Effective communication for family-school partnerships

Effective communication is essential for family-school partnerships. Here are some possible ways for teachers and school administrators to build effective communication with families.

Guidelines for effective communication

Strive for a positive orientation rather than a deficit-based or crisis orientation.

• Good news phone calls.

• Invite and incorporate parent reactions to policies and practices.

• Contact parents at the first sign of concern.

• Communicate an “optimistic” message about the child.

Consider the tone as well as the content of your communications.

• Reframe language from problems to goals for the student.

• Focus on a parent’s ability to help.

Develop and publicize regular, reliable, varied two-way communication systems.

• System-wide family-school communication/ assignment notebooks.

• Shared parent-educator responsibility for contacts.

• Handbooks.

• Newsletters.

• “Thursday folders” including relevant home and school information.

• Telephone tree.

• Electronic communication technology.

Emphasize a “win-win” orientation, rather than placing blame.

• Discuss and focus on mutual goals and interests.

• Use words such as “we,” “us,” and “our,” vs. “you,” “I,” “yours,” and “mine.”

Keep the focus of communication on the child’s performance.

• Bi-directional communications about classroom activities, progress, and suggested activities for parents.

• Home-school notebooks/notes.

• Family-school meetings with students present.

• Shared parent-educator monitoring system (e.g., educational file and contract).

Ensure that parents have needed information to support children’s educational progress.

• Several orientation nights with follow-up contact for non-attendees.

• Parent support groups to disseminate information on school performance.

• Home visits.

• Home-school contracts with follow-up.

• Curriculum nights.

• Monthly meetings on topics of mutual interest.

Create opportunities to communicate and build trust between home and school.

• Multicultural potlucks.

• Grade-level bagel breakfasts.

• Family fun nights.

• Committees designed to address home-school issues.

• Workshops where parents and school personnel learn together.

• Principal’s hour.

Call attention to all communication with a shared responsibility between families and schools.

• Communicating the essential nature of family involvement.

• Sharing information about the curriculum of the home.

• Discussing co-roles (e.g., co-communicators) and implementing shared practices (e.g., contracts and common language about conditions for children’s success).

• Back to School Night — establish shared goals.