Documents for Students & Parents

My youngest children transferred this year to a brand new elementary school in our district.  The colorful building, brightly lit classrooms, new technologies, and overall enthusiasm are wonderful; however, the communication between staff and parents definitely leaves room for improvement.  Our newsletters are overstuffed with detail, often in a paragraph form that is somewhat overwhelming and where it is easy to miss information.  By trying to include everything, often nothing gets noticed.

Teachers and administrators should make information as easy to understand as possible, perhaps in a bolded bullet point format or with a calendar of important events in addition to the detailed information contained within.  Another item I have noted has been the lack of visual stimulation included on correspondence.  Images pertaining to the content of the message could draw attention to its main features.  This would also help younger students who do not read at an advanced level to recognize ideas that are being presented. 

Effective document design is about helping your important information stand out.  Headings and bolded text can help draw attention to essential elements, and tables can organize information into concise patterns to distinguish between ideas.  This is true for both communication with parents and lesson assignments provided to students.

I would begin with having the school logo on top of all communication that is not already on letterhead, so official exchanges are not overlooked.  It is also important to include school contact information in case there are any questions or concerns.  As parents, we are required to sign daily agendas of our children to portray our involvement.  We receive a weekly newsletter that has to be signed as well, and this helps to ensure that we are receiving the information in an appropriate time frame.

Teachers should strive to supply timely, consistent, and scheduled communication.  As the single mother of three, I have to plan in order to organize all of our necessary activities.  There is nothing worse than not receiving a weekly newsletter and then discovering an event at the last minute.  It is also important to inform parents what organizations and policies are available.  In addition to class newsletters, the teacher should supply PTO/PTA newsletters, school websites, email addresses, and school homework websites to students and parents.  Parents and students alike need to understand how and where to get their questions answered.

It is critical to develop documents with the receiver of the information in mind.  Communication skills, knowledge level, attitudes, and culture need to be considered when determining the type of correspondence to employ. The credibility of the speaker is also key in ensuring that the message is conveyed and understood in the way it was meant to be.  The teacher needs to be able to relate to both students and parents in a professional manner, while keeping the recipient of that information at the forefront of planning documents.