Parent and Teacher Communication

Parent Communication Plan
Introduction
Parent-teacher communication is one of the bedrocks of education. The reason for this is that education is not something that solely transpires in the classroom. It extends outside its walls and continues on into the real world. The student’s home is one area where education also occurs, and that is not the realm of the teacher but rather of the parent. Thus, to ensure that both parent and teacher are on the same page and are communicating the same vital messages and lessons to the child, it is wise that they themselves communicate with one another, share ideas, and discuss important issues that are likely to be faced by the child (Graham-Clay, 2005). As Merkley, Schmidt, Dirksen and Fuhler (2006) point out, there are many ways in which parent-teacher communication can be conducted today: the face-to-face meeting is always an option, but technological advancements have also made it possible to communicate via email, text message, or video conference. Indeed, Thompson, Mazer and Flood Grady (2015) show that today’s research reveals “an increase in parents’ preference for frequent e-mail communication as well as for emerging modes of parent–teacher communication such as text messaging and social media” (p. 187). This parent communication plan, therefore, will explain how the goals of parent-teacher communication can best be accomplished by utilizing the tools of the modern era that have made communication so much easier in the past years, while making exception and allotting time for those parents who still prefer the old, conventional modes of communication.
Different Kinds of Communication
One of the main goals of parent-teacher communication is to get the “news” of what is going on in the classroom out to parents so that they can be on the same page as the teacher. However, another goal is to obtain feedback from parents so that important issues for parents can be taken into consideration by the teacher and implemented inside the classroom whenever possible. Thus, to enable the spread of information in an easy way and to enable two-way flow of information so that feedback can always be obtained, the best mode of communication is the use of social media. Social media has become the dominant mode of communication in the 21st century and parents and teachers can use it to coordinate, collaborate, communicate and assist one another in the educative process (Thompson et al., 2015).
While there are of course myriad modes of communication that can be used, such as letters in the mail (typically a one-way flow of information mode), newsletters (another one-way flow mode), or phone calls (a conventional two-way flow mode), there are problems for each. First, the problem with newsletters and conventional mail is that it does not facilitate the feedback required for the attainment of one of the main goals of parent-teacher communication. It provides information in one direction—from teacher to parent. Most parents are not going to sit down to right a letter in response and even if they did the time lag is considerable in the age of digital media. Phone calls, too, are problematic because most people today have very busy lives and find it difficult to manage time enough to take a phone call. That is why most parents today prefer to communicate via text messaging—they can read and respond in their own time and a ideas can be exchanged over the course of a day rather than at a pre-arranged time or at a time that is inconvenient (Thompson et al., 2015). Social media combines the best of both worlds—it offers a platform for the dissemination of news as in a newsletter and also allows for feedback to be obtained, as instant messages can be sent from one to another via the instant message option that social media platforms allow.
This plan aims to use social media to create a platform for sharing classroom news and ideas with parents, while allowing for a two-way communication strategy to be employed. The purpose of the social media website would be to update parents on lessons being taught in the classroom, what goals are being sought, what parents need to know to support the process, and to find out what questions parents might have for the teacher.
The social media page will use Facebook, which is one of the most popular forms of communication in the world today, for providing news information to parents on a weekly basis. Teachers are required to make lesson plans so that administrators know what they are doing in the classroom: parents should have the same benefit and access to those plans, since they are like administrators in their own homes. Letting them in on what the teacher is doing can be highly beneficial for getting both parents and teachers on the same page (Graham-Clay, 2005). Facebook is a perfect platform for generating two-way flow as it allows for messages to be posted on the board and for followers to post responses in a thread. It also allows for personal message to be sent that are not made public. So information can be communicated in both a confidential and a public manner, depending on the nature of the communication.
However, for parents who do not have access to electronic communication, there is also a need to provide information in a methodically and systematic way. While there are options, such as local libraries where parents could check email or Facebook, it may also be more convenient for the teacher to simply send information via text message or in a monthly letter to parents. Likewise, parents who would feel more comfortable about communicating via phone or via face-to-face meetings will have the opportunity to schedule an appointment to do so with the teacher either by using Facebook to make the appointment, text message, or letter to the school teacher. This information will be made known to parents in the initial first letter to parents at the start of the school year.
This approach will help to develop students’ social, emotional and academic success by enabling them to build and extend a support system outside of school. By bringing parents into the process, the communication plan allows them to be part of the child’s support system, which ensures that their academic goals can be more adequately provided for. For emotional and social support, students can be invited to post their thoughts on the Facebook page as well so that they are involved in the process of communication, too, and can take ownership of their educative experience in this way. Parents will be able to request the grades or scores of their students directly and students will be able to express their thoughts or ask questions via messaging.
Conclusion
The goal of this plan is to increase two-way flow between parents and the teacher. This can be assessed by taking a baseline measurement of two-way flow prior to implementing the plan to see how often or frequently parents interact with the teacher. Once the Facebook page is up and running, two-way flow of communication can then be measured by counting the number of back-and-forth exchanges, likes, posts, or messages are made on the page. This will help to show in a quantitative manner exactly how effective this plan has been in achieving the goal of getting parents and the teacher on the same page by way of opening up an easier flow of communication.


References
Graham-Clay, S. (2005). Communicating with parents: Strategies for teachers. School
Community Journal, 15(1), 117-129.
Merkley, D., Schmidt, D., Dirksen, C., & Fuhler, C. (2006). Enhancing parent-teacher
communication using technology: a reading improvement clinic example with beginning teachers. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 6(1), 11-42.
Thompson, B. C., Mazer, J. P., & Flood Grady, E. (2015). The changing nature of
parent–teacher communication: Mode selection in the smartphone era. Communication Education, 64(2), 187-207.