STRATEGIES FOR STRONG PARENT COMMUNICATION

Practical Ways To Put Parents First

If you find yourself in a situation that is quickly escalating or where you’re being asked questions that you don’t feel comfortable answering or don’t have the immediate answers to, it’s worth trying to redirect the conversation. Here are some sample phrases to use:

• I see that you have strong feelings on this issue, and I appreciate your sharing them with me. I’m going to convey your concerns to our superintendent and district leadership.

• Thank you for letting me know your feelings on this topic. Rest assured, I’m going to share all your feedback and questions with district leadership so we can address them.

• Everyone agrees that parents are the most important decisionmakers in a child’s education and everything our district does is centered on this fact.

• I don’t have all the answers to your questions right now, but I can assure you that we’re compiling all the concerns and feedback we receive so we can continue to serve you and all of our families.

There’s no closer alignment of goals than those shared between parents and trustees. Families want an excellent education for their student and school board members want excellent outcomes for all students in their district.

Yet, this common ground is often not enough to sustain a successful relationship between families and school boards, particularly when there are inevitable disagreements over issues big and small.

As we’ve shown in this toolkit, effective parent communications can reliably help bridge those divides when done consistently and with the mindset that students learn best when their families are deeply connected with what is happening in their child’s school and within the overall district.

This essential partnership leaves no room for an “us-versus-them” approach. Elected trustees have the important duty to use the position they’ve been entrusted with to encourage parent participation both in the boardroom and in the classroom.

With parents as advocates for their child’s education and partners in the district’s overall mission, school boards and individual trustees can become stronger, more successful leaders of their community’s public schools.