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Schools, from elementary to university, are little (or not so little) communities of their

own. Classrooms are micro-communities within the school community. They operate on their

own plane, with their own rules and their own culture. However, they do not operate in a

vacuum. Teachers and educators of all stripes would do well to strive to integrate their school

and classroom communities into the greater community. This email to parents demonstrates one

way for a teacher to open the lines of communication with parents, the most crucial element of

the community at large.

Ideally, teachers use a variety of methods to correspond with the parents of the students

in their classes (DiJohn, 2015). Different parents find different platforms of communication more

convenient and offering a variety helps reach as many parents as possible. This email provided

an easy-to-read introduction to the writing and spelling program for one fourth grade class. It

opened the door at the beginning of the school year for parents to become involved, informed,

and invested in a particular system of study.

Teacher-family communication has been shown to immediately increase engagement,

time on task, and academic performance, and to reduce behavior problems (Kraft & Dougherty,

2013). This email set the stage for open, positive communication throughout the year. Creating a

transparent environment where parents know what is going on in the classroom, how to get more

information or help their child, and why things are being done (as some areas of study may be

unfamiliar to an older generation) helps to assure parents’ cooperation and support (Lekli &

Kaloti, 2015). As the year progresses, continued communication is also key: students benefit

academically when teachers communicate with parents on a wide range of issues, especially

positive matters (Lekli & Kaloti, 2015).

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The importance of positivity cannot be overstated. Parents entrust teachers with their

children for half of their children’s waking lives. They want and need to know that their

children’s teachers care about and believe in their children! Parents should feel they are a part of

the team and teachers can help make this a reality by frequently communicating successes

(Mariconda, 2003). This email focused on parent involvement, steps that could be taken at home,

and ways more information could be procured. These things helped parents feel secure in their

crucially important role as an advocate for and participant in their children’s education.

So much of what is done in school is about maximizing the usefulness of the limited time

available. Frequent, effective, positive communication between teachers and parents, like the

example of this email, is one of the most efficient ways to maximize the benefits students

experience in school (Meador, 2019). A teacher should strive to know her students. One of the

most critical elements to knowing a student is opening and maintaining lines of communication

with the student’s parents.

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References

DiJohn, G. M.. (2015). Effective and efficient parent-teacher communication. Sophia, St.

Catherine University. Retrieved from website:https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/111

Kraft, M. A., & Dougherty, S. M. (2013). The effect of teacher–family communication on

student engagement: Evidence from a randomized field experiment. Journal of

Research on Educational Effectiveness, 6 (3), 199-222. Retrieved from

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mkraft/files/kraft_dougherty_teacher_communica

tion_jree.pdf

Lekli, L. & Kaloti, E. (2015). Building parent-teacher partnerships as an effective means of

fostering pupils’ success. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 4 (1).

Doi:10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n1s1p101

Mariconda, B. (2003). Easy and effective ways to communicate with parents. Scholastic.

Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/five-keys-

successful-parent-teacher-communication/

Meador, D. (2019). Cultivating highly successful parent teacher communication. ThoughtCo.

Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/tips-for-highly-successful-parent-teacher-

communication-3194676