Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

6 apps for parent-teacher communication

Communication between parents and teachers is an essential ingredient that fuels the learning process for students. When parents and teachers keep each other in the loop, they can notify each other of achievements, behavioral problems, health issues, and more.

Unfortunately, even the most well-intentioned students forget to pass on information to their parents. Or they might have difficulty remembering the correct details, meaning that parents ultimately get inaccurate messages. Sometimes, poor communication also means that kids miss out on opportunities. For example, parents may need to pay class trip fees by designated dates to reserve a student’s spot. Or a football coach may require that parents submit documentation of their kids receiving recent physical exams that confirm they’re eligible for the sport.

The bottom line is that this element of the educational process is crucial. Parent-teacher communication apps help in all these situations and many others. Here are are a few you might want to consider.…Read More

8 easy ways to improve your public relations efforts

Families and community members want to know what’s happening in your district, and they want to know right now. There’s a huge need to educate the public about security, data privacy, curriculum, and all the rest, but you have to do it the right way.

We spoke Justin Martin, president and chief executive officer of Martin & Associates, a K-12 communications management consultancy, to see what districts can do to spread their good word.

1. Present information in the best format.
“You need to dole the information out in small, digestible pieces—don’t just attach a six-page report and ask people to read the PDF,” says Martin. “Put the important parts in the body of the email and, if there are supporting details, include those in an attachment.”…Read More

4 great ways to address home-school communications

The need for a strong partnership between schools and families is extremely important, but it can be challenging to figure out the best way to handle home-school communication. When parents, caregivers, community members, and educators work together, children are more likely to develop a positive attitude about school. Students with involved families complete homework more consistently, have higher grades and graduation rates, and have higher self-esteem. Here’s how four districts are making the most of the home-school connection.

Ask the people what they want
As we get more connected, it becomes more complicated on how schools should communicate with parents. We used to send home mailings or give students a parent packet to bring home. So much simpler!

Today, social media, email, phone calls, and text messages are the norm. How do you get principals, central staff, and superintendents to embrace this change of communication? You start with a communication plan that surveys the community to see which platform or platforms they prefer. You will find out very fast they want all of it!…Read More