Parent Participation in School: A Multidimensional Approach

The Importance of Open Two-Way Communication

(http://www.nojitter.com/post/225401504/unified-business-communication-framework)

Setting a standard, a framework, for how a corporation interacts with its own people or people outside of the company is vital. In fact, most of the problems I have dealt with the past month with my staff or clients are all due to either communication breakdowns (not having the right protocols in place) or policies and procedures that are missing. In fact, one might say that the majority of problems that our school dealt with this past month was caused by the organization itself.

However, solutions to problems such as this, though not always easy, are simple in their complexity: corporations must have open communication and a vision / framework in place for interactions between all stakeholders. Kristie Lorette, an MBA consultant, wrote that "Without good business communication, the internal and external structure of a business can face numerous challenges that can ultimately lead to its demise" (http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-good-communication-business-1403.html, 11-02-2015). In a school, this means a more transparent and collaborative communication focus between staff, administration, and parents. But where do you begin to address this and how do you make sure that the two-way communication is productive? Though still in the early stages, here is one option: create a parent participation plan that addresses two-way communication from each participant (teacher - parent, parent - teacher, administration - parent, administration - teacher, etc.).

A great starting point is to first create a task force (committee) that will look a this issue. In my own school, I have added a new teacher, an experienced teacher, an administrative assistant, and a parent to this committee to garner representation from each participant. Secondly, you need a starting point, something that all members can be familiar with and glean ideas from; a good article that deals with this exact issue that can be used as a starting point can be found here.

I will post more on how this begins to take shape in my school, but I feel confident that this will address the idea of having open communication and a useful framework to move ahead from.