Parent and Community Communication by Tiegan Coleman https://padlet.com/tc05423/4dkq5izbi8oh1h99 Tips for establishing communication with community partners and parents . en-us 2023-07-03 04:52:52 UTC 2025-10-27 14:51:05 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f3eb.png Communicating with Parents tc05423 https://padlet.com/tc05423/4dkq5izbi8oh1h99/wish/2639804616 1.  Reach out to the parent/guardian first. Parents are less likely to reach out to teachers especially if they come from marginalized groups such as those being racially diverse, having English be their second language, having low socioeconomic status, or having a disability (Bordalba & Bochaca, 2019; Essuman, 2019; Gisewhite et al., 2019; Houri et al., 2019; Leenders et al., 2019).
2. Establish that you and the parent/ guardian are in a partnership to ensure the student's success.  When problems arise with a student the parent, teacher and student need to determine solutions together (Essuman, 2019Leenders et al., 2019).
3. Determine parental preference for communication.  Technology use has made quick communication convenient and apps such as Classroom Dojo and email have made teachers able to send messages to parents immediately. However, some parents find technology intimidating, confusing, they may not have internet access, or find logging in takes too long (Bordalba & Bochaca, 2019; Gisewhite et al., 2019; Houri et al., 2019; Leenders et al., 2019).
4. Do not make assumptions about parents. When teachers have a negative view about parental involvement it is detrimental to the student. According to Gisewhite et al.(2019),  " Breakdown in communication occurs mainly when teachers perceive parents as unknowledgeable and, therefore incapable of effective communication, or that teacher-parent communication is intrusive to the valuable time of the teacher."
5.  If you have not had training in communicating with parents, find professional development or a mentor to show you how to do it effectively.  Beginning teachers are less likely to have effective communication with parents because they have not had experience or training((Azad et al., 2020; Gisewhite et al., 2019;  Leenders et al., 2019).]]> 2023-07-06 18:25:25 UTC https://padlet.com/tc05423/4dkq5izbi8oh1h99/wish/2639804616 Communicating with the Community tc05423 https://padlet.com/tc05423/4dkq5izbi8oh1h99/wish/2639827719 1.  Reach out to community partners.  The community you may teach in may not understand that they are also a stakeholder in education. Essuman (2019) states "The various stakeholders in education and their willingness to cultivate goodwill, build trust of each other, commit themselves to each other and create the environment for social intercourse among them could result in social cohesion which could be critical for the development of both the school and community."
2. Include ALL stakeholders when discussing the needs of the school and community.  This will build trust between schools and communities and clearly identify the partnership's goals (Busch Chandran et al., 2020;Essuman, 2019; Willness et al., 2023).
3. Remember reciprocity and trust. Communication and collaboration should benefit BOTH the community and the school (Busch Chandran et al., 2020; Castillo, 2022; Essuman, 2019; Kimiecik et al., 2022;  Willness et al., 2023). Building trust will take effort and time but will be worth it.
4. Align partnership activities with state standards. This will incentivize districts and administrators to approve field trips or class time that may be needed to bring community partners into the school (Busch Chandran et al., 2020). Students will also be able to see the practical applications of what they are learning in the classroom (Willness et al., 2023).
5. Be culturally responsive. When teachers bring in community members that are relatable to students or those experiences are applicable to them, the students will be more engaged and they will feel that their learning needs are being met (Busch Chandran et al., 2020; Castillo, 2022; Essuman, 2019; Kimiecik et al., 2022;  Willness et al., 2023). ]]> 2023-07-06 19:40:20 UTC https://padlet.com/tc05423/4dkq5izbi8oh1h99/wish/2639827719 References tc05423 https://padlet.com/tc05423/4dkq5izbi8oh1h99/wish/2639828171 Azad, G. F., Marcus, S. C., & Mandell, D. S. (2020). Partners in school: Optimizing Communication between parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 31(4), 438–462. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2020.1830100 

Bordalba, M. M., & Bochaca, J. G. (2019). Digital Media for family-school communication? parents’ and teachers’ beliefs. Computers & Education, 132, 44–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.01.006 

Busch Chandran, K., Jarrett, K., & Wyss, J. M. (2020). Creating a sustainable partnership between a science center, university, and local school districts: A retrospective on over 20 years of successful programming and partnership. The Journal of STEM Outreach, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.15695/jstem/v3i3.03 

Castillo, B. M. (2022). “Equity work is messy”: Exploring a family and community partnership in One school district. Education and Urban Society, 55(2), 201–221. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245221076074 

Essuman, A. (2019). Improving education delivery through community – school partnership. International Journal of Educational Management, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/ijem-06-2018-0175 

Gisewhite, R. A., Jeanfreau, M. M., & Holden, C. L. (2019). A call for ecologically-based teacher-parent communication skills training in pre-service teacher education programmes. Educational Review, 73(5), 597–616. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1666794 

Houri, A. K., Thayer, A. J., & Cook, C. R. (2019). Targeting parent trust to enhance engagement in a school–home communication system: A double-blind experiment of a parental wise feedback intervention. School Psychology, 34(4), 421–432. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000318 

Kimiecik, C., Gonzalvo, J. D., Cash, S., Goodin, D., & Pastakia, S. (2022). Building a university–School–Community Partnership to improve adolescent well-being. Children & Schools, 45(1), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdac029 

Leenders, H., de Jong, J., Monfrance, M., & Haelermans, C. (2019). Building strong parent–teacher relationships in primary education: The challenge of two-way communication. Cambridge Journal of Education, 49(4), 519–533. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764x.2019.1566442 

Willness, C. R., Boakye-Danquah, J., & Nichols, D. R. (2023). How arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation can enhance community-engaged teaching and learning. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 22(1), 112–131. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2020.0284 
]]> 2023-07-06 19:42:06 UTC https://padlet.com/tc05423/4dkq5izbi8oh1h99/wish/2639828171