We hear again and again one simple step teachers can take to strengthen family-school partnerships is to share something positive with families about their student. This is especially powerful if you can do it before you need to call home with news that might be harder to hear.
Yet over half of the Alaskan families who responded to the 2024 School Climate and Connectedness Survey said the school only contacts them about their child when there’s a problem.
Find out what families are saying about your communication with them:
- Alicia Duncan, aduncan@aasb.org can share your Family Engagement Data Profile with you. These are select questions from the School Climate and Connectedness Survey.
- Ask your administrator for access to the full School Climate and Connectedness Survey to dig deeper.
Take action:
- If you’re a teacher, check the positive phone call script and track the information you’re sharing with families.
- If you’re an administrator, consider what goals you’re setting for your staff and what time you’re carving out to help them achieve those goals. For example, one principal in Colorado reserves ten minutes of each staff meeting for teachers to send positive messages to five families.
