Positive & Effective Parent CommunicationLTPS New Teacher

Orientation- 8/25/14

D. Adam – Principal - Lawrence Intermediate School

C. Turnbull – Principal – Ben Franklin Elementary School

Goals for Today:• Review the importance of communicating with

parents & building classroom communities• Identify helpful & easy means of parent

communication• Review the elements of positive communication• Get your 2014-15 school year off to a great start• Change your life in under 30 minutes

Did You Know?• 86% of the general public believes that

support from parents is the most important way to improve schools

• Family participation in education is TWICE as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status.

Means of Communication:Old School

• Agenda Books• Notices / Flyers• Logs / Journals / Folders• Emails• Phone Calls• Parent Visitations / Mtgs.

New School

• Remind• Teacher Pages• Blog• Class Dojo• Twitter• Anymeeting.com• Electronic Newsletter (i.e. Smore.com)• Wiki

4 P’s of Effective Communication:

•POSITIVE•PERSONALIZED•PROACTIVE•PARTNERSHIP

4 P’s (continued)

POSITIVE• Start communicating at the

beginning of the year before you need parents’ help.

• Begin and end every conversation with something positive about the student.

• Remember that each parent’s child is the most important child to him or her.

PERSONALIZED• Make personalized

phone calls home as soon as possible.

• Jot quick personal notes on letters home.

• Write quick notes in students’ assignment books, folders, etc.

4 P’s (continued)

PROACTIVE• Keep parents informed.• Give plenty of notice for

special assignments and events.

• Let parents know immediately when you have concerns.

• Work together to prevent problems from developing.

PARTNERSHIP• Utilize parents as the

premier expert on their own child.

• When problems arise, ask for their suggestions and ideas (including what works at home).

• Encourage parents to respond to your notes by leaving a comments/questions space.

COMMUNICATION DOs and DON’Ts:DOs:

• Send positive messages to parents.

• Show respect in your body language and words.

• Contact parents at the 1st sign of problems.

• Develop contacts and identify personnel and other community agencies that can provide support and services to families.

• Identify personnel who can translate.

• Develop a class website.

DON’Ts:• Contact parent only when

there is a problem. • Talk down to parent.• Contact parent only after a

problem has gotten out of hand.

• Contact parent when you do not have a plan of action.

• Send information only in English when parents speak other languages.

• Blame parents .• Expect parents to do most of

the teaching.

5 Guidelines for More Effective Communication:

By Cathy Abraham

• Understand your intent or goal• Say what you mean• Use I statements• Listen for content, feeling, and intent• Check for understanding

I Statements• I statements tend to:– Place responsibility w/ you, the speaker– Clarify your position, feelings or opinions– Build trust by giving others information about yourself– Be less threatening

• You statements tend to:– Elicit a negative or defensive response– Place blame or put people down– Come off as being accusatory or preachy

“I couldn’t understand what you said.” / “You didn’t make any sense.”“I missed having your input at the meeting.” / “You didn’t care enough to

come to the meeting.”

10 Guidelines for Communicating w/ Families:

1. Don’t assume that you know more about the child, his/her needs, and how those needs should be met than his/her parents do.

2. Junk the jargon.3. Don’t let assumptions and generalizations about parents and families

guide your efforts. 4. Be sensitive and responsive to the cultural and linguistic backgrounds

of parents and families. 5. Don’t be defensive or intimidated. 6. Refer families to other professionals when needed. 7. Help parents strive for a realistic optimism. 8. Start with something parents can be successful with. 9. Respect a parent’s right to say “No.” 10. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.”

10 Tips for Handling Complaints:

1. Get into the present. Focus your attention on the customer.2. Clear your mind of any preconceived notions or assumptions

about the customer or the problem.3. Open your ears and listen. Don’t jump to conclusions or speak

for the customer.4. Ask questions that focus on problem solving.5. When responding to the customer, don’t use jargon or

language that intimidates.6. Acknowledge that you understand what the customer is saying

and what he/she is feeling.7. Be honest. Don’t make excuses or be defensive.8. Work out a mutually beneficial plan of action9. Be sure to follow through on promises in a timely manner.10. Thank the customer for bringing the complaint to you. 2012 NSPRA

No matter what is said by the parent,

keep bringing the focus back to how you and the parent can help their child succeed.

Do NOT• Refer to parents by first names in emails• Write an email to a parent without an opening and

closing• Put a winky face in your email• Respond to an email when you are upset, frustrated

or feeling even a little bit defensive• Ever forget that the child in which you are discussing

is someone’s whole world, on good days and on bad days

• Stop listening at any time

Final Thoughts:• You control the flow of communication with

parents.• Reach out early to every parent and build

goodwill by pointing out something positive. This will give you credibility if you have to call for something negative later.

• Call parents at work for good news.• You are never alone; just grab your principal,

mentor, colleague, etc. if you need him/her.• Positive phone calls are a great investment.

Helpful Sites, Articles & Resources

Cybraryman – Parent Teacher Conference & Communication Page

http://cybraryman.com/ptconferences.html

The Power of the Positive Phone Call Homehttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/power-positive-phone-call-home-elena-aguilar

Education World – Effective Communication with Parentshttp://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/effective-communication-with-parents.shtml