What did you do in school today? Keeping Parents

Connected

Sandy GrafApril 12, 2013

Middle School• Most schools

consider middle school to begin with grade 6 and end with grade 8.

• Middle school is a time of adolescence; therefore, middle school student behaviors can also be found in 4th and 5th grades.

What is adolescence?

• No standard definition for adolescence exists.

• In simplistic terms, adolescence can be defined as the period of transition between childhood and adulthood.

• Adolescence can also be understood in terms of physical, social, and cognitive development.

What is adolescence?The United States Department of Health and Human Services defines adolescence as the age span between 10 – 24 years of age.

Susan Graf, my mother, defines adolescence as the period in which a parent is supposed to develop a dislike for one’s child so that the child may achieve independence.

What is adolescence?

Regardless of the definition one uses, adolescence is a period of key development.

Adolescents go through major physical, social, and cognitive changes during this time period.

Experience Adolescence . . .

Imagine, once upon a time your children were excited to ride with you. They chatted away about their day as soon as they got in the car.

Experience Adolescence . . .

Almost overnight, you arrive at the carpool line and retrieve a monster.

You ask, “What did you do today?”

Your adolescent replies, “Nothing.”

What does adolescence mean for schools?

Unfortunately, the greatest impact of adolescence on schools is not with the students themselves. Instead, it is with the parents of the students.

Parents of adolescents tend be more disconnected with school than parents of young children.

This has a negative impact on schools in several ways.

What does adolescence mean for schools?

Parent involvement is critical for student success.

In addition, private schools depend on student enrollment for funding.

School tuition is discretionary money for most families. Parents must feel a connection to your school to make the financial sacrifice of tuition.

What causes parental disconnect?

• Parents become disconnected, in part, because of their personal struggles with their children.

• They tire of the seemingly unending conflicts that revolve around an adolescent’s desire for independence.

• They also become disconnected because that very desire for independence means that children do not communicate with their parents about school.

How can schools keep parents connected?

The number one way to keep parents connected to school is through communication.

But. . . adolescents’ backpacks are like black holes. How can a school overcome this?

How can schools keep parents connected?

The methods that worked for communication with the parents of elementary students do not work well with the parents of middle school students.

Schools have to think outside of the box to reach these parents.

How can schools keep parents connected?

Take advantage of technology. Try:

•Emailing parents•Sending text messages to parents•Using a phone alert system•Using the school website to communicate

How can schools keep parents connected?

• Invite parents to participate in school or class events. (Admittedly, this can be a challenge as the average middle school student has between 4 – 6 teachers. Schedule constraints are real.)

• Use technology to send video clips to parents of school events to encourage participation in lieu of attendance.

• Take photos of class events and activities and email them to parents.

How can schools keep parents connected?

Take advantage of “feel good” school events to establish a professional relationship with parents.

Parents are eager to help with these events.

How can schools keep parents connected?

• Balance negative communication with positive communication.

• If you have to send an email to report a concern (behavior, poor performance, etc.), make sure to send an email on another day to share something good.

• Do not use “feel good” events to share concerns about students.

Communication is Marketing

Communication is key to parent involvement, which is critical for:•student success•re-enrollment•job security