Effective communication is the single most important strategy to develop and maintain relationships with families. Communication can be written, oral, using technology, or in person. This section will list numerous possible options.
Activities
Creating a climate for effective communication
Before effective communication can be established, it is important for schools to create a climate that fosters positive communication with families. This section lists some ways that teachers can help establish a climate for effective communication.
1. Have an evening education night and invite a guest speaker to discuss the importance of communication, and how it benefits teachers and families.
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
2. Establish a parent committee to generate and recommend effective communication strategies.
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
3. Create a family survey to ask parents at the beginning of the school year about what would help draw them into the school.
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
4. Greet families daily if possible.
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
5. Smile when you see parents. Sometimes parents only occasionally see teachers, so make sure that your encounters with them are positive, warm and friendly.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-developing-positive-relationships-parents-elena-aguilar
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
6. Frequently use two-way communication strategies to help establish rapport, build understanding and trust with parents. Be as positive as possible when talking to parents and share their child’s accomplishments with them regularly.
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=644
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Who Benefits From Effective Teacher-Family Communication, How and Why?)
7. Be as flexible as possible when establishing conference times or other opportunities for parent engagement to increase the likelihood that parents will be involved.
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=644
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Who Benefits From Effective Teacher-Family Communication, How and Why?)
8. Provide multiple opportunities for parent involvement and clearly explain how their volunteering directly benefits their children. If they know their involvement is valuable and important to their children’s success, they will be more likely to stay involved.
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=644
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Who Benefits From Effective Teacher-Family Communication, How and Why?)
9. Make contact with parents early in the school year to alleviate any apprehension they may feel before beginning a new experience, and to convey that both the families and their children are valued.
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=644
Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Who Benefits From Effective Teacher-Family Communication, How and Why?)
10. Explain to parents in the beginning of the year how you will keep in touch with them.
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Who Benefits From Effective Teacher-Family Communication, How and Why?)
11. Let families know that communication is not a one-time action.
Give families a timeline of when they can expect periodic documents or actions. For example, if parents expect a newsletter every Friday, they will look for that information.
http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/rb/rb5-diverse.pdf
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Welcoming Strategies)
12. Assure parents that you will inform them immediately about any concerns you may have regarding their child, and be ready to explain strategies you have tried to address the issue and what strategies you are considering. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/five-keys-successful-parent-teacher-communication/
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Who Benefits From Effective Teacher-Family Communication, How and Why?)
13. Contact parents at the first opportunity if you have a concern.
AFFECT Chart on Guidelines for Positive Communication
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
14. Meet with parents (formally or informally) to talk to them about what they believe regarding their student’s learning and classroom expectations.
http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/rb/rb5-diverse.pdf
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Welcoming Strategies)
15. Discuss and focus on your mutual goals with parents, using words such as, “we,” “us” and “our” instead of “you,” “I,” “yours,” and “mine.”
AFFECT Chart on Guidelines for Positive Communication
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
16. Make sure to thank parents both individually and publicly for their support. Recognize what they do to help your class and how it’s impacting the students.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-developing-positive-relationships-parents-elena-aguilar
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
17. Establish an “Open Door” policy, where parents can come observe you teach or attend classroom parties/events.
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
Provide your contact information
1. Provide parents with your (the teacher’s) contact information at the beginning of the school year. Creative suggestions include a bookmark, business card or magnet. Give this to parents the first time you meet them and make sure they know they can contact you with any questions or concerns.
https://theeducatorsroom.com/from-the-classroom-home-communicating-with-parents/
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – What is Empowering Communication and How Can I Achieve It?)
Make classroom material available to parents
1. Put new learning material on your classroom website, classroom blog, classroom newsletter, classroom Facebook page, and in email communications to parents so they can start conversations about it at home. Ideas include:
- Give them links to games, articles, eBooks and activities that support your curriculum
- Share with families what you are doing in class
- Give parents a list of important subject vocabulary with definitions you are using with students
- Share your classroom objectives with them
http://theeducatorsroom.com/from-the-classrom-home-communicating-with-parents/
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – What is Empowering Communication and How Can I Achieve It?)
2) Create a handbook for parents and distribute it in the beginning of the school year. Include information on areas such as how the classroom works, how to check grades, student behavior rules, attendance policy and student birthdays.
http://www.tips-for-teachers.com/parent%20communication.htm
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Communication Folder)
Welcome Letters
1) Send home a welcome letter in the first week of school introducing yourself to your students’ families, outlining your goals and expectations for the school year, and listing upcoming content/events. If possible, have it translated into each student’s native language
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication With Families – Welcoming Strategies, AFFECT Activity #4)
Phone Calls
1) Call families before the school year begins to let them know you are excited about the new year and to invite them to the open house, where you will give them more information about your classroom and what to expect.
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Phone Calls)
2) Once a month, make phone calls to parents to discuss any of your or their concerns and questions; make a “good news” call to parents to recognize student progress.
http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf (p. 120)
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
3) Before calling parents, take a few minutes to organize your thoughts and think through the purpose of the call.
https://theeducatorsroom.com/scripting-a-parent-phone-call-a-skill-all-teachers-need/
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Phone Calls)
4) Allow students to use the class telephone to call their parents to make “brag calls” about what they are doing well.
https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy039.shtml
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Parent-Teacher Conferences)
1) Emailing parents can provide a nonthreatening way to address issues or concerns.
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
2) Email can be a fast and easy form of communication. For example, surveys via email are easy for parents to complete and return.
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=359
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
Technology Tools
1) Use apps to communicate with parents, such as Remind101, which allows the teacher to text parents about upcoming texts, events or projects. Parents do not see the teacher’s number, and the teacher does not see theirs.
https://theeducatorsroom.com/from-the-classroom-home-communicating-with-parents/
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – What is Empowering Communication and How Can I Achieve It?)
2) Create short videos for parents that can be uploaded onto a classroom website, such as a welcome video, portions of a “lesson in action,” and how parents can help their students with academic projects at home.
http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf (p. 122)
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
3) Create a classroom website.
http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf (p. 122)
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
4) Create a one-minute voicemail for parents to call at the end of the day for homework information and class highlights. http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf (p. 122)
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices
Newsletters
1) Use newsletters to share written information with the parent community.
http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf (p. 119)
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
2) Newsletters can include items such as quotes from children, children’s artwork, book suggestions for families, words to songs or finger plays, photos showing what the children are doing, recipes and calendars.
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=359
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
3) A newsletter template and example of what to fill in can be found here.
http://www.tips-for-teachers.com/parent%20communication.htm
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Communication Folder)
4) Additional newsletter templates can be found on the AFFECT website under Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Newsletters
5) Include an interactive feature to promote two-way communication through newsletters.
https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/ReachFam/oncom.html
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Phone Calls)
Communication Folders
Communication folders are information packets that include information about school and classroom events (sometimes called "Thursday Folders," "Monday Folders" etc.) This section provides resources that explain more about what communication folders are and how teachers can create and utilize them.
1) Create “Thursday Folders” for students to take home that include relevant home and school information.
See AFFECT Chart on Guidelines for Positive Communication and steps for creating communication folders.
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)
2) Nine ideas to consider in establishing communication folders can be found under “suggested procedures” in Module 3, Lesson 2 – Ways to Engage Families at Home: Communication folders
3) This teacher’s blog provides her tips and suggestions for creating and organizing communication folders. https://www.cfclassroom.com/2012/08/daily-communication-folders-teacher-tip.html
(Module 3, Lesson 3 – Ways to Engage Families at Home: Communication folders)
4) Ask student and/or parent volunteers to “stuff” the folders with information that does not contain any confidential material, such as flyers, lunch menus and classroom newsletters.
https://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin463.shtml
(Module 3, Lesson 3 – Ways to Engage Families at Home: Communication folders)
5) Ask parents to sign weekly folders to help keep an ongoing record of home/school communication.
https://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin463.shtml
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Communication Folder)
6) Create an online version of a communication folder for families who prefer to access in the information on the school or classroom’s website.
https://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin463.shtml
(Module 3, Lesson 3 – Ways to Engage Families at Home: Communication folders)
7) Additional ideas for how to set up communication folders can be found at this resource, including types of folders to use and how to organize them.
https://www.cfclassroom.com/2012/08/daily-communication-folders-teacher-tip.html
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Communication Folder)
School-to-home notebooks & homework planners
1) Use school-to-home notebooks to share daily communication with parents. This strategy works particularly well with special needs students http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf (p. 119)
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
2) Create homework planners for students of all ages as another means for communication between school and home. Tips for creating efficient homework planners can be found on the AFFECT website under Module 2, Lesson 3, Strategies to Improve Communication with Families – Homework Planner.
3) This resource provides tips on how to organize your homework planner.
https://www.thoughtco.com/using-student-planners-1857577
(Module 2, Lesson 3, Strategies to Improve Communication with Families – Homework Planner)
4) Have parents sign or initial completed homework in their child’s homework planner.
See “suggested procedures” in Module 3, Lesson 3 – Ways to Engage Families at Home: Homework Planner
- Work with your students and their families to decide what happens when homework is not submitted on a consistent basis. What are the classroom consequences? Will there be any consequences at home? For more information, see “suggested procedures” in Module 3, Lesson 3 – Ways to Engage Families at Home: Homework Planner.
Report Cards
1) Use report cards as a traditional method of conveying permanent, written evaluative written information about student progress.
http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf (p. 119)
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
2) Use your open house event to introduce the basics of reading and understanding the report card. Share an example of a past report card, making sure to exclude all identifying information from it.
(AFFECT strategy in Module 2, Lesson 4: How to Overcome Language Barriers: Report Cards)
3) Start each report card with a positive general statement letting the parents know how happy you are to teach their child, or how much their child is learning and growing. Next, include information that covers a variety of areas (personal attributes, behavior, work habits social skills, communication, reading, writing, & math). Finally conclude by setting a goal that you will work on with the student for the following quarter.
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/101-report-card-comments-use-now/
(Module 2, Lesson 4: How to Overcome Language Barriers: Report Cards)
4) Examples of positive adjectives, statements regarding a child’s strengths, encouraging comments, and phrases to use when you have concerns about a student can be found at this resource.
http://www.kellybear.com/TeacherArticles/TeacherTip67.html
(Module 2, Lesson 4: How to Overcome Language Barriers: Report Cards)
Additional Communication Strategies
This section includes additional strategies for communication with families
1) Send individualized notecards home to give families insight on their children’s day.
(Module 2, Lesson 2, Reflecting on Your Goals – Analysis of Current Teacher-Family Communication Practices)
2) Mail “positive postcards” to families to tell them about something special their child has done. Addressing and stamping them in advance can help making sure that all of them are mailed out by the end of the school year.
http://www.tips-for-teachers.com/parent%20communication.htm
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: Communication Folder)
3) Provide parents with a calendar of events and meetings.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/parent-involvement-survey-anne-obrien
(Module 2, Lesson 7 – Ways to Overcome Cultural Barriers: Work with Families to Find the Optimal Ways to Communicate with Them)
4) Contact parents regularly with “good news.” Create reminders to make the calls by putting them in a planner, or you can set a reminder alarm on your phone.
(Module 2, Lesson 3 – Strategies to Improve Communication with Families: How Positive is My Communication with Families?)