Essential Tech for Better Family-School Communication

Technology has been changing our lives so quickly that it is hard to keep up! In the past decade, more teachers and administrators have begun using online gradebooks, apps, texting services, and full-service learning platforms and student information systems. Technology is powerful—it can help families support their students’ learning by sharing upcoming due dates, events and progress. Many platforms even provide nudges, ideas and activities for families to extend learning at home. Teachers, too, use these platforms to get to know their students and better differentiate their instruction based on what they learn from families.  

While technology can help to create strong family-school partnerships, families and schools need to think strategically to make the most of these tools. As families navigated virtual learning during the pandemic, the power of technology (and its limitations) took center stage. Many have stepped up to the challenge, but there is more work to be done and several ways that you can help! 

Work with your school administrators to complete a Family School Communication Mapping Tool.

Many parents and caregivers—especially those who are new to the school—may not be sure where to go to get information. This tool will help families know how to stay up to date on all of the latest news and announcements, as well as grades and personal reports on their child. Be sure to translate your tool into other languages so that it is accessible to all families. 

Assess the accessibility of your school’s platform(s).

Are all families able to easily access your school’s communications platforms? It doesn’t matter how many features your platform has or how much quality information teachers are sharing, if families can’t access it. Talk with your school administrators about ways you can make your school’s platforms easier for everyone to use. The following questions can also help you and your leadership team start to think through accessibility. 

  • Does your communications platform translate messages into your families’ primary languages? 
  • Does your communications platform offer speech-to-text, text-to-speech, or other accessibility options? 
  • Does your communications platform require families to sign up or are they automatically opted in? 
  • Is your communications platform easy to navigate via a mobile device? 

Ask your principal or superintendent to provide an opportunity for families and teachers to provide feedback on its family-school communication platforms

National PTA has released a discussion guide for education system leaders to help them gather feedback from the community. These conversations can help to inform leaders’ decisions around family-school communication technology. If you are worried your principal or superintendent may not be willing to host a focus group, consider inviting them to a PTA meeting instead, and use the discussion guide to spark discussion at the meeting. 

If you are interested in learning more about family-school communication technologies, National PTA’s Center for Family Engagement has created an entire toolkit in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, the School Superintendents’ Association and the Consortium on School Networks! Check it out at PTA.org/FamilySchoolTech

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