# data[].attributes.body
I am a teacher of English as a foreign language and I teach in Terni, a small Italian town 100 km far from Rome. My students are from 11 to 14 years old. I love reading, listening to pop and classical music, travelling and speaking languages in fact, apart from Italian, I can speak English, Spanish and a bit of Finnish. I know this language because I was and Erasmus student in Turku  - Finland.
I love working with teachers from other countries in fact I'm involved in several etwinning projects this year. I'm also and etwinning ambassador.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The EU's work to tackle Early School Leaving

# data[].attributes.headline
Recommendations for successful prevention of school drop out

# data[].attributes.subject
Recommendations for successful prevention of school drop out

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What structures need to be in place at school level to facilitate a positive engagement of parents?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EDSE 325 Demonstration Project Amanda Bolster UNCO

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How can teachers engage with parents from different cultural and/or linguistic backgrounds?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Campus Suite | School Websites, Notifications & Mobile Apps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's easy to recognize that great communication is at the heart of any great school. What's not so easy to grasp these days is identifying which communication channels to focus on, and when to use them to reach your audiences.

Although there is more technology than ever for connecting with parents, staff, students and the rest of your school community, there are questions and costs that come with learning how to make the most of using it.

Improving your school communications while being realistic about your resources might be the greatest challenge facing you and just about every other school communicator. By the time you factor in the tools, training, time, staffing and tech support, staying current with all these channels can be challenging if not cost prohibitive.

Nevertheless, in your school communications planning you need to focus on using and embracing technology and using all the channels at your disposal. I've identified the six key areas that you need to focus on to be a great school communicator and improve engagement for your school or district.

Granted, these channels are subject to technology advancements. And while it is impossible to predict what next big thing is around the corner, I can tell you these channels are critical for your school for now - your website, social media, notifications, a mobile app, emails and video.

Types of school communications

How and when to share school information has changed dramatically in recent years. What hasn't changed, really, are the kinds of information that need to be shared. Most of your school information you want to share falls into the following categories:

Promotion of school happenings and news (e.g., achievements, events, etc.)

Time-critical school information (e.g., school closings, policies, etc.)

PTO events and other important issues

Leadership and education improvement ideas (e.g., parent resources)

School levy and community outreach (including fundraising)

Stories and imagery of the school's impact on the community (cool human interest content, alumni, photos, videos)

Now we can ask, "How do I use today's channels for sharing this information?" While schools are not in the business of technology and communication, you still have to do your best and rely on providers that specialize in these channels. Hopefully, you can find partners who provide simple ways to communicate without having to hire multiple vendors to achieve success.

Key school communication channels

I've listed below a matrix that shows how to use each channel and discuss a little more in detail each of the areas.

There are plenty of options, and each channel is used differently and in some cases, at the same time. The goal here is to communicate continuously and while recognizing the purpose and limitations of each channel. When used properly, your parents, staff and students will appreciate it.

Not all channels are meant for every kind of communication from your school. While a text message to a parent is helpful when there's a one-hour weather delay, text messages about, say, the score of the Friday night football game, is hardly news that needs to be pushed via emergency notification.

The importance of understanding these channels and how to use them are critical for effective communication. I've list below each channel and the key purpose of each to help you better utilize them.

1. District and school websites

A website serves an important purpose for school districts and its schools: to be a self-service portal for all information for the school. Websites have changed over the years in how they are designed. A good one is accessible on mobile devices and serves as a hub for social media and other channels. This entails creating a website with responsive design featuring tools that make it easy to manage and share content.

The key to having a successful website that supports all other communication is that it is easy to use and shows all updates of communication that is being shared. For example, if you are promoting a big event, you should have it featured as a news announcement, homepage banner and even a calendar event. Depending on the degree of your CMS integration, it may automatically update, or you may have to update the website manually.

Many schools also use their websites to conduct e-commerce for a variety of payments. In addition, submission forms are used on school websites to gather information or conduct registration for events or enrollment.

2. Mobile app

Mobile apps are becoming a very popular method for schools to communicate. A mobile app can make it efficient to access common information like alerts, calendars, directories, news and lunch menus. Plus it can make it simple to integrate the phone, email and texting features into the app, making it even more useful. While the mobile app is not ready to replace the website, the website pages need to be accessible through the app.

The main benefit of the mobile app is going to be the push notifications. Do not overuse push notifications. Rather, save them for important, time-sensitive announcements and alerts.

There are other key features a school mobile app should have, but one of the most important is the ability to segment your notifications to the specific audience respectively. For example, if the middle school football game is canceled, you should not notify the elementary and high school parents.

3. Notifications and alerts

Critical emergency information and important reminders need to be communicated through a notification system that provides SMS (text), voice and email. There are many notification providers to choose from. These types of systems may or may not integrate with other channels but serve a purpose for time-critical messages. Parents typically have the ability to customize their preference and receive the preferred method of communication.

Schools need to be sensitive to how this type of messaging is utilized. Like alerts via mobile apps, you do not want to over use notifications. It is an extremely effective means of communication but can become annoying if you are getting voice messages about not-so important information.

A few notification facts:

Over 70% of K-12 parents age-group (25-54) have smartphones

Texting preferred over voice calls

For every 1 text message sent, 10 emails are sent

For every 1 text message sent, 12 voice calls are made

4. Email

The email channel is an oldie but goodie and a key channel for schools. We all love it because it is a great form of one-to-one personal communication. Most parents have email accounts, and it allows the school to provide information of all kinds, in detail if needed. Email also features a very high open rate, which translates into an informed community.

The use of email can range from reminders, policies, registration, newsletters and a variety of announcements. A majority of the content sent in email needs to exist on the website and be easily linked to. Email can be the messenger for your website content - still the hub of much of your school information.

Email needs to be a channel that is mastered by schools and utilized to its fullest. There are several best practices that can improve open rate and the overall readability. Most email blasting systems, which provide a higher degree of email security than one a school handles itself, enables important metrics that can help you improve your communication.

5. Social Media

These popular social media channels are driving how many businesses and organizations are sharing information. They need to be a big part of your communications mix as well. Understanding which social media to use and when to use it requires understanding the limits and life cycle of the content posted to each of these channels.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube are the key channels we're talking about here. There are other, but these are what your school should be using to reach the increasingly digital and mobile stakeholders your school serves. The beauty of social media is how easily the content can be linked to other social media channels, and how easily it can be shared with many people.

Regardless of which media you're utilizing, building a following and, in turn, encouraging sharing (see viral) is what it's all about. For a solid drill down on making the most of social media at your school, check out this article and a link to the Social Media Guide for Schools.

Whether you're Tweeting out 140-character messages several times a day, making daily Facebook pages or weekly blog posts, all these vehicles and others can be utilized at the right time to get your messages across.

6. Blog

A blog can be one of your school's best opportunities to engage parents and the community. Many schools prefer to position it as a superintendent's blog, which gives you a forum to reinforce the school brand, strengthen ties with media, and depict your school leadership precisely the way you want. You have total control of the messaging, and can use it to articulate, support and clarify policy, and spark dialogue. Note too that not all posts have to be serious. Some posts can be lighter than others. Simply sharing thoughts, photos, anecdotes, and other's content can all help personalize your school's leader.

If properly promoted, your superintendent's blog (or school blog) can deliver the messaging priorities that can boost public confidence in your entire district. Promote it on your website homepage, share it on your school's Facebook page and other social media, promote it through your non-digital school communications as well.

Check out Kathy Brant's article on how to launch a school blog.

6. Video

Videos and the favored channels to share them - Youtube, Vimeo, Vine, and Periscope - are becoming popular because we all love the medium. Like all the channels I've covered, however, there's a time and place for video.

Whether it's live streaming events or recording for posting at a later time, video is a crowd-pleasing way for schools to capture, chronicle and archive great school content.

When it comes to a how-to video, a personal message, highlights from an event, something humorous, touching or otherwise entertaining, video rules. Video is not, however, the best way to depict something time critical.

Some schools are even creating their own Youtube channels. using them to post everything from football highlights, to school productions, to superintendent's messages. Even if you don't have a Youtube channel, you can create video galleries and archives of your school events.

A word about non-digital communications

It's important when plugging your school content into the right channels that you not forget the non-digital parents. It may be hard to believe, but there are actually parents who have no email accounts nor smartphones, so it's important that you not overlook the old-school ways of getting messages to them.

Printed newsletters, the time-tested take-home packet that's jammed into kids' backpacks, solid media relations to get that school closing to the TV stations, school signage, posters, flyers. These are all areas that will not only help you continue to reach your tech-less parents, but can supplement your communications through digital channels.

Printed and other non-digital communications should be used to cross-promote your digital channels too. Place social media badges and icons on select printed media (like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, tune in our YouTube channel, etc.) to show all your audiences that you're doing all you can to reach them.

School content at the right place, time, and price

Over the years, I've answered questions from thousands of school administrators looking for new website designs or website hosting solutions. But of late, the questions are now including how to integrate website communications with all these other channels I've mentioned here.

Keeping up with communication trends these days does require a scorecard of sorts, and a way of figuring out how to use all these channels without breaking your school communications budget.

Whenever you have school content that needs to be shared, examine all your communications channels, and be sure you have the information queued up in the right channel at the right time. And be on the lookout for tools to help you manage the task of playing traffic cop for the growing amount of content traveling the avenues available in this digital age.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
As co-founder of Campus Suite, Steve believes behind every great school is great communication. His tech savvy and passion for design fuel his desire to help administrators understand, embrace and seize the power of web communications.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Key School Communication Channels and How to Use Them

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's easy to recognize that great communication is at the heart of any great school. What's not so easy to grasp these days is identifying which communication channels to focus on, and when to use them to reach your audiences.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's vital that teachers make sure those at home - be they parents or carers - are aware of what goes on in the classroom.

I learned a lot about parental engagement in my job as a school improvement coach and member of the senior leadership team. As an edtech writer I often look at this issue from a digital perspective too. Millions of conversations on everything from behaviour to bullying are now happening online.

So how can technology help teachers, parents and students connect and communicate? For those unaware of what's out there, here's a handy guide to the best apps for engaging with parents:

bambizo

iOS/Android, free

Whether it's to impart an urgent message or a bit of fun, bambizo allows you to chat with your class' parents. You can post messages, ask questions and share information. You can also make micro-communities within the app for niche groups. This is helpful if you want to focus on specific questions around a particular issue, such as attendance, or post a quick message to help with homework or revision. The down side is that there do not seem to be many reviews out there, so any comments you have please post them below.

iOS/Android, free

This app has more than 35 million users, which shows that parents really want to be involved with their children's education. One in two schools in the US are now using this. It captures and generates data on behaviour that teachers can share with parents and administrators. As well as the usual comments that can be sent out, such as when a child does well in their homework, the app helps teachers inform parents about behaviours they want to encourage at home as well, for example, "helping others" and "persistence".

If parents want a proper answer to the question, "What happened at school today?"or to know if their child has been "on task", this app can tell them. There have been issues with the latest update (in terms of both sides getting messages), but the team are working on this.

iOS/Android, free

If you think it is just a "teaching Facebook", you are wrong. This app allows parents, teachers and students to communicate and collaborate by sending messages, sharing photos, setting calendar reminders and much more. This webinar - one of many of the website - takes you on a journey across the whole platform so you can see how more than 50 million people use this social media platform for education.

If you teach GCSE you might find Edmodo of extra interest this summer due to their new partnership with Cambridge University. Edmodo began in the US and has recently been supporting American teachers with their preparation for the Common Core Educational Standards by launching Snapshot, a free tool that delivers a clear picture of students' performance data. They have now turned their attention to their UK market with a partnership aimed at creating "standard-aligned content" to help with the new curriculums. This means that revision resources by Cambridge University Press will be easily accessible for both parents, students and teachers via this platform. The launch is planned for August 2015. This social media platform is upping its reach in the UK, stepping into assessment and administration, and I think that this has real potential.

Pupil Asset

iOS/Android, free

Pupil Asset has a new "Pupil Asset Parents" product that allows parents to review " attendance information, behaviour levels, current and historic school reports and progress in the core subjects." This means that parents will be able to review information on their child at the touch of a button, making teacher-parents meetings more about exploring options than reviewing levels.

A real bonus is that teachers and parents are in control of this data - rather than the senior leadership team. It is in one place, colour coded and clear for all to see. As a result, some schools are finding this really useful to track the impact of their pupil premium work.

iOS/Android, free

The popular app Remind allows you to text both students and parents (one-way) for free. Telephone numbers are not seen (making it safe for everyone) and you can easily archive the message history.

A big plus is that you can send voice mails and icons. This is particularly helpful for parents who are not literate or have English as an additional language (EAL) as it eliminates any writing barriers. These parents can find universal images and spoken English (or whatever your chosen language is) really useful and feel more confident in discussions around learning. You can also attach photos, documents, PDFs and then see who has viewed the content. This blog post about how a school used icons for their English language learner (ELL) families illustrates how beneficial this can be for both parents and teacher alike.

The downside is that it is a one-sided conversation and, personally, I believe for successful parental partnership dialogue needs to be open for both. However if you can balance this out with face-to-face meetings and other forms of electronic communication it could work for you.

If you know of another helpful app, please do share it in the comments thread below.

The Working in Independent Schools series is funded by the IAPS. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled "brought to you by". Find out more here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Five of the best apps that help teachers communicate with parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's vital that teachers make sure those at home - be they parents or carers - are aware of what goes on in the classroom. I learned a lot about parental engagement in my job as a school improvement coach and member of the senior leadership team.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At Forest Lake Elementary, parents stay informed and participate in their child's education with assignment trackers, student blogs, and other online learning tools. Learn more about this exciting school at our Edutopia website: http://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-south-carolina

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The rigors of this college-prep education place demands on families, too. For more videos, articles, and downloads from Edutopia's coverage of YES Prep North Central, visit http://www.edutopia.org/yes-prep-schools-that-work

# data[].attributes.body
In Italy we don't do home visits but we talk with parents whenever it is necessary or when there is a chance to do so

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Episode #423: F.J. Scott Elementary held their 'Family Literacy Night' on Wednesday, December 3rd. The family friendly event encourages students to improve their reading and writing skills. Video Journalist: Marco Guillen.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How can teachers bring learning into the families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Uploaded by School Education Gateway on 2017-10-06.

# data[].attributes.body
Awsome plan activity! Is a wonderful plan, is interactive, is creative and it give multiple opportunitites for parents to know better the work of their children in order to appreciate more their efforts, while having a good time. Well done! (Alexandra-Anamaria Vlad)

The idea of ​​music is very beautiful. I did not understand what he would do on skipping

I'm not well understood, in the first activity what works should be shown to parents. The idea of ​​the final video is also very nice. Hello Paola (Paola Tona)

This is a really nice lesson plan and I like learning diary very much.

The main aim is to invovle parents and to show them childrens work and activity at school.We have here collaboration not only within the school, but other schools also included via technology - skype. Not only children but parents also will have leaning experience, they will remember and deepen their English language knoledge and share their views. (ieva Zemaityte)