 Family Technology Night Presented by: Kevin Bonnar and Larry Swiggum Fall 2014

Tonight’s Theme Improving Parent and Teacher Communication: The Why’s and How

From Michigan’s department of education  86% of the general public believes that support from parents is the most important way to improve the schools  Lack of parental involvement is the biggest problem facing public schools  Decades of research show that when parents are involved students have Higher grades, test scores, graduation rates, better school attendance, increased motivation, lower rates of suspensions, decreased use of drugs and alcohol, and fewer instances of violent behavior _Fact_Sheet_14732_7.pdf

More research to support increased parent/teacher communication Furger, R. (2006). Secret weapon discovered! Scientists say parents partnering with teachers can change the future of education, The Edutopian, 11, Davis, C., & Yang, A. (2009, September). Keeping in touch with families all year long. Responsive Classroom Newsletter, pp Rogers, R., & Wright, V. (2008). Assessing technology’s role in communication between parents and middle schools. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 7, Graham-Clay, S. (2005). Communicating with parents: Strategies for teachers. School Community Journal, 15 (1), 117.

What needs to be communicated?  Daily class work  Upcoming events  Positive and negative behavior  What are we learning next?  Student success : )  Videos of students learning

How do we communicate? We both strongly encourage parents to come into our classrooms anytime you are free That being said we understand that many of you work the same hours as your children attend school It has never been easier to communicate with your son/daughters teacher

How? Old School : )  Land lines or Cell Phones   Letters or notes in planners  Call the school secretary All great ways to communicate with your son/daughter teacher….How else can you communicate? (It’s a Wonderful Life example of communication)

New School: 21 st century means of communication  Classroom websites  Classroom Twitter accounts  Classroom Face book pages  Classroom Blogs

How to set up accounts?  Twitter (Follow)  Facebook (Friend)  Classroom blogs and websites: You will simply need to type in a link to follow your child’s daily progress if your son/daughter’s teacher have these means of communication set up.

Find a way new or old school to stay connected!  Please take some time to communicate with your son/daughter’s teacher tonight.  Less than 20 minutes a week could have such a huge impact on your child’s education  Parent/teacher communication is one of the most important factors in a child’s successful school experience Thank you for coming!