PARTNERS IN LEARNING:OF COURSE WE COMMUNICATE!Don't we?Few people would dispute the importance
of communication between schools and families. It's obvious.
It's basic. It's bottom-line. Most schools hold open houses, send home newsletters, sponsor
a home/school organization, and report on student progress. Teachers,
administrators, and other school staff may be in touch with parents
by phone, through notes, or in person. It appears that communication
is taking place. But is it? Perhaps because these activities are already so embedded in
school routine, communication between home and school is often
just taken for granted. As a result, communication goals are
ill-defined, a comprehensive communications plan is seldom developed,
and-most importantly-the effectiveness of various communications
methods is rarely measured. What seems to be missing from the "communications picture" is attentiveness: to purpose, to practices and to results.
When parents are adequately informed, they are in a better
position to make good education choices, to support their children's
learning, and to participate in school decision-making.
Written by The Family Connection of St. Joseph County, Inc. for Partners in Learning [Vol 3:1, 1999] a newsletter of the Indiana Center for Family, School & Community Partnerships. Back to
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Purpose. Certainly it's in the school's
best interest to put out positive and helpful information-as
much and as often as possible. Good PR sets the stage for family
and community involvement. 
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