagement. For example, attendance at school activities, to volunteerism at school, to participation in school surveys or focus groups. More specifically, schools can take a look at how active parents are with school activities. For instance, they can look at volunteering, PTA meetings, regular communication with teachers, and submission of feedback.

What is a Parental Engagement Policy?

A parental engagement policy is a policy that requires schools to have a set of guidelines and practices to engage parents. Additionally, schools, states and districts come up with a clear policy and plan so that educators can take an action-based approach to parental engagement. Without a strategy and plan in place, the action-steps educators need to take are often unclear.

How to Improve Parental Engagement

Here are some ideas to improve parental engagement:

• Identify barriers and work to resolve them. Are parents busy working? If so, when are the best days and times to reach out to them? Do they not pick up phone calls from unknown callers? Is there a language barrier?
• Learn which communication channels parents prefer. Do parents want to be updated via paper, website, blog, email, phone, social media, or text messages? Maybe all of them?
• Work to get parents into school events. We have found that parents are most invested in events with their child – consider adding an art exhibit, poetry cipher, choir performance- to report card conferences. Have students invite their parents to events.
• Encourage parents to submit ideas and offer feedback. The goal here is to listen to parents and have them take part in the conversation.
• Provide resources for parent engagement. What are the ways schools can easily here from and capture the insights of parents?.

Parental engagement is, of course, important. Nevertheless, it is not always easy to measure or successfully execute.  Hopefully, this 101 overview helps schools successfully start planning their engagement.

Click here for tips on helping students navigate this complex world!

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