School administrators structure, develop and mandate school-parent communications, but it’s often teachers who do most of the actual communicating. Here is how you can finally get your teachers on board.
Teachers are your front line; you need them on board with your school communications practices / system / platform / technology, and philosophically, they probably are. It’s the practical side of teacher adoption that invariably presents the challenge, especially when there’s a new system and/or protocols involved.
I’ve spoken both formally and informally to teachers from a variety of districts, grade levels and school denominations about what their administrations did or could do to promote successful and enthusiastic adoption of school communications practices. Here’s a roundup of suggestions based on their responses:
1. Provide extended, accessible, daytime tech support
Teachers who were offered ongoing and higher levels of tech support (interestingly, whether they used it or not) adopted new and upgraded school communication formats more readily and enthusiastically. Both for practical reasons and those of simple morale: Without sufficient support, using (or attempting to use) new systems can be frustrating and demoralizing.
With new applications or technologies, a large group introduction is just the start. Hold several information / demonstration sessions, far enough apart to allow teachers time to try it out and close enough together so as not to lose momentum.
Only the first session should be mandatory; not every teacher will need the extra support. ‘Beginner level’ teachers (technologically speaking) should be walked through new systems and offered one-on-one support. The time spent will be more than repaid with more efficient and productive use of the technology and by extension, improve school communications in the long run.
Support is also the key to fostering greater adoption of existing school communications systems. For the most part, teachers who are slow or seem unwilling to adopt mandated school communications practices find the system confusing, overly time-consuming, ‘pointless’, or intimidating.
Unless a majority of teachers feel this way, in which case the issue probably rests with your communications system, all these objections derive from a lack of education. Small group and one-on-one support sessions will clear up these misconceptions (again, presuming they are misconceptions) and take them through their points of difficulty in a friendly, relaxed environment.
In all cases, documentation should be readily available, easily accessible and presented clearly and in plain language.
2. Provide teachers with access to technology they are expected to use
Don’t ask teachers to bring in their own computers for classroom use, or expect them to book time in a computer lab where they’re sharing computers with and/or working in a roomful of noisy students. You wouldn’t give a dozen carpenters four hammers and tell them to work it out between them. It’s unfair and logistically unfeasible. It’s also bad for morale.
If you want teachers to regard school communications as an integral aspect of their professional duties—and you do—then you must invest in the tools they will need to perform those duties properly. If your school budget won’t allow you to invest in new computers, look for more affordable used and refurbished models available in many local or online shops, or try sourcing donated computers as described under ‘Tap Into Community’ in School Fundraiser Ideas For Anybody.
3. Invest in paid, scheduled communication / planning time
Technology makes communications more efficient, effective and accessible, but the real success of school (or any) communications relies on consistent, current, quality content—which cannot be developed during recess, or in the minutes between classes, or between mouthfuls of lunch in the staff room.
Paid, scheduled communication / planning periods are an acknowledgment of the effort and focus you want your teachers to put into the quality and regularity of your school communications. They also establish communication habits, make them easier to regulate and oversee and serve as a statement of your expectations.
Give your teachers the time they need to post homework & resources, respond to parents, upload photos, update class schedules, write weekly class newsletters and any other school communications, and you (and your parent body) shall receive.
4. Assign a dedicated tech support or point person for parents
With technological improvements to systems and practices comes the need for tech support. Tech support that teachers feel ill-equipped and time-constrained to provide. No doubt the front desk feels the same.
Parents need somewhere to go with their tech-related questions and if you don’t provide them with a dedicated contact, the teachers (and the school secretary) will send them to you. You don’t need an IT person per se to offer ongoing tech support.
A dedicated staff member who ‘gets’ the system will be able to answer many basic functionality questions and if necessary act as liaison with tech support at your school communications services or software provider. Note: I would not encourage sending parents (as opposed to teachers) directly to the provider’s tech support.
The school should be the middleman from a client management perspective. Remember to keep a record of the number and nature of the questions and issues for later evaluation.
5. Bring teachers into the school communication conversation
Empower teachers to be contributors to school-parent communication policies. Again, when it comes to parents teachers are your front line. Cultivate their input and take advantage of their experience when developing school communications protocols and strategies.
Not in the least coincidentally, teachers who felt their views had been considered during the development of their school communications practices were the first and most eager to adopt them.