How Schools Can Really Connect With Parents

The rush is on for school districts to expand their “parent engagement” programs in an effort to comply with a new state mandate. But before schools start printing up their brochures and scheduling their after-school events they should take a moment to ask themselves two important questions: “What do we really want to say to parents?” and “How are we going to tell them?”

If previous parent engagement campaigns in this state are any measure, whatever school districts come up with will fall short and we simply can’t afford that any longer.

I know there are some school districts that prefer to keep parents in the audience of school recitals and occasional PTA meetings. I know there are schools that refuse to hire translators to communicate with non-English speaking parents. But I believe the majority of school districts in California are genuinely eager to find ways to get all parents fully engaged and involved.

For the purposes of time, I’m going to tackle the “what to say to parents” part in this blog and the “how to tell them” in a second blog.

Parent Engagement Works

There’s no disputing the research and there is plenty of research that proves when parents are involved in their child’s education those students are more academically successful. A list of Resources at the end of this blog provides details.

And if that’s not enough, effective parent engagement has proven to impact much more than student achievement:

· It is the most effective way to combat at-risk behavior such as alcohol/drug use and violence.

· It is the best way to implement student retention campaigns (for those districts that are “losing” students)

· It can dramatically impact and improve attendance.

· It is the best way to explain to parents (and voters) why they should support the district’s upcoming bond measures and any other initiatives and projects.

In fact, there’s no end to what a district can accomplish once it effectively engages with a large segment of parents.

What is effective parent engagement?

A big part of the problem is schools don’t acknowledge their current efforts fall short.

But how do you get parents “engaged” in an effective way? And what is effective “parent engagement?” This is particularly challenging in school districts with a high percentage of poor and working-class families.

Part of the challenge is that just about every school district thinks it already does a good job. Most of the school board members and administrators I’ve talked to will admit they could do better but they expressed satisfaction and sometimes pride in their efforts to productively engage their student’s parents.

But when you look at the research (check the Resources at the end of this blog) it’s hard to understand that perspective. Many times, it’s challenging to find school districts that even measure the effectiveness of their parent engagement in any meaningful way. They’ll provide numbers of parents that attend meetings as if that alone can tell you anything.

I don’t want to beat up on school districts over this. They are encumbered with so much reporting and measuring and quantifying it’s not surprising this area is a challenge. And during those conversations I’ve had with administrators and school policymakers about parent engagement I’ve always come away believing they genuinely want to connect with parents. But they’ve gotten trapped doing the same thing they’ve done year after year.

I believe an effective parent engagement campaign should be treated like a marketing campaign. I’m sure those words are making some educators cringe. I can hear the critics, “Marketing? We’re not in the business of selling anything!”

That’s true. Effective marketing is used mostly in sales. But before you “buy” you first have to be convinced you “need” or “want.”

Parents, like all of us, are bombarded daily with “messages” from marketing and advertising campaigns. I’m not advocating that a school district should try to compete with that. Parents already prioritize the information coming from their child’s school as important — even vital. But, they don’t have all the information they need to understand why, and especially how, they should get more involved in their child’s education. This is particularly true for many Latino immigrant communities. Many of these parents grew up in countries where education was respected but the parental role was dramatically different and often deferential to schools and teachers.

That’s where marketing strategies can be useful. Schools need help cutting through the clutter of information bombarding parents. They need help convincing parents there are effective ways they can support their children in school with some simple strategies. And schools need to use marketing tactics such as texting and social media to reach parents with these

We must help all parents understand the vital role they can play — and that even those families with over-worked parents can find ways to get more effectively involved in their child’s education.

Standard parent engagement strategies don’t work. If they did we wouldn’t be

An effective marketing campaign works because it relies on proven strategies and tactics and it usually includes ways to measure the campaign. Most marketing campaigns include:

· A clearly identified Audience — in this case parents.

· Specific (and tested) Messages — “Your direct participation in your child’s education dramatically improves their chances of success” is only one example. And the messages must include responses to marketing opposition — “I’ve got two jobs. I’m too busy!”

· A direct Call-to-Action — “Get involved and here’s how!”

· Proven tactics connected to effective marketing — phone calls, social media, websites, PR, events, etc.

· An understanding of the importance of language(s)

· And there’s measurement — surveys, focus groups, digital metrics, bounce-back cards, etc.

Traditionally, districts have approached parent engagement as “education” or “outreach” which too often involves passive strategies. They rely heavily on the belief that their target audience is just waiting to get this information and poised to take action. That used to work for most schools and it still works in some schools, particularly in higher income districts. But for poor and working class families that is just not true and if that describes your district I probably don’t need to convince you of that.

I have been challenged to find examples of effective parent engagement in this state. Here’s what we did find.

· Every school district has parent engagement information on their website, but few districts can tell you how many parents actually use the website or how.

· The effectiveness of those websites varies widely but few districts use digital media wisely.

· Just about every school district now uses social media, usually Facebook and Twitter. However, there are few examples it’s being used effectively or that anyone is collecting social media metrics. Counting “likes” is not really metrics. In fact, social media miss-use is widespread.

Most schools have staff dedicated to on-site parent engagement. But when you ask about the numbers — how many of their school’s parents are genuinely engaged — the honest results hover at about 10–15%. Charter schools enjoy a higher percentage but charters are just as challenged with this issue as other schools.

If you’re not satisfied with those rates and are prepared to re-direct resources to effective marketing there are people out there ready to help. Remember, this should not generate additional costs. Districts already have resources committed to parent engagement and the state and feds are moving to provide additional resources.

The next step is the most challenging for school districts. If you don’t have a marketing or communications professional on your staff this is not the time to “make do.” And this is not PR. You shouldn’t ask your Public Information Officer or media person to do this — not if you’re interested in results. Public or community relations is not marketing. It can, and should, be used in a marketing campaign but it’s not “the same thing.” If you didn’t know that, then please consider that evidence you need help. Districts often seek outside support for staff training and professional development, research, IT support, construction and a host of other services. Communications and marketing should be on that list especially when it comes to parent engagement.

Go find experts who have a proven track record and experience with schools. Insist on measurement. Once you have found your outside resource make sure they can demonstrate results. Try out some agencies or consultants with a small project first before committing to an RFP and long-term contract.

Getting thirty parents to an after-school event is a great start. Staying connected to those parents in a meaningful way after the meeting and convincing them to get involved is really the goal.