WHAT'S NEW - DECEMBER 2004

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY WITH PARENTS TO SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING

Welcome to the web site for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the web site changes monthly. The theme for this month will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are looking into the topic of communicating effectively with parents to support student learning. The section below identifies several web links related to this subject. We hope that you find this web site to be a valuable resource. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEB SITES RELATED TO COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY WITH PARENTS TO SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING

Academics: Home and School Communication. 2004
J.D. Hogarth School
Upper Grand District School Board
Fergus, ON
http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/jdh/03academics.htm

This web page originating from Fergus, Ontario presents excerpts from a school handbook. The information is offered in an open and welcoming manner. Taken together, the excerpts reveal a multifaceted approach to communication between the school and parents. The range of communication channels includes student agendas (plastic pouches), a school web site, newsletters, homework voicemail, and even more. The traditional teacher-parent conference is also a means of communication. Possible topics of communication include such matters as homework, report cards and academic achievement. The web page also provides a description of the general expectations for students, teachers, and parents engaged in conversations about student learning.

Alberta's Commission on Learning
Copyright © 2004 Government of Alberta
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/commission/5_35.asp

Recommendation #69 of Alberta's Commission on Learning (2003) deals with several areas of potential improvement with regard to teacher preparation. One such area is teachers' communication with parents. The recommendation highlights the need for ongoing communication that extends beyond the traditional teacher-parent conferences. Teachers require the communication skills to engage parents' cooperation regarding student learning. Teachers also require the communication skills to learn the backgrounds and interests of individual students in their charge.

A Parent's Guide to Improving School Achievement
Copyright © 2002-2004 NEA.org (National Education Association)
Washington, DC
http://www.nea.org/parents/achieve.html

This web site restates the importance of parental involvement for student achievement. Parents can do a great deal to support their children's learning. Parents can take practical steps to cultivate good relationships with their children's teachers and principal. Positive relations and mutual respect are important factors. With adequate parental involvement, teachers can become more aware of each child's individual interests and be better able to promote the child's learning progress. Principals can do much to set the tone for open communication within the school. In addition, children are part of a local community, which also influences the ways in which children can be helped to learn. Teachers can learn to communicate with children as individuals who are recognized as part of a distinctive community.

Bibliography on Family Involvement and Student Achievement
Copyright © 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College
Published by the Harvard Family Research Project
Cambridge, MA
http://gseweb.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/resources/bibliography/student-achievement.html

This web page provides an extensive bibliography on the topic of family involvement and student achievement. The materials share the common assumption that parental involvement can positively influence student learning. A collaborative relationship between home and school is highly desirable. The bibliography includes periodical literature and online materials as well as books and book chapters. The materials are collected as part of the Harvard Family Research Project. The materials referenced in the bibliography range from 1995 to 2002.

Communicating with Parents. 2003
Mendoza, J.
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2003/mendoza03.pdf

This ERIC Digest (EDO-PS-03-16) identifies practices that may hamper or enhance communication between teachers and parents. The focus in this digest is on the parents of young children. Open and frequent communication enhances the relationship between parents and teacher. Good communication increases the likelihood of information being shared that will improve children's learning. Limited research is available on communicating with parents, but some themes are emerging. Parents can sometimes be frustrated with unsuccessful home and school communication. Ensuring that parents understand a teacher's messages is important. Various communication techniques such as avoiding educational jargon can be of help for successful communication with parents. The digest contains references for further study.

Communication with Parents. 2004
Spruce Avenue School
Edmonton Public School Board
http://spruceavenue.epsb.ca/communication_with_parents.htm

Spruce Avenue School in Edmonton uses the Internet to communicate with parents. This web page selected from an online school handbook provides a concise example of a policy for school staff to communicate with parents. The statement of the school's policy begins with the premise that open communication is highly advantageous. Frequent channels of communication include phone calls, notes, newsletters, progress reports, and periodic interviews between teachers and parents. In the case of junior high students, the school uses specific channels of communication that are appropriate for these students.

Diane Wolf
Copyright © 1998-2002 Canada's Communication Coach
Peterborough, ON
http://www.dianewolf.com/archive/art_008.htm

This web site deals with the challenges of parents' communicating with teens within the high school setting. Wolf offers some insights and some recommendations for consideration. Unlike most elementary school students, high school students frequently do not enjoy their parents' involvement in parent-teacher interviews. Nevertheless, Wolf suggests, parents need to cultivate a positive relationship with their teenager's teachers. Teachers can invite parental cooperation that supports student learning. Sometimes, for the sake of a student's academic success, it is necessary for parents to moderate the number of hours during which high school students work at a part-time job. Diane Wolf works as a communication coach and is based in Peterborough, Ontario.

École Bellevue School
Leduc, AB
http://www.blackgold.ab.ca/Schools1/Schools/Beaumont/bellevue/Main-Pages/handbook.htm#8

This web page from a school handbook at École Bellevue School in Leduc, Alberta deals with the topic of communication between home and school. The handbook specifically mentions communication channels such as newsletters, parent-teacher interviews, and telephone messages. Newsletters are published monthly, in hardcopy or online. Student portfolios are singled out as a useful means of communicating about students' academic progress. The web site and the online handbook are both indicators of the importance that the school places on communication between home and school.

General Information: Communication Plan. 2004
École Grosvenor-Wentworth Park School
Halifax, NS
http://egwps.ednet.ns.ca/communication_plan.html

École Grosvenor-Wentworth Park Elementary School of Halifax has elaborated an extensive communication plan. The school wishes to be viewed as proactive, that is, anticipating the need for communication with parents. Accordingly, a major assumption underlying the plan is that parents can expect to receive information from teachers regarding their student's progress. The intent in this approach is for teachers and parents to collaborate in supporting the child's learning. The communication plan incorporates a monthly newsletter and schedules a variety of monthly activities. The communication plan also contains provisions for a periodic "review of the school communication plan" to ensure that the school meets parental concerns when the prevailing practices prove inadequate.

Parent Information
School District #33
Chilliwack, BC
http://www.sd33.plnet.bc.ca/parent/

Under the header "Parental Information," this web page from Chilliwack, British Columbia reveals an array of communication practices cultivated to promote parent interest and involvement in the school activities of their children. Reporting student progress to parents is a matter of priority for the school district's various schools. Parent-teacher interviews are a periodic occurrence. The school district encourages parents to ask questions about their student's behavior in school. The web page also presents some general steps to follow when difficulties or misunderstandings occur. Overall, the school district views parental involvement in its schools positively and promotes participation in the Parents' Advisory Councils.

School Council/ Key Communicator Information. 2004
Calgary Board of Education
Calgary, AB
http://www.cbe.ab.ca/new/school%20council/scc_ref_info.asp

School councils sometimes provide a forum in which school staff can communicate with parents about their children's academic progress. This web page from the Calgary Board of Education presents two resources that will be of possible interest to School Council Chairs. One resource is a school council handbook and the other is a school council binder. The web page clarifies some of the expectations regarding the operation of school councils. The information presented on this web page is part of an initiative to incorporate features of parental leadership into the practices of the school district.

Working Together to Solve Problems
School District #68
Nanaimo & Ladysmith, BC
http://www.sd68.bc.ca/parents/problemsolving.html

Sometimes conflicts emerge between parents and school staff. This web site from British Columbia presents an approach for resolving such conflicts. The disagreements may concern what is being taught, school discipline, or health and safety matters, for example. The main goal to keep in mind is the success of the student's education. A first step is for parents to talk with their child's teacher. Most problems are solved by communication between parents and teachers. A possible second step involves speaking with the school principal. If these steps are not successful, further possible paths involve discussions with an Associate Superintendent or the Superintendent. For especially serious conflicts, the School District's Trustees have established a process for formal complaints.