Title: Fostering parental involvement in school | Raising Children Network
Headings: Teachers: involving parents in school
Teachers: involving parents in school
Key points
Parental involvement in school: why it’s good
Schools: getting to know parents and families
Classroom teachers: establishing partnerships
Keeping in regular touch with parents
How to tell if a partnership is working
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Content: It’s often about giving parents options, and making sure they have enough notice so they can organise time away from work if they need to. Classroom teachers: establishing partnerships
For classroom teachers, a welcome or greeting is a great way to help new students and their parents feel included and get a partnership going. This greeting could be a note or email. You could use your greeting to give a short summary of your philosophy and teaching practices. Remember that parents aren’t teaching experts, so avoid professional jargon and use plain English that everyone can understand. The greeting can also be a chance for you to set out classroom policies, like what the school does to encourage good behaviour and handle disruptive behaviour. And if you send a welcome greeting, you can also take the opportunity to learn more from parents, perhaps by including a short questionnaire about how they think their child is going. It’s always good to let parents know how they can reach you – for example, in informal conversations before and after school, by email, or by phone. You might also want to invite all parents to a class meeting in the first week or two.