Positive Communication Between Parents and Teachers
by
Eva Patrikakou, Roger Weissberg, Mary Hancock,
Michelle Rubenstein, and Jennifer Zeisz
Laboratory for Student Success
One of the key goals of the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS) is to encourage school, family, and community partnerships to improve the academic performance and the socioemotional development of children and youth. Teachers face the challenge of educating an increasingly diverse student population which is growing up in varied home environments. Families and schools are both active participants in the education of children and youth. Parents/guardians and teachers need to collaborate to improve student achievement and school performance. Family members and educators each have a distinctive yet interrelated role to play, and each has an important voice to be heard.
The latest National Education Goals (Goals 2000: Educate America Act) encourage schools to increase their efforts to involve parents in their children's education. Two-way communication between responsible concerned adults in the home and at school is essential to building this partnership. The tips offered in this brochure can help parents initiate constructive and consistent communication with teachers to foster an ongoing parent-teacher relationship.
Good communication between home and school is important to keep you in touch with your child's educational needs and success. Answer these following questions to see how you can improve your communication with your child's teacher.
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Do you get the information you need at the
beginning of the school year?
Do you:
go to the
school/classroom open house or orientation night?have the
teacher's phone number and know convenient times to call? read the school
handbook so that you understand school rules?Do you:
give the
teacher your home and work numbers and a convenient time to reach you?tell the teacher
that you want to hear about both negative and positiveissues with your child?
read and respond
to all notes, newsletters, etc.? ask about class
rules, routines, and what students will be learning?talk to the
teacher as soon as you have a question or concern about your child? Do you:
go to
parent-teacher conferences and other school meetings?ask the teacher
how you can help with schoolwork at home? volunteer to
help the teacher in class or with special events? ask the teacher
when you can visit the classroom?mark your
calendar with special school activities and events so that your child is
prepared for both of you to attend together? work with the
teacher to clarify your child's academic and behavioral goals for the
year? share
information about your child's accomplishments at home or in extracurricular activities?
Do you act like a partner with the teacher for your child's education?
Do you:
tell the
teacher that you want to work together to solve problems?let your child
know that you support the teacher's classroom rules and work goals? contact the
teacher to let him/her know about things at school that your child
likes? communicate with
the teacher when you have questions, concerns, or suggestions to improve
your child's learning experience?ask for
suggestions about activities you can do with your child to build on what
he/she is learning at school? show respect for
the teacher and school? thank the
teacher for his/her effort?
If you answered "YES" to these questions, congratulations! You have open and positive communication with your child's teacher. Here are some tips to help you build on this strength.
More tips to enhance parent-teacher communication:
Write a note
on your child's homework to let your teacher know if the work was easy or difficult.Make an
appointment so that you have time to talk with the teacher if you have a
concern, and let the teacher know what you want to talk about. Talk about your
concerns in a positive, problem-solving way. Avoid blaming or
criticizing the teacher—especially in front of your child.Let your child
know about talks you have had with her/his teacher. Children should
see that open communication between home and school is a good sign of
teamwork. Tell the teacher
about any major changes in your child's life (death in family, birth of sibling, divorce, etc.) that may affect his/her schoolwork.
Show the teacher
your appreciation when he/she does something special for your child.
Contact LSS information services for additional brochures on homework involvement and report card sharing.
Partnerships is a publication of the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), the mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory at the Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education. For more information about the LSS and other LSS publications, contact the Laboratory for Student Success, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091; Telephone: (215) 204-3000; E-mail: <lss@vm.temple.edu>. Also browse the LSS website at <http://www.temple.edu/LSS/>. Copyright (c) 1997 Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education.
