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Guidelines for Teachers Regarding Digital Platforms for Family Engagement

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Guidelines for Teachers Regarding Digital Platforms for Family Engagement

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Guidelines for Teachers in Using Digital Platforms for Family Engagement

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Communication includes regular, two-way, and meaningful communication between parents, teachers, and staff regarding student academic learning and other school activities.

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Communication includes regular, two-way, and meaningful communication between parents, teachers, and staff regarding student academic learning and other school activities.

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VideoLink lets you share videos on YouTube easily, without distracting third-party content or advertisements.

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In school districts around the country, handwritten notes, calls home, and face-to-face meetings are rapidly ceding ground to new technologies that better meet the needs of parents and schools.

According to a 2016 report, there's been a steep drop in the number of parents who believe that more intimate forms of communication-face-to-face meetings with teachers, for example-are the most effective means to convey important information about students. The same study found a growing acceptance of digital methods.

Sensing the opportunity, simple communication apps like ClassDojo, Spotlight, Remind, and Seesaw allow educators to send mobile texts, video summaries, and other alerts to parents about important school activities or their child's recent academic or behavioral progress.

Taken together, these new ways to communicate are giving parents a deeper look into their children's performance and experience in the classroom, while forging tighter relationships between schools and families. Educational apps have even played a vital role in updating parents about snow days and disasters like Hurricane Irma, while advanced features translate report cards into languages from Arabic to Vietnamese.

Digital Outreach Is Backed by Research

This growing reliance on tech-based communication is informed by research that shows digital outreach can help parents stay informed, become more involved, and be better positioned to help with kids' schoolwork-all factors driving better student engagement and performance.

In a 2017 study from Columbia University, for example, middle and high school parents received weekly texts about their children's grades, absences, and missed assignments, resulting in an 18 percent increase in student attendance and a 39 percent reduction in course failures. And a 2014 Stanford University study found that when parents of San Francisco preschoolers were sent weekly text messages with literacy tips they could practice at home with their children, they were 13 percent more likely to do so. The parents also communicated more with their kids' teachers, resulting in higher literacy scores for students.

Apps are also eating away at persistent socioeconomic, linguistic, and scheduling barriers that have limited parent-school engagement in the past. According to one 2014 study, black and Latino adults who have been traditionally less engaged with schools send or receive texts more frequently than their white counterparts, and rely more on their phones-as opposed to computers-for information and communication.

"If you work a second shift as a parent, and can never talk on the phone, it's problematic, but if you can text, that's a game changer," says Deb Socia, executive director of Next Century Cities and former executive director of Tech Goes Home, an initiative to help improve technology access among low income parents. "It makes it so much easier for parents to know what's going on. I think the outcomes for families are not just that the children have parents who are more engaged, but also that parents become a deeper part of the fabric of the schools."

While text-based parent engagement apps are multiplying, we've selected a few below to share their stories of success in schools.

ClassDojo is a popular tool in the 19,178-student Reading, Pennsylvania, school district, located roughly 60 miles from Philadelphia.

The text-based app allows educators to update parents on student behavior, both positive and negative, as well as message parents in 35 languages. Parents also have access to School, Class, and Student Stories-a timeline of pictures and videos about their child's experiences. Ninety percent of K-8 schools across the country are already using ClassDojo, and the company continues to grow at a fast clip: Since last year, the app has welcomed 15,000 new schools.

In 2017, the Reading district adopted ClassDojo at all schools to improve parent engagement and gain a deeper understanding of the school community.

We can't assume we understand our community just because we work here.

According to Kyle Crater, the assistant principal of Amanda E. Stout Elementary School, most district staff members live in the surrounding suburban areas in Berks County, rather than urban Reading. The district is high poverty-more than 90 percent of students are on free and reduced-price lunch-and culturally and linguistically diverse, which has sometimes created obstacles when trying to get parents more involved, Crater explains.

"We can't assume we understand our community just because we work here," Crater says. "Most of our staff don't live in the community, and when you look at the demographics of our district and staff, they don't match up. But what we do have in common: We want all our kids to succeed."

ClassDojo's translation feature has been especially helpful in improving communication with non-English-speaking parents in Reading.

In Rebecca Mohler's fourth-grade class, for example, at least half the students speak a language other than English at home. Mohler sends messages to parents about school events like Spirit Week, their kid's homework, and positive or negative things about their child's day. Using the app, both Mohler and parents can write in their native language and then translate the messages into the receiver's language.

"In the past, I've been hesitant to call parents who I knew didn't speak much English," says Mohler. "With ClassDojo, I feel more able to communicate with them."

A high-poverty urban district with 28 percent English language learners and more than 50 home languages spoken throughout the district, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in California was looking for new ways to reach these diverse families.

In 2015, OUSD decided to pilot Spotlight's new video report card application in three schools, and within a year adopted it in 16 more.

With Spotlight, parents are texted a link to a personalized video that provides context about their child's report card, such as a history of the child's performance in core subjects, areas for growth, and recommendations to further support the child's learning-like attending the local library's reading group or using a free online math platform.

"A report card is critical information for a parent. It provides a foundation for conversation with teachers about how to make sure that their child succeeds throughout their education," says Susan Beltz, the chief technology officer at OUSD.

These personalized video report cards can be translated into a parent's native language-currently Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Mandarin Chinese are available.

Spotlight is piloting a number of technologies that make other data easily understandable and personalized for parents. In New Mexico, Spotlight has partnered with the state Public Education Department to test a video that explains how a school compares with other schools in the state in relation to things like suspension and graduation rates. The video can be translated into English, Spanish, or Navajo. Spotlight plans on expanding these applications to more districts in the future.

"The value here is really about breaking down those barriers to parents who may not have time to get to school, who may not have the means to access an online portal, and who may not speak English," said Mike Fee, the founder of Spotlight. "This is about more than just providing information. It's about reaching people where they are most comfortable."

In rural Groton, New York, Groton Elementary School is using Remind to build a bridge to parents who feel disconnected. The application allows educators to send one-on-one, class-wide, and school-wide text updates to parents.

"I don't believe that every parent necessarily has a lot of trust in schools. They haven't always had good experiences," explains Kent Maslin, the principal of Groton Elementary. "You get some people who are discouraged, who didn't feel like the school understood them. They didn't see stuff that looked and felt like their cultural or life experiences."

Teachers text weekly updates-which can be translated into over 70 languages-about what their students are learning across all subjects, photos of students in class, and ways parents can help with homework. Educators can also see who reads the messages and who they might need to follow up with through another medium.

"Remind really opened up communication in a positive way," says Kelly Neville, a second-grade parent. Previously, Neville says, she would receive notes in her daughter's folders about once a week that would sometimes get lost. Now she gets instant, almost daily communication directly from the teacher.

Remind is currently being used in more than 70 percent of public schools in the United States, and claims 23 million active users. Though it is free for teachers, Remind is expanding to meet school and district administrators' needs through a paid plan, which adds features like communication logs and district engagement reports.

While Remind has been adopted school-wide at Groton, not every teacher chooses to use it. Jennifer MacDonald, a pre-K teacher with 34 years of experience, uses Remind to update parents about upcoming field trips, for example, but when it comes to sharing what's going on in the classroom, she still prefers sending out a paper newsletter. MacDonald believes this traditional method includes more context than a Remind update does, or a young child could provide.

"I think that it really depends on age. I see the younger teachers are really excited about using Remind," MacDonald says.

Daniel Whitt, the coordinator of instructional technology in the Madison City School District in Alabama, says his district started using Seesaw -adopted in more than 25,000 schools, 200,000 U.S. classrooms, and over 150 countries-to showcase learning practices in the schools.

The app allows kids to explain their learning to their parents, and parents can respond directly during class time. Students might record a video showing what they're working on and their thought process behind it, or take a photo of their work and add audio to narrate their thinking. If approved by their teacher, a text will be sent to their parents, and their parents can reply with questions for their child. Some teachers use Seesaw more like a newsletter to capture student learning themselves to send off to parents.

Melissa Miller, a Mill Creek Elementary teacher in the Madison City district, initially used the app to flip her classroom-providing parents with easy access to videos that would prepare her kindergartners for the following week's lessons. She's recently expanded her use of the app: She's now also using it to help students demonstrate their learning-and despite their very young age, they've picked up on how to use it quickly, she says.

Parents say they also feel more connected to what's going on in the classroom since the district started using Seesaw.

"Seesaw keeps in me the loop," said parent Paige Novack. "My daughter doesn't always like to talk about what she did in school, so the pictures and videos give me some idea. It also helps us know what she's doing well in and what she needs a little work on at home."

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Communication apps are breaking down barriers that have limited parent engagement in the past.

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Take a Look at Eleven Exceptional Ways to Engage Parents

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Take a Look at Eleven Exceptional Ways to Engage Parents

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Scroll down the webpage to find the 11 strategies.

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Ideas that bring parents to your school

2019-01-22

Do you ever feel like your school public relations plan is missing something? Take a look at your school-parent community partnership. How often do your students' families come to your school? Do they have reasons to look forward to their time on your campus?

While living in Anchorage, Alaska, some years ago, our oldest child attended kindergarten at Northern Lights ABC Elementary School (NLABC). Once a month this school would invite students' families to attend an assembly. During the first half of the event, there would be a performance by one of the grades based on a patriotic theme. During the latter half of the assembly, the principal would present academic and citizenship awards to students. We enjoyed their reading program awards, and my daughter worked hard to meet checkpoints during the year in order to finally get a special t-shirt for reading over 5,000 pages.

My husband and I enjoyed going to the school to watch our daughter receive an award or perform in an assembly. At the assemblies, we met our daughter's friends as well as their families. We also marveled at how much the school managed to fit into a kindergarten day. Since that time, we have had children attend seven different schools in three different school districts. To be certain, every school has its strengths and weaknesses, but every time we move, I can't help but compare our new school to NLABC school. Their parent engagement was exemplary.

According to Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University, there are six types of involvement in a school-parent community partnership: parenting, learning at home, volunteering, communicating, decision making, and collaborating with the community. A successful partnership offers a broad range of school, family, and community opportunities that engage all parties and, most importantly, meet students' needs. Epstein affirms that these partnerships are not add-on programs or independent projects-they are effectively integrated with school goals and overall district goals.

Creating frequent opportunities at the school to engage parents (and grandparents too) refreshes your school public relations, helping families feel connected to your school. In general, parents enjoy supporting their children by attending events in which they were involved in one way or another. According to Epstein, parent, family, and community involvement means different things to different people. Here are some ideas of activities you can hold at your school that will foster parent engagement.

Six Typical Ways to Engage Parents

The Usual:

Thank volunteers: Encourage volunteering by hosting an appreciation luncheon. At the end of the year, take time to thank volunteers by hosting something, such as a luncheon, for them at the school.

Eleven Exceptional Ways to Engage Parents

The Less Usual:

Alright, here I'm going to break off from the traditional hum-drum ideas with a variety of ideas for school events for all ages. This is not a comprehensive list because honestly, the sky's the limit with the possible events you could host to strengthen parent engagement at your school.

1. Host a new parent event: Have you ever heard of "Cookies and Kleenex?" This type of event invites parents of kindergarten students to gather together just after they've dropped off their students for the first time. Parents visit as well as meet the school's PTA or PTO board and administration. As parents meet and bond with other parents, you can use this time to encourage volunteer work and participation.

2. STEAM nights: Check out this announcement and upcoming event example from NLABC in Alaska:

"Alex Zerbe, The Zaniac, will kick off the NLABC February Science month with STEM shows for students grades 1-8 during the day. That night the theme will be different, and you won't want to miss it. Bring the family and join us for a special Evening Show focused on Arts & Literacy that is just plain fun! Seating is limited, so order your place in advance using the form available. You can preview Alex's Zany Show @ http://www.amazingschoolassembly.com/come-alive.html or by Googling for 'The Zaniac!'"

This is a great example of a school that understands how to create a marketing buzz for school events.

3. Community enrichment events: School public relations are built on positive school-community interactions. Here are a few ideas of ways your school can participate and facilitate community events

Free Adult English Classes-Some school districts offer free community classes. Would your community benefit from free adult English classes? As part of his undergraduate requirements at the university studying Spanish, my husband volunteered as a class instructor in such a class. We both loved it. This is a fantastic way to bring in parents of ESL students.

Group volunteering-Consider organizing a school service project that helps contribute something to the school (such as a new coat of paint) or in the community (such as a night serving dinner at a homeless shelter).

Parent Education Events-The PTSA for Ridgefield High School partners with Ridgefield Public Schools and the community to host parent workshops for "Parenting the #Selfie Generation." These events are open to all parents and are a great way to form positive relationships with parents.

4. Invite parents (and grandparents) to teach:

Professional volunteers -Schools usually host assemblies by local professionals, such as dentists who share tips on proper dental care. Here's the news page snippet about a recent event at Ridge Ranch Elementary School at the Paramus School Public Schools district:

You don't have to stick to dentists either. Why not take a survey of the professions and experiences of your students' families to discover what other knowledge could be shared at the school?

Art class volunteers- Some school districts have elementary art classes taught by trained volunteers who teach in individual classrooms for about 40 minutes each month. It is a beautiful way to involve parents while opening up the world of art to students.

Guest speakers- What better way to start or end a unit on World War II than to invite a veteran to come and speak to the class? Networking with families and community members can create lots of opportunities to bring real-world experiences into any classroom.

5. Dances: These events are great for socializing and bringing school community and family together in positive, fun ways. My daughters especially enjoy these events every year at all levels-elementary, junior high, and high school. Our local elementary school hosts a daddy-daughter dance in February around Valentine's day. The girls love getting dressed up, and it's a wonderful way to get dads and other father figures to visit your school campus and show their support. Other examples of school-hosted dances could be:

Youth dance

Family dance

Sock hop

6. Engineering night: Many parent engagement ideas center around the arts like concerts or plays. Here a couple of unique ideas for bringing parents and students together on your campuses.

Lego challenge night

Straw roller coaster activity

7. Exercise/outdoor activities: Schools that focus on the child as a whole know there is more to education than the core curriculum. Let your physical education teacher take the reigns and organize an activity for students and families that will get their hearts pumping. Here are a few ideas:

Yoga or Zumba Night

Archery event (contact your state's game and fish department for information)

Obstacle course activity (indoor or outdoor)

8. Games or movies: In addition to parent engagement, these events and activities can be ways to fundraise for your schools or participate in community service. In my experience, movies and games are a great way to bring people together. Here are a few more ideas for parent engagement that you could tie together with a larger purpose for your school

Game or Checkers-and-Chess night (admission could be a classroom-needed donation or a new book for the library)

Carnival (host game booths and a raffle to fundraise for your school)

Movie night (admission could be a non-perishable food item for local food pantry)

Because of the importance of parent engagement, the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) has recognized over 600 schools since 1998 for their programs and practices that encourage community and family involvement resulting in students' increased success in school. Project Appleseed challenges school communities to ask school boards, city councils, mayors, state representatives, or governors to issue proclamations recognizing National Parental Involvement Day, which is on the third Thursday of November.

Among the multiple benefits of active school parent engagement is the following hallmark statement based on research from Child Trends: Students with parents who are involved in their school tend to have better academic performance and fewer behavioral problems. They are also more likely to finish high school. According to KidsHealth.org, students whose parents and families take an interest in their education get the message that their scholastic efforts are of value.

Every school looks for new and better ways to help parents catch the vision of being involved and invested in their school. If you feel like your school's parent engagement could be better, seek input from your staff and school community. What events would they like to see at the school?

As you engage parents, you build stronger relationships. The good times they have on your campuses translates to good will toward your school. Remember, as your school offers consistent events for parents (and grandparents too), it renews your school public relations and helps families feel connected to your school.

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2019-01-22 Do you ever feel like your school public relations plan is missing something? Take a look at your school-parent community partnership. How often do your students' families come to your school? Do they have reasons to look forward to their time on your campus?

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Parent Engagement - What is it?  Why is it important?

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Parent Engagement - What is it?  Why is it important?

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VideoLink lets you share videos on YouTube easily, without distracting third-party content or advertisements.

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The Eight Ps of Parent Engagement - NEA Today

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How World events in the Early 19th Century shaped Parent Involvement.

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How World events in the Early 19th Century shaped Parent Involvement.

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Understanding what was happening at the national level, and how it influenced parental involvement in schools.

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Modernize workflows with Zoom's trusted collaboration tools: including video meetings, team chat, VoIP phone, webinars, whiteboard, contact center, and events.

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9 Strategies for Middle School Parent Engagement

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9 Strategies for Middle School Parent Engagement

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Putting your child's concrete goals in action is a lot easier (and more effective!) when you've got a great bond with his teacher. After all, she may spend more waking hours with your child than you do - and see behaviors that you might miss. Follow these do's and dont's in order to forge a strong connection:

Do lay the groundwork for a friendly partnership by telling the teacher how excited you are that your child is in her class. And share the goals you set with your kid. She'll appreciate your proactive approach.

Don't dictate your expectations. Saying, "Noah's mastered his times tables, so you can put him in the highest math group" puts your opinion above her observations. Let her assess your child's needs.

Do stay on top of class events by reading her notes or website posts.

Don't call the teacher at home unless it's an emergency. E-mail or phone the school to set up a time. And don't hit her up at open house or school assemblies with personal questions about your kid.

Do send thank-you notes once in a while. ("Sam really enjoyed making slime during science yesterday.") Teachers love knowing they matter in a child's life.

Don't bad-mouth the teacher within earshot of your child. Even if you think she's the Wicked Witch of the West, you need to present a united front, or your child will lose interest in her teacher, and possibly learning.

Do make sure your child gets a good night's sleep (it's the number one request from most teachers!). Tired children have a harder time focusing and may become overly silly or emotional in class.

Don't talk to the principal about your classroom concerns before you've addressed them with the teacher first.

Do be understanding. Teachers face a difficult job: Balancing the academic, social, and emotional well-being of a roomful of kids, plus keeping parents happy, isn't easy!
Get ready for your child to go back to school with our guide - it's full of recommended books, teacher tips, homework help, and more resources for a successful school year.

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Parent Teacher Communication: Dos and Don'ts

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Putting your child's concrete goals in action is a lot easier (and more effective!) when you've got a great bond with his teacher. After all, she may spend more waking hours with your child than you do - and see behaviors that you might miss.

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Educational researchers and policymakers have come to realize that family engagement should be a primary rather than peripheral part of teaching and learning. As the spotlight has shifted to the role that families can play in education, many schools are scrambling to identify a starting point for how to invite families into student learning. A key consideration for schools as they seek to increase family engagement must be how to truly connect the various stakeholders of the school community and sustain those connections over time. In order for family engagement to be meaningful and lasting, the goal must be to create a systemic culture of collaboration (rather than piecemeal or isolated efforts) that can grow and evolve with the needs of students, parents and teachers.

To build a culture of collaborative family engagement, the following are useful practices.

Develop and support two-way communication between teachers and parents. Developing effective two-way communication requires several layers. First, consider the best method(s) to reach families. Email, text message, or app-based communication, through a platform like SeeSaw, can create an efficient and low-pressure pathway for communicating back and forth. Then, consider ways to encourage parents and families to engage and respond to your communication. If you share a video of Guided Reading, for example, invite parents to send questions or celebrations. Many parents only hear from teachers or schools in the event of a problem or concern. Try to initiate positive or neutral communication with families. Engaging in non-judgemental forms of communication lays the foundation for strong, collaborative relationships between teachers and parents. The more connected parents feel to the teacher and school, the more likely they are to actively engage in learning with their children. Furthermore, parents are experts on their own children. When they feel comfortable communicating, teachers can gain insights into students' strengths, weaknesses, triumphs, or worries. Lastly, assess your system of communication regularly throughout the school year. Ask: Is this form of communication working for all of my families? Have I had an exchange with everyone at some point this year? Make modifications as needed.

Encourage communication among parents. While not directly "family engagement," engaging families with one another helps to strengthen a school community. As new families enter the school, parents can serve as mentors in bringing them into the fold of the collaborative culture. Consider ways to encourage families to connect with one another. Use Edmodo or a closed Facebook group to give parents an easy way to share information or connect. As a teacher, invite parents to join you at a parent-teacher association meeting early in the year and make a special effort to introduce families to one another. At an after-school event, work to introduce families new to the area. Encourage parents with experience at the school to reach out to new families.

Consider parents' perspectives. In an effort to promote inclusion of all families, and with a special consideration to the families whose children need support the most, regularly assess the impact of whole-school systems and processes on any and all families. For example, consider the cost of field trips and other school initiatives on families. How can schools ensure that all children can participate and that all families feel comfortable and welcome with the decision? Consider how to make school events available to all parents and families. Consider streaming meetings using Zoom. Utilize translators for any and all events, even PTA events not directly organized by the school. Every effort toward inclusiveness of all families creates a ripple that results in a much larger movement within the community.

Move beyond event-based engagement. Unquestionably, there is value in opening the school doors and welcoming families to participate in school events like Open House, Curriculum Night, or an Arts Showcase. These events can prove much more meaningful, however, when they are reframed as being part of broader conversations and connections between the school and families. Think about each parent-facing event as a catalyst for the development of true family engagement. When planning these events, brainstorm with other teachers about how to use this time with families to start a conversation about learning that continues after the culmination of the event. Use an event early in the year, for example, to model how families can support learning at home. Discuss how to enrich the experience of reading with your child by discussing pictures and making connections to the outside world. Utilize tools like PowerMyLearning's Playlists to connect families to the standards students are learning in your classroom. Building these skills can have positive lifelong implications that reach far greater than the impact of a special event.

Encourage families to engage with their children in ways that are integrated with the overall curriculum. Engagement tied to instruction is more impactful for student success. Utilize multimodal communication to tell families about what students are learning, and give them ideas about how to extend and enrich that learning at home. These kinds of activities can even replace traditional homework. Students learning about fractions might spend a weekend baking in the kitchen. Students learning about sorting might help organize toys or laundry. Students learning about trees might lead their family on a nature hike. By giving families ideas about how to connect home conversations and activities to the curriculum, students' instruction is enriched.

Find ways to build parents' knowledge and confidence. Take time to develop the skills of parents and families in your classroom and in your school. Teach parents by sharing ideas and modeling instruction through photographs or short video clips. Consider using a private channel on Instagram to share best practice instruction and creative ways to extend learning. Sometimes, a simple image of students practicing letters with shaving cream or searching for 90 degree angles on a walk around the school can give parents new ideas to continue learning at home. Remind parents that they are partners in their child's education and thank them for all of the ways they build up their child. Emphasize that activities like playing I Spy while running errands, pointing out the number sequence of mailboxes at the post office, and taking turns during Game Night at home all promote school readiness behaviors and encourage creativity and critical thinking. Taking time to build parents' confidence and expertise supports the effort of teachers.

Most parents want to do what is best for their children. They want their kids to succeed in school. They want to provide a supportive and enriching environment at home. Many parents, however, are uncertain how to best do this and rely on schools to take the lead in their children's educational endeavors. When schools reach out to parents as collaborators in educating students, all stakeholders benefit: Parents are empowered to take an active role and are given tools to make time at home, in the car, and anywhere else productive and meaningful. Teachers are supported, with active and committed partners working toward common educational goals, at school and at home. And students learn and grow in mutually supportive and complementary home and school environments. Though it takes effort and intention to create a systemic culture of family engagement, the results can have a tremendous impact on school communities.

For more, see:
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Creating a Culture of Collaborative Family Engagement

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As the spotlight has shifted to the role that families can play in education, many schools are scrambling to identify a starting point for how to invite families into student learning. Here are a few good considerations to keep in mind.

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Schools Drive Change Throug Parent-Teacher Relationships.

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Schools Drive Change Throug Parent-Teacher Relationships.

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NOTE TO READERS
"A Short History of the Department of State" has been retired and is no longer maintained. For more information, please see the full notice.

The World in the Early-19th Century

A rare set of international circumstances gave the United States the luxury to concentrate on domestic expansion during the middle of the 19th century, because the country faced no serious external threats until the Civil War (1861-1865).

Napoleon surrenders his sword.

After the defeat of Napoleon in 1812, a stable and complex balance of power evolved in Europe. Maintaining that delicate balance deterred possible aggressors from intervention in the New World, because any nation tempted to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere would have would have found itself in considerable difficulty from its neighbors at home. The result was that the United States enjoyed an extended period of tranquility-a very different atmosphere from the days of the early republic.

The United States was free to practice a liberal form of nationalism, one that stressed a vague good will toward other nations rather than the pursuit of an active foreign policy. "Wherever the standard of freedom has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions, and her prayers be. But she does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy," wrote John Quincy Adams in 1821. The republic would influence the world by offering an example rather than by exercising force. That sentiment would govern American foreign policy for nearly 100 years, until the outbreak of World War I.

President Millard Fillmore

For example, in response to the liberal revolutions of 1848 in Europe, President Millard Fillmore insisted that the United States must grant to others what it wanted for itself: the right to establish "that form of government which it may deem most conducive to the happiness and prosperity of its own citizens." It became an imperative for the United States not to interfere in the government or internal policy of other nations. Although Americans might "sympathize with the unfortunate or the oppressed everywhere in their fight for freedom, our principles forbid us from taking any part in such foreign contests," Fillmore explained.

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The World in the Early-19th Century - Short History - Department History - Office of the Historian

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NOTE TO READERS "A Short History of the Department of State" has been retired and is no longer maintained. For more information, please see the full notice. A rare set of international circumstances gave the United States the luxury to concentrate on domestic expansion during the middle of the 19th century, because the country faced no serious external threats until the Civil War (1861-1865).

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Google Meet: Online Video Meetings and Calls | Google Workspace

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Use Google Meet to stay connected with video meetings and calling (powered by Google Duo), part of Google Workspace.

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Secondary Students - Parent Engagement Strategies

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Secondary Students - Parent Engagement Strategies

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Secondary Students - Parent Engagement Tips

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2016 Hearts & Minds of Parents Executive Summary

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By: Jennifer Larson
Studies of successful schools indicate that a high rate of parent involvement is a major factor in their success and can even help close the achievement gap between groups of students. Yet while 85 percent of parents feel they could personally make "a lot" or "a fair amount" of difference in their child's learning and academic progress, 46 percent of parents wish they could do more to support their child's education.

The key to productive and positive parent engagement is a good flow of communication between school and home, and that communication should encompass every stakeholder, including parents, teachers, administrators, specialists, club leaders and coaches, and the parent-teacher organization. The strategies here can help you increase parent engagement at your school.

Understanding the Common Challenges

Ensuring good communication between school and home has become more challenging in recent years due to a number of key trends impacting parent engagement. First, the diversity of family living arrangements continues to increase, so educators cannot assume students are living at home with two parents. Second, families move a lot; in fact, the U.S. has one of the most mobile populations in the world. Third, many school communities include immigrants from multiple countries who speak a variety of languages. Finally, the rise of student support teams means there are often many educators working with each child. Due to these factors, and others, communications efforts by schools can often hit roadblocks, despite good intentions.

Here are some common challenges that impact outreach:

Lack of accessibility: School communications that are accessible only via computer (but not mobile) or only in one language may be overlooked by a significant number of parents.

Too many tools: The typical student has eight different teachers, and each teacher may be using a different communication tool, which can cause parents to feel overwhelmed and frustrated.

Too many buzzwords: Parents don't necessarily understand "edu-speak," so communications full of jargon will fail to resonate.

Too much (or fractured) communication: Communications emanating from multiple sources and via multiple platforms can cause parents to miss important information and make it difficult for them to sort through and prioritize.

Strategies to Improve School-Home Communications

Schools have made great strides in increasing the frequency of communication with families, taking advantage of digital tools to give parents more visibility into their child's day. However, as the challenges listed above indicate, the proliferation of tools has now fragmented communications to the point of leaving parents overwhelmed and unsure what to do with the information they receive. Parents appreciate the school's effort to communicate, but if they can't act on the information and the school isn't sure if it was even received, nobody achieves the desired results.

With this in mind, the next level of innovation is required: rather than concentrating simply on parent-teacher communication, we need to instead design ways to improve the whole-school focus on communications, simplifying the process for all stakeholders and promoting consistency in communication between educators and families. This includes giving teachers fewer tools to manage, reducing the number of places parents need to look for information, and making information more clearly actionable. By ensuring parents have an easier time receiving communications from the school, it will help school leaders gain buy-in for goals and initiatives, help teachers foster the parent engagement desired in the classroom, and help students get the support they need from their families.

Here are some strategies for leaders to establish positive and productive communications right from the start of the school year:

1. Pick one tool: School leaders ought to conduct a communications audit to get a handle on how teachers are communicating with parents, and then provide clear direction on which tool to use, as well as some general communication protocols. Finding one platform that every educator can use and explaining why this is a priority will increase buy-in from all stakeholders, and, collectively, your staff and faculty can enhance their success in engaging parents.

2. Issue shorter, more frequent communications: Don't kick off the year with one long communication or wait until the end of the term to reach out with an extensive recap. Just as schools have moved to more frequent assessments of students, school communications should also be concise and frequent to keep parents in the loop on an ongoing basis.

3. Personalize: Personalization isn't just for students. Parents expect it, too, and new technology tools can help parents customize how they're connected to their children's schools. This is especially important since not all parents can come into school at designated times. Personalization features include giving parents the option to "subscribe" to the channels featuring updates they wish to receive―personalizing the information, not just the delivery method―which ensures they get the information they feel is relevant without it getting lost amid other information overload.

4. Set the tone: Encourage teachers to share a bit of information about themselves at the start of the year, perhaps at parent night, to set the tone for an open exchange with students' parents and caregivers. They should develop and communicate a process for regular, ongoing communication throughout the year so parents know what to expect.

5. Build relationships: Teachers should focus on building relationships with parents to establish trust and foster those relationships throughout the year. Schools should also ensure that parents have opportunities to build rapport with their child's support network, which can include a whole team of people, including learning specialists.

6. Share accountability: Make it clear that all faculty members are expected to participate in the school's communications efforts. By providing clear guidance on this expectation, along with the proper tools and protocols to make it actionable, leaders can make it a reality. Administrators should also lead by example, demonstrating that they are equally accountable for executing the plan.

7. Invite parents to be partners: If educators don't already know the school's parent body, they should be sure to reach out and learn more about them. Teachers should invite parents to share information about their child's strengths and weaknesses, what type of support system they have at home, and whether anything going on in the child's life may impact classroom behavior. Information like this can be essential in equipping teachers to meet students' needs.

8. Empower parents to opt in: Design opportunities where parents can opt in (or out) of certain information or updates that are relevant, or irrelevant, to their child. Bombarding every parent with every update is just as ineffective as under-communicating, and parents will find it impossible to keep up, if they don't tune out entirely. By giving parents the power to opt into the communication "channels"―however your school is able to define them―that are relevant to them, they will feel a much greater level of control and ability to truly engage.

9. Provide actionable information: Providing information for the sake of keeping parents up-to-date is recommended, but schools also need to make sure they are sharing information that parents can act on. This can include opportunities for parents to support or prepare their child for classroom assignments, or information about upcoming extracurricular activities and special events.

10. Share the positive: Often, communication will focus on the basics such as daily schedules, homework assignments, upcoming events and in some cases behavioral updates. Parents may dread the rare phone call home, so it's important to find opportunities to communicate good news, as well.

School Communications as the Glue

A strong school culture leads to a thriving school community where every teacher, parent, and student has the opportunity to connect and be actively engaged, and that culture starts with communication. Therefore, a school-wide focus on communication is key to creating equitable opportunity for all parents and students. A whole-school communications plan ensures that all faculty members are conveying important information in an accessible way, and making sure all parents have access to school-based opportunities. With these strategies in mind, you can transform school communications and experience a new level of parent engagement.

For more, see:

Jennifer Larson is co-founder and CEO of Hive Digital Minds, the creators of . She is a technology entrepreneur, charter public school founder, and mother of four. Follow Jennifer on Twitter @startupjen
Featured image is the Parent & Community Center at Valley High, Santa Ana USD Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive our weekly newsletter, Smart Update.

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10 Strategies for Schools to Improve Parent Engagement

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By Jennifer Larson - The key to improving parent engagement is a consistent and simplified flow of communication between school, home and all other stakeholders.

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ClassDojo helps teachers, parents, and students build amazing classroom communities.

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Articles | Global Family Research Project

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Global Family Research Project, Omidyar Network, Ubongo, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Early Learning Lab (ELL) engaged in a conversation with a broad audience about how co-design creates shifts in family engagement.

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Shelly Sanchez Terrell co-founded and organized the acclaimed educational projects Edchat, ELTChat and The Reform Symposium E-Conference. She blogs at Teacher Reboot Camp. You can find her on Twitter @ShellTerrell.
Shelly Sanchez Terrell on Working With Parents

I remember during my first year of teaching at a new high school, one of my worst fears occurred. An angry parent came barging through my classroom door and accused me of being a terrible teacher. The situation was eventually resolved; however, it takes time to recover from such a difficult experience, and for a long time I hid from parents. Soon I discovered, though, that by working with parents I would be able to help my students better reach their learning goals.

I decided to begin communicating through online technologies like wikis and email because it was less intimidating than meeting the parents in person or speaking with them on the telephone. I discovered the advantages in using information and communication tools to start this dialogue with parents. I found that many parents would respond to my emails, and that we could have continuous communication. Eventually, I felt comfortable speaking with them face-to-face and realized how important it was to meet parents and communicate with them at the beginning.

In hindsight...if I had been communicating with my parents from the beginning, I could have avoided that painful scene altogether. Parents just want to be kept informed about their children, my students, and I had failed to do that as a new classroom teacher.

Below are a few tips to get you started working with parents from the beginning!

1) Begin on a Positive Note

Not only is it important to make the effort to communicate with parents at the very beginning, but also we should start with some positive news. Often, teachers only communicate with parents to deliver bad news. In the beginning, we find out about our learners, and it is easier to discover their talents then and share this information with parents. At the beginning of the year, I use a blanket email. I copy and paste the first two sentences and always say something along the lines of, "Dear Mr./Mrs. Doe, I really enjoyed meeting Johnny, who is very bright and makes me laugh at his funny jokes." I then add a personalized sentence or two about each child, making sure that it's positive.

This way, your first communication with the parent is positive versus negative. Include information and links to your wiki page and school website, your contact information, where they can find homework, your meeting hours, school supplies needed, and other important dates or information. At the end of the email, ask the parents to respond with answers to questions such as what is the best time to contact them and how they would like to help. If the parents have a question, they are more likely to respond back.

2) Ask Parents for Best Communication Method

Ask parents about the best way to communicate with them -- via e-mail, text messages, Twitter or letters sent home. I found that communicating digitally helped me manage my time and also develop relationships with the parents. It was easier and quicker to send an email or text message about all news concerning the students. Many parents will spend a lot of time working and may never have the chance to meet you face to face, but when you give them these communication options you can see how much they appreciate your flexibility.

3) Invite Parents to be a Part of the Team

Invite parents to participate in helping their children succeed. Ask what they think would make the curriculum better, and -- if the ideas are good -- try to implement the suggestion. In the past, I have had parents add wiki content such as song lyrics or YouTube videos. I have had parents suggest an activity for a book or a game. Invite parents to volunteer and help! I have had parents decorate the classroom. I have had parents gather and organize fundraisers to get computers or other needed items in the classroom. I gave them access to update our class' online calendar with their children's upcoming competitions or ceremonies so that as a class we can support each other. I have put parents in charge of the activity of the month or resource of the month on the wiki page or our online community. Parents have organized field trips or have been guest speakers. Remember... just like students, parents need to feel valued.

4) Do Workshops With Parents

Invite parents in! Introduce them to your curriculum by hosting a workshop and serving food! Food entices people to come. I like to host workshops after the first few weeks in order to go over what technology we will use in the classroom, games we will play, class rules and more. I talk to parents about their concerns, and we are able to share a great dialogue. You can also ask to video record the parent workshop and then send it to those who were not able to come, so they can have access to the content.

Useful Links for Working with Parents

The following resources will help you continue to work with the parents of your students!

We hope these great tips have been supportive to you! We'd also love to hear the positive ways you have developed for working with your parents. Tell us about what works for you and what strategies you use. If you have questions along the way, share them in our New Teacher community or Tweet them using the hashtag #ntchat, and we will get back to you. Be sure to also join us tomorrow for New Teacher Chat at 5pt/8et. Our topic will be . . . How to Work Positively With Parents. Hope to see you there!

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New Teacher Academy: How to Work With Parents

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Shelly Sanchez Terrell co-founded and organized the acclaimed educational projects Edchat, ELTChat and The Reform Symposium E-Conference. She blogs at Teacher Reboot Camp. You can find her on Twitter @ShellTerrell. I remember during my first year of teaching at a new high school, one of my worst fears occurred.

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68 Parent Involvement Strategies that Really Work

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68 Parent Involvement Strategies that Really Work