Recently, I read an article regarding parent notification systems available here. Primarily used by school administrators, the system is meant to notify parents of all sorts of information from your school lunch bill to progress reports.
While I'm sure it is a great tool for administrators, why could you not use something similar in your classroom? How about a daily blog about what you're teaching that parents can look at from anywhere? Perhaps something happened in class that was particularly interesting that parents may also find interest in. The list is numerous but consider the possibilities; parents no longer have to guess, or immediately become defensive about subject matter. They can see with a few clicks just exactly what their children are learning and perhaps become more involved. Sitting around the dinner table could bring a much more interesting conversation topic to the rest of the family. Perhaps a story they read, a video they saw, a project they are working on? Consider the reduction of phone calls and emails about what their child is learning or how they are learning. I personally believe this could be an amazing tool.
Additionally, with your school administrators approval, why not update a program like WebCT weekly with student progress reports and grades? Once again, the email chain could be greatly reduced. Parents, again with just a few clicks, can get a birds eye view on how their child is doing both academically and behaviorally. Parents can see how active their children are in discussions and participation and monitor any changes in the like. How often are parents calling or emailing about how their child is doing? Whether it be the straight A student or a student that is having a more difficult time because of family issues or just difficulty in grasping a concept, a program such as this could be invaluable to both the educator and the parent.
For more sensitive topics, a phone call or student teacher conference is still the best method of informing or collaborating with a parent. Especially when other parties are involved.
With all additional programs comes additional time. What are you willing to do as an educator to best keep your students parents up to speed on their education? These programs are meant to save time, to incorporate the parent into the equation, to give the parent the power to become active in their child's education. But it can only be accomplished with an educator that is willing to change the status quo. Is that you?
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Report_Card.jpg
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Report_Card.jpg
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