Effective Communication Practices Between Educators and Parents
Written by Abena Sey
October 15, 2020
Effective communication between educators and parents fosters a partnership to ensure student success, however, communication barriers can hinder this. There are mistakes that educators and parents often make in their communication with one another that can detract from this goal. Below, I summarize best practices educators could use to improve communication with their students’ parents in order to strengthen their partnership. A strong partnership between a teacher and parents is an important contributor to a student’s academic achievement.
1 - Don’t Forget The Human Touch
Teachers are trained to display competence in teaching subject matter, however they are not necessarily trained on how to communicate with parents. Susan Graham-Clay (2005) advised that although there are many different means to communicate with parents, a teacher should not forget the “human touch,” because a teacher’s use of interpersonal skills is important to ensure effective communication.
2 - Appreciate The Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Of Your Parents
To better communicate with families of linguistic and cultural differences, a good first step is for a teacher to appreciate the cultural and linguistic diversity of his/her students in order to identify the specific needs of his/her students’ families. With an understanding of the diversity of your parents, you can use as many communication tools as possible to ensure clarity and accessibility for your families. This strategy is discussed further in tip #4.
3 - Consider The Economic and Time Constraints Of Your Parents
To account for parents’ economic and time constraints, the teacher may survey his/her families at the beginning of the school year to determine their preferred times and means of communication, and share the best ways to contact the teacher. In doing so, you are increasing accessibility and reducing frustrations.
4 - Use A Variety Of Communication Tools, One Size Does Not Fit All
Teachers may communicate learning activities, events, and academic and behavioural progress of students through newsletters, websites, emails, or report cards. Graham-Clay (2005) suggested that teachers should actively incorporate “two-way” communication with parents to ensure that sharing information both ways is achieved.
5 - Offer Support Through Workshops
To support parents, schools can host or facilitate workshops. These workshops can offer support and strategies to address parenting challenges, or to increase literacy at home. Also helpful, is offering links to community resources for families. Be a source of information for parents.
6 - Consider The Specific Challenges Your Parents Experience
It is important for educators to use interpersonal skills when communicating with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families of special needs children. CLD families often experience isolation, powerlessness, pressure, alienation, and deprivation of the special education process due to communication barriers, and lack of understanding of their rights to participate in the planning process for Individualized Education Plans (Jung 2011). CLD parents reported that school professionals appeared “inconsiderate,” “distant,” “cold,” and “cruel”, particularly when discussing dispute issues, and thus felt isolated and increasingly hostile towards them. As in tip #1, don’t forget the human touch when working with culturally and linguistically diverse families of special needs children.
Open communication with your students’ parents is critical to forming a positive relationship. Begin communicating early and frequently in order to establish relationships with your families -- your students’ academic achievement depends on it!
References
Graham-Clay, Susan. Communicating with Parents: Strategies for Teachers. School Community Journal, v16 n1 p117-129 Spr-Sum 2005.
Jung, Adrian, Woo. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Barriers for Parents from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds. Multicultural Education, v19 n3 p21-25 Spr 2011.