Try these tips to maintain parental engagement in the ‘new normal’
It was World Teachers’ Day this week, and it was great to see messages posted across social media to well-loved teachers, thanking them for their sterling efforts in keeping our children’s education on track over the past few months. If anyone was ever in doubt, we have all witnessed the dedication delivered by the teaching profession, even in the most trying of circumstances.
Parent-teacher relationship vital
One aspect of education that has certainly come to the fore in these very unusual times is the importance of the relationship between teachers and parents. While it’s true that schools went above and beyond in keeping their students’ education on track, most would agree that they could not have done it without parental collaboration. While we were all in lockdown, parents took on the role of teachers at home, supporting their children with the resources supplied by schools. No easy task, however it highlighted the necessity of collaboration between teachers and parents in student attainment.
What many parents may be surprised to learn is that parental involvement in their child’s learning is the single most important indicator of educational success, when all other factors have been taken into account. Factors such as homework completion, self-esteem, behaviour both at school and in the wider community and attendance are all affected by parental engagement in at-home learning.
School-home collaboration
While our schools are – mostly – back to varying degrees of normality, wouldn’t it be great if that sense of ‘all in this together’ collaboration could be maintained going forward, with all the benefits this entails? We’re certain it would, so we’ve put together some quick tips to help maintain parental engagement until well after lockdown is a dim and distant memory!
- Don’t shut down routes of communication
You were no doubt working in close co-operation with parents during lockdown out of necessity. But these closer bonds can be maintained once ‘normality’ is resumed, albeit in a more relaxed format. A once-a-week newsletter can show how students are progressing, present topic materials and achievements or just let parents know their children are doing OK with the new arrangements. Schoop’s News and Engagement feature is great for this, even videos can be uploaded to display all the great work the children are creating! - Keep parents involved in learning
Make suggestions as to how parents can reinforce what their children are learning in the classroom using tools such as Schoop’s free push notification feature to send helpful YouTube links, book suggestions or even conversation starters – talking about what they’ve learnt during the day helps cement knowledge. - Make sure you’re reaching everyone
A survey can be so useful in gauging how everyone is adapting to new arrangements. Schoop’s Survey feature is easy-to-use and can be as long or short as you like. A short pulse survey that parents can quickly reply to will give you a heads-up as to the general mood of the parent body as well as being invaluable in ensuring your messaging is getting through and that everyone understands their obligations.
Hopefully, a sense of ‘we’re all in this together’ is prevailing at your school as we navigate the new normal, and we’re sure your parents have also gained even more respect for the work teachers do after weeks spent trying to guide their children’s learning! An engagement app like Schoop can ensure everyone’s still with you as your messages reach your audience directly, unlike social media or emails that get lost in inboxes.
Find out more about how Schoop can help retain and affirm parental engagement in your school. Click below for a demo:
