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Achieving Increased Parental Involvement Through Increased Communication

During the 2005-2006 school year, the Whittier Union High School District (WUHSD) conducted a comprehensive parent survey. One of the key findings was the desire for increased communication between the school and home.

Specifically, the parents were asking for more forthcoming information about their child's day-to-day academic progress and behavior in the classroom. The parents weren't alone in wanting more communication. Administrators and teachers wanted more real time dialogue and interaction with parents, too.

"Teachers comprehend the significance of parental involvement," said Carlye Olsen, Ed.D., Director of Accountability, Staff Development, & Educational Technology at Whittier Union High School District. "When parents are actively engaged and regularly notified of their students' individual classroom experiences, they can more effectively influence their child's educational progression."

As the results of the survey were being articulated, administrators and teachers at two WUHSD schools participated in a demonstration of a cutting-edge parental notification system. The innovative system combined the use of telephone and Internet technology, essentially creating an entirely new communication platform for schools.

The Chosen Solution
Olsen's research on automated parental notification systems unearthed a small contingency of companies touting a number of communication services available for K-12 school districts. When WUHSD personnel compared the various school-to-home systems, they found that not all systems were alike.

"What made TeleParent stand out among its competitors is that it addresses the immediate needs of teachers," said Olsen. "You can see by its ease of use that it was made with teachers in mind. It really helps the individual teacher overcome the common obstacles that hinder parent-teacher communication such as time and language barriers."

Another advantage was the fact that TeleParent uses its own telephone lines and offers over 700 pre-recorded messages in 22 languages.

The Result
During the 2006-2007 school year, WUSHD increased usage of the TeleParent solution when contacting parents about students who were receiving failing grades on a weekly basis. Although TeleParent does not replace the legally required written failure notice, the district wants parents to have timely information from a variety of sources regarding any academic difficulties a child may be experiencing in a particular class. The district also expanded the use of the system for intervention purposes, district and school broadcast messages, and support functions such as the clearing of wrong telephone numbers, library uses, and special education IEP notifications.

"We knew this was going to make a difference in our school-to-home communications efforts, but the results have really been profound," said Olsen. "We see a stronger partnership being forged with parents and their students that has allowed our teachers to better support student learning. There is now a collective sense of responsibility among our parents and teachers - with improved student learning at its core."

The schools also reported overall better classroom behavior, and an increase in the amount of homework being completed in each class. During the summer, when one semester is condensed into six weeks of summer school, attendance is critical. TeleParent's customized message banks accommodate student-specific behaviors within five categories, including attendance. The attendance messages inform parents of single absences, multiple absences, tardiness, and other attendance-policy issues.

Teachers commented that the system has enhanced their classroom management skills. By increasing their effectiveness in the classroom and cutting down the amount of time they spend on non-academic issues, they are able to spend more time teaching.

Olsen added, "One parent called in tears thanking the teacher for sending a positive comment about their child -- something they had not received since elementary school. We now have a great solution that allows teachers and parents to truly be partners in the education of their students."