THE PRACTICE: Communication - Clear lines of communication build relationships between schools and families. Frequent, thoughtful, and diverse methods of communicating provide the strongest signals of genuine collaboration.
Content Presented By:
RMC Research Corporation

What is it?

Clear lines of communication build relationships between schools and families. Frequent, thoughtful, and diverse methods of communicating provide the strongest signals of genuine collaboration.

Homes and schools hold critical information about children that must be shared. Families need to know what their children are learning and how to best support that learning at home. Teachers need to know about children's personalities, learning styles, and developmental history.

Families and schools should establish an expectation that communication will occur frequently and take many forms, including face-to-face meetings, regular written communications, and special methods of contact when events warrant it. In addition to building pathways of information about children and their learning, schools should pay special attention to communicating clear and thorough information about the basics, such as school events, day-to-day logistics (e.g., child pick up routines, the daily schedule, homework expectations), and how parents can access community support to support their parenting.

Questions to Think About:

• How does the school communicate with parents? What is the rationale behind each method of communication? What are the gaps?

• How well do classroom teachers know their students' families?

• How specifically does the school communicate with parents about learning and academics?

• How are parents involved in decisions about their child's learning?

• How are parents greeted when they come into the school? How quickly do they receive answers to their questions?

• How are parents involved in suggesting and supporting home/school communications?

• How would the community, parents, and staff each describe the culture of the school?

This resource is developed and maintained by The Education Alliance at Brown University. Seed funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Send comments to: loom@alliance.brown.edu