As we head back to school, a collective internal plea echoes: “Please let this year be easier than last year.”
Fair! The last few years have been brutal, and the news as students head back to school isn’t confidence-inspiring. A generation of K-12 students requires at least four-plus months of additional schooling due to COVID learning disruptions. And 70% of educators reported a rise in student behavioral issues. Attendance continues to decline, with an attendant effect on student achievement and drop-out rates.
But, there is one hack every teacher can use—regardless of the age group, student population, subject, or class size they teach—that will improve the status quo: increase school-home communication. Conscious, positive school-home communications make everything in the classroom go more smoothly.
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Why? Because this communication builds trust.
Impact of school-home communications on student success
Study after study reveals that consistent school-home communication leads to improved:
- Attendance
- Academic achievement
- Behavior outcomes and social-emotional functioning
- Graduation rates
- College attendance
There’s a simple but powerful reason behind this improvement and it’s trust. The more parents hear from their child’s teachers and principal, the more they feel in the know about what’s happening with their child at school. The more they’re informed, the more they’re able to support their child’s learning. And this builds their trust in the teacher. And parents who trust the teacher will send their child to school.
It’s a virtuous cycle with a significant impact. A recent study showed that positive student outcomes during remote learning were associated with community levels of trust in their local institutions, including school districts.
Get started before Day 1
More than half of parents say back-to-school is their most stressful time of year. So, an effective communication plan begins before students return—with a welcome letter. People are much more likely to read emails with the word “welcome” in the subject line. The average open rate for emails is 19.7%, while 68.6% of people will open a welcome email. This makes your welcome one of the most important communications of the year. Easy items to include are:
- The first-day schedule
- An “About Me” section
- Calendar reminders
- Contact info
- A survey to get to know the family
- A note about what parents can expect from you, communication-wise
Digital communications are key. They’re accessible on any device. More importantly, they’re translatable, which means the 20% of families who do not speak English at home will be able to read the information. If blank page syndrome hits, get help from ChatGPT. Give it a prompt like, “Write a back-to-school welcome letter with key information that will put a nervous mom or English learner parent at ease.”
Boom. You’ve got a draft to personalize.
The key to communication is consistency
First, decide on a cadence: weekly, biweekly or monthly. Then, create a template with clear headers such as: Schedule, Lunch Menu, Upcoming Events, Assignments and Shout Outs. Remember, most people skim on mobile. Clear headers and a consistent template register with busy parents on the go. Once your template is set, duplicate it for every update. Then, update the content.
The second part of building trust is ensuring everyone feels known. Remember that survey in your welcome letter? Include questions like: What are your hopes for your child this year? What information would you like me to know about your child? What’s the best way to contact you? Then take the time to follow up. Send a quick translatable text message to each child’s home adult saying, “Thank you for sharing info about Miles. Looking forward to getting to know all of you!”
And the parents who didn’t respond? “Not sure if you saw the survey I sent about Nathan. I’m re-sending here, so I get your insight! Thank you!”
If school-home communication is seen as something that happens after classroom learning, it’s an added responsibility for teachers. But if we consider family communication as integral to a child’s success and instruction, then it stops being an add-on. Instead, it is one of the best and most important tools at your disposal.
And it will make the year easier.
