Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are five ways for educators to foster connections between school and home life to create healthier communities centered on advancing education.

•  How can technology help communicate and implement some of these ideas?

• Read about how to promote family engagement in schools.

One area that educators might reflect on over the summer is how to foster a better connection between home and school. There are so many tasks that we have to do on a daily basis and without a doubt, our primary responsibility is to provide the best learning experience and support for all of our students.

Regular communication to keep parents informed about upcoming events, such as assessments and class or school activities is important. There also needs to be opportunities for sharing student work directly with parents, so that parents see and participate in the learning experiences of students. We have to strive to make that home to school connection.

It is important to find something that provides quality resources, centralizes school information, and which facilitates the creation of a virtual space for students and families. Schools have many options for providing a more consistent, effective and reliable way that leads to higher family engagement and better communication between school and home.

It’s not always about the specific tool, because there is definitely no shortage of tools out there from which we can choose. Rather it’s about finding a new strategy or tool and thinking about what is now possible that otherwise might take extra time, not be accessible to all families, or has a steep learning curve.

Here are five ideas for fostering that home-to-school connection and building a community that will lead to greater success for all of our students, not just those in our classroom.

  1. Publish a daily blog or class reflection.
  2. Careers and community connections.
  3. Communication platforms. 
  4. The show must go on: During the school year, there are many events such as open houses, student showcases, concerts, or sporting events that often don’t match family schedules.
  5. Virtual tours and more. 

Read the full article about fostering connections between school and home by Rachelle Dene Poth at Getting Smart.