Articles

Recently, I had the exciting opportunity to be interviewed by Katie Couric in the ABC studio in New York City for her weekly online video series, Katie's Take. The topic: "What Teachers Wish Parents Knew." While getting ready for the interview, I found myself thinking about a related topic: "What…

I've been thinking about the communication gap that sometimes exists between parents and teachers and how we can narrow it. For example, has this ever happened to you? A teacher offers advice on an issue a child is having, and the parent hears it as veiled criticism. The parent offers…

Will you be meeting your students' families at back-to-school night soon? If so, you have a golden opportunity to take another important step toward bullyproofing your classroom. I've written previously about how parent involvement is a key part of an effective bullying prevention program. Our students' family members often know…

It seems to me sometimes that children's teachers and children's families live on different planets when it comes to the issue of keeping our children safe in school. Personally, I've lived on both of those planets. When my daughter was in elementary school, I knew about mean behaviors going on…

To teach well, we must know children well, and parents can help us do that better than anyone. Parents can share knowledge of their child’s strengths and challenges, unique perspectives, and other invaluable insights. Parents can also support their child’s learning at home. When we let parents know what’s being…

If we really believe the statement “Parents are partners in their children’s education,” then we have to make developing relationships with parents a top priority. An important first step in building these relationships is to invite families to express their hopes for their child. We might ask, “What do you…

A colleague of mine recently told me a story that reminded me of how powerful and positive an influence teachers can have—not just on their students,  but on students’ families as well. She said I could share it with you. My friend and her four-year-old daughter have birthdays just a…

Inviting parents and other adult family members into the classroom gives them a chance to experience some of their child’s school life. It can also be a way for you to get some help with clerical work (photocopying, stapling) or projects that are hard to manage by yourself—such as messy…

We've created a printable PDF for you to share with your students' families! Note: about the term “parent” Students come from a variety of homes and family structures. Many children are raised by grandparents, siblings, other relatives, and foster parents. “Parent” is used here to refer to and honor anyone…

At University School of Nashville, where I was an administrator and teacher for 23 years, the physical education teachers have recently been trying a new way of engaging students' parents in the day-to-day life of the school. They call it "PE Kudos." Here's how it works: Earlier this year, the…

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a thought-provoking series on the home-school connection that was recently published in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.  In the second article in the series, journalist Erin Richards looks at the issue of whether education schools should be doing more to prepare teachers for working…

A recent series of articles published in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel have me thinking about one of my favorite topics—the importance of forging connections between schools and parents. The articles explore this topic from a number of angles. In the first one, Erin Richards examines some basic research about the…

Making a class version of a book is a community building activity used by lots of teachers at the beginning of the year. I used it with second graders, but it could definitely be adapted for younger or older students. Here’s how it works: The teacher shares a really engaging…

Step out of your teacher shoes for a moment and imagine yourself as the parent of a child you teach. You're at home, and the phone rings. You pick it up and a voice says, "Hello. This is Ms. Norris, Emily's teacher." If you're like many parents, two words spring…

As a new teacher years ago, I knew by instinct and training that students would learn more, and with more joy, if adults from their home lives shared in their school lives. I wanted to welcome families into our first grade classroom in ways that would engage them and allow…

When Kyle and his grandparents walk into Summit Elementary School on Success Night, the hallways are already buzzing with children and their families. Kyle’s grandmother catches sight of his second grade teacher and waves. Kyle says they’ll visit her room later. “First I’m going to show you what I’ve done…

For many families at Sarasota Suncoast Academy, the school day begins in the parking lot with a friendly personal welcome from principal Steve Crump. He and the rest of the office staff are there twice every day, at arrival and dismissal time, greeting each child by name and touching base…

Because I want families to be important members of their child’s educational team, I make opportunities throughout the school year for in-person conversations with each student’s parents or guardians. These “meetings” range from one-on-one conferences to quick exchanges with family members joining us for Morning Meeting, lunch, or a classroom…

An adapted excerpt from Parents & Teachers Working Together One of the enduring truths about teaching is that to teach children well, we have to know them: what they’re passionate about, what worries them, where they are in their development. We also have to understand something of their family culture—that…

Teachers work hard during the first six weeks of school to get to know their students and to establish a safe and welcoming classroom environment. This early investment makes the whole school year go better. The same idea applies to working with the most influential adults in the children’s lives:…

On a sunny October afternoon, kindergartner Chloe welcomes her mom into her classroom for a conference. Together they review a map Chloe had created with symbols representing the activities that the class has been doing in these first weeks of school. Some of the areas have markings such as "What…

Morning Meeting is over and writing workshop is underway. The children are scattered around the room sketching and then writing about objects that “called out to them.” Erin's dad is leaning against the file cabinet, absorbed as he sketches a ceramic rooster. Lauren’s mom is quietly bouncing baby Amy on…

Learning about patterns is one of the first things we do in math in my primary classroom. We create patterns with our bodies, sing them, build them, clap them. But I never realized the possibilities in studying patterns until one student, David, gave me a small, beautiful weaving that he…

It’s sharing time during Morning Meeting in Ms. Roberts’s first grade classroom. Jarrod is enthusiastically telling his classmates about the photos they will see when they look at his “family album.” The book contains a picture of Jarrod’s mom sitting on the front steps of their house. It also has…

Question: What are your goals in sharing knowledge about child development with students’ families, and how do you go about it? A: One goal that my teaching partner and I have in talking with families about child development is to help them understand our teaching and assessment approaches. For example,…

It's back-to-school night at Flanders Elementary School in East Lyme, Connecticut. As parents and guardians arrive at Andy Dousis's fourth grade classroom, he welcomes them warmly and invites them to read the news and announcement chart that is addressed to them. Once most of the adults have arrived and have…