We know that consistent school-home communication is integral to student success. Back-to-school night should be a key part of every leader’s engagement strategy.
Now, new research emphasizes the need to engage K12 families in academic recovery efforts. The more families know, the better equipped they are to support their child’s learning.
Back-to-school night provides an opportunity to meet families and share with them what to expect in the coming year, but anyone who’s stood at the front of the room knows there’s no way that a teacher can fit everything they need to share with families into these meetings.
Here are 5 ways to optimize back-to-school night
1. Start communications beforehand: Rather than thinking of Back to School Night as the start of your communication with families, consider it the continuation of a conversation you’ve started before Day 1. Why start up your class communications in the summer? Even though students are taking a break from daily instruction, a strong school-home connection keeps them set up for success. Plus, if you’ve already taken the time to share essentials about how your class/classroom is functioning, you’ll have more time to cover other material at Back to School Night!
2. Remove barriers to receiving messages: Families need to be able to access info about school events from whatever device they use. Share communications in a variety of ways, including email and text, plus phone calls for families who may not have reliable wifi or a smartphone. Also, make sure all information you send home digitally has options for translation so all families are included.
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3. Offer video meetings as an option to reach more families: Offering an option for families to participate via video helps home adults who may have barriers to attending an in-person back-to-school Night. Using an easy-to-join, one-click video call link can be helpful for parents who may not have the time off of work, easy transportation or access to childcare needed to attend an in-person event. Including the opportunity to join virtually communicates your understanding of the various needs of families in your community.
4. Promote attendance as a value: Reinforce how important it is for students to attend school every day. Emphasize the many benefits of daily attendance on students’ lives, current and future, and that it matters to you to see each and every student, every day. Highlight an attendance wall hall of fame or other celebration of daily attendance.
5. Provide actionable steps and data to help families support students: If you’re sharing district-level data on testing and academic progress or, highlighting interventions the district is offering, make sure to put these updates in context with jargon-free language. To head off parents who have questions about their child, offer options for individual conversations with families to explain how their students are doing academically and what steps they can take at home to help.
After you’ve finished your presentation and the room is clear, there’s one more action to take to ensure a successful back-to-school: Send home a brief summary of the information you’ve presented, in bullet form, or share the recording (or both!) for those folks who couldn’t make it.
This emphasizes the important nature of the information you’ve shared, demonstrates that you value your relationship with every family—even those who can’t be present—and sets every student up for a successful year.
