WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

ERICA M. DUCKWORTH, M.ED.

Parent Communication:

Let’s Get Together

Why Work Together?

The whole is greater than the sum of our parts. People are intelligent Opinions are like… Input = Buy in Accountability in decisions Conflict management Building relationships Enhance trust

What Does the Research Suggest?

Parental involvement is 2 times more important in predicting academic success than socioeconomic status.

Students who have involved parents have: Higher grades Higher graduation rates Better attendance Increased motivation Better self-esteem Lower rates of suspension Decreased drug and alcohol abuse Less instances of aggressive behaviors

BUT when further investigated it was parental attitude towards education and the school environment that was the major contributing factor RATHER than frequency of parent interaction at school.

MotivationSelf-esteem

SuccessSkills

Parent• Experienc

e• Expertise• Love• Education

Teacher• Formal

Training• Passion• Caring• Creativity

Bringing it to the Table

Sometimes We Don’t Speak the Same Language

• Dear school: please excuse John being absent on Jan 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.

My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.

Please excuse Amanda for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

Hearing Listening

Physiological sensory processes by which auditory sensations are received by the ears and transmitted by the brain.

A commitment to understand how others think and feel.

Are You Listening?

“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said. ” ~ Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005); Professor, Writer, Management Consultant

“The first duty of love is to listen.” ~ Paul Tillich (1886-1965); Theologian, Philosopher

Group Discussion

We ignore, forget,

distort or misunderstand ___ of the time.

Managers MAY

spend up to ___ of

their time listening

We cannot listen at

___

We normally listen at

___ capacity

25%60%75%100%

Where’s the Breakdown

This is Your Brain on Conversation

Why Listen

Understand Someone

Learn Something

Enjoy Someone

Give help

Seems PE Can Be Problematic

Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is

administrating.

Books & Their Covers

SometimesItTakesMoreThanMedication

One Way Communication

When a person’s intentions are to inform another of an event Written letters School to home journal Newsletter Classroom website Literacy bags Video Data

Paying It Forward

Hello Denton

My name is Mrs. Duckworth . I will be your teacher

at the Lumberton Intermediate School

I hope you can come visit new classrooms and

playground on August 4th .

Parent Surveyhttp://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Parent-3-2-1

Student Info

1. Full name:___________________________________________________________ 2. Nickname: _________________________ 3. DOB: ______________________ 4. Do you have a job (circle one)? Yes / No  If you circled “yes,” where do you work? ______________________________________

If you circled “yes,” how many hours/week do you work on average? _______________

5. Are you a member of any clubs, organizations, athletic teams, etc. (circle one)? Yes / No 

If you circled “yes,” please list which ones: ____________________________________ 6.   What are your plans for after high school_____________________________________ 7. Please list the last 3 books you’ve read: _______________________________________

Reinforcer Inventorywww.keystoneatlanta.org/downloads/ReinforcementInventory.pdf

School to Home Communicationhttp://au.mayer-johnson.com/gfx/tips/0909-communication.gif

http://www.setbc.org/pictureset/SubCategory.aspx?id=73

Correspondence

Concerns

Positive Feedback

Documentationhttp://pinterest.com/pin/106116134940499804/

http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/caringclass.php

The Teacher’s Assistant App

It Happens

Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

Please excuse Pedro from being absent yesterday. He had diahre dyrea direathe the sh**s.

Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak.

Two Way Communication

An interactive dialog between two people

Phone call

Email

Teacher conference

ARD Meetings

Parent night / Open house

Invitation Reminder

Save the Date

Pre-Conference Questionnaire

In order to prepare for our upcoming conference, please answer the questions below. Please return this sheet to school by_________________________. What subject is your child’s favorite? What subject is most difficult for your child? Does your child participate in any after school hobbies

or activities? What friends does your child talk about from school? As your child’s teacher, how can I best help your child? What questions would you like to have answered during

our conference?

Setting the Stage

ParentConference

Form

http://imom.com/tools/get-organized/teacher-conference-worksheet/

Student Self Evaluation

http://fearless5thgrade.blogspot.com/#uds-search-results

Teacher Conference

Rubric – Elementary

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B50Gu_V7yTFSUDFaa2NGWUNUeGkzUENjT0s2eF9hdw/edit?pli=1

Teacher Conference

Rubric – Secondary

Parent-Conference Preparation GuideConference requested by:______________Date of conference: _______ Time of conference: __________ Location: __________ Persons requested to attend: Date notified: Primary concern of person(s) requesting conference:

Student strengths: 1. 2. 3.

Student weaknesses: 1. 2. 3. Current grade averages:

Suggestions for improvement:

The Student Led Conferencehttp://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/free-resources/family-outreach/student-led-conferences

Angela Watson of The Cornerstone lists the advantages of student led conferences as follows: Shows parents and students that their opinions are valued by the

teacher empower the child to take responsibility for her learning give the parent and teacher a chance to hear the student reflect on

his progress in his own words reassure students that parents and teacher are there to support

them hold students accountable for their academic and behavioral choices give the parent the opportunity to see the teacher and child interact provide the teacher with insight about parent-child

relationships/home structure take unnecessary pressure off of the teacher by focusing on the

student and his/her work samples

Sample Agenda – Student Led Conferencehttp://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/free-resources/family-outreach/student-led-conferences

Question Type Ask the Child Ask the Parent

Attitude Toward School

How are you feeling about school right now? Do you like coming to school? What do you like about it?

Are those the kind of things you’re hearing at home, too?

Strengths What do you think is your strongest subject? Why do you think that?

Do you agree? Was this a strength for your child last year, too?

Tips for Success

Smile & welcome parents Maintain eye contact Listen carefully Remain positive Stick to the topic Stay on schedule Display student’s work in the

waiting area Follow steps

Welcome Present purpose and info Allow time for ?s Develop plan Wrap up meeting End on positive note

The Sandwich Technique

1. Start with + feedback2. Provide constructive

criticism3. End on a + note

Compare/Talk about other students

Talk about yourself

Overwhelm parents with too much

Allow parents to back you into a wall making you say something you would regret.

Talk down to parents – We Are In This Together

Room for Improvement

Identify no more than 3 areas for improvement Data Teacher observation/concerns Parent observation/concerns

Provide literature on evidenced based strategies that will assist the student with specific needs

Brainstorm a plan with parent(s)Provide materials that support this plan

Plan of Action

Develop an action plan together

Agree on specific plans for both the teacher and parent

Be sure you both understand your roles

Determine a way to check on the student’s progress

Decide on a means of communication and a timeline

Follow up and review progress of the plan

Consensus

Thank you & Closure

Post Conference Survey

Continued

Icing on the Cake

Dear (Parent), Thank you for attending our recent parent teacher conference. I appreciate the time you took to meet with me and hope the conference provided you with valuable insight into your child’s educational performance. I look forward to our continued partnership throughout the remainder of the school year.Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any other questions or concerns.

Resources

Christopher, C. (1996). Building parent teacher communication: An educator’s guide. Lancaster, PA: Technomic Publishing Company, Inc.

McCarney, S. B. & Wunderlich, K.C. (2006). Pre-referral intervention manual (3rd ed.). S.N. House (Ed.) Columbia, MO: Hawthorne.

Otey, L. & McDaniel, L. (2008). Facilitating IEPs: Leader’s Guide. [Handout]. Austin, TX: Region 8 Service Center.

Payne, R.K. (2008). Under-resourced learners: 8 strategies to boost student achievement. Highlands, TX: Aha! Process Inc.

Payne, R.K. (2006). Working with parents: Building relationships for student success. Highlands, TX: Aha! Process Inc.

Sprick, R., & Garrison, M. (2008). Interventions: Evidence-based behavioral strategies for individual students (2nd ed). Eugene, OR: Pacific Northwest Publishing.