BEST Apps for Parent Engagement

Best Apps for Parent Engagement

By Theresa Stager
Communicator
May 2016, Volume 39, Issue 9

Parent engagement is one of the most important pieces to an administrator’s job, and there are so many ways to do it. In many conversations I have with other school administrators, one of the most common questions that arise is, “What do you use that works?” There are multiple apps and services that allow for communication between school and parent. At St. Mary Catholic School in Rockwood, Michigan, we utilize the apps listed below and our parents are so thankful to have the insight into our building and our classrooms.
1. Seesaw allows teachers to share student work and progress with parents in real-time. Teachers give parents a unique QR code to scan, and they are then connected securely to their child’s online portfolio. Students and teachers can add information to the journal and parents are notified when anything is added. Students can add text notes, videos, photos, drawings, or PDFs. Teachers and parents can communicate through the app or via an email option. This allows for an “open door” classroom without having to physically be there. Parents are engaged via the updates throughout the day and students love being able to instantly share and archive their work.
2. Like Seesaw, Class Dojo also has an individual code for parents to securely sign up. While the app has come under fire for being utilized in the classroom as of late, it can be a great tool for parent communication and engagement. Students who struggle with certain behaviors can be motivated by the positive points awarded by the teacher and take note when negative points are added. Parents have the ability to see in real time which points are being awarded and which behaviors may be continuing while in the classroom setting. Teachers can send messages and photos to the entire class via a “Class Story” and also to individual parents. The app allows for secure communication between parent and teacher and can be a great way for schools to engage parents in the classroom.
3. Remind began as an app for one-way reminders but has grown to so much more. The company is continuously working with educators and administrators throughout the country to discuss and test new features. Classes and lists can be set up in remind and messages can be sent to and from the school account via the new chat feature. Messages can be scheduled for a later time allowing you to create multiple messages at once and send throughout the day. Engagement stays high with minimal effort. Documents, voice clips, and photos can also be sent, making Remind a great option for sharing homework with a parent whose student may have forgotten theirs at school or sharing a special moment in class like the loss of a first tooth. Remind for Schools has also just launched, making whole school (teacher to parent or administrator to staff) communication much easier and more streamlined. I have used Remind as a teacher and an administrator and cannot think of a better app to keep parents engaged.
4. Instagram is on the rise in schools as another way to keep parents engaged. Many connected educators will tell you that you have to meet your parents where they are, and a LOT of them are on Instagram! Creating a private channel for your school is a great way to engage your families. Sharing photos throughout the day of a great student project, assemblies, recess fun or anything else you can think of is a great way to keep your families “in the know” with what is happening in your building and also a great way to share with others using hashtags. Many teachers are currently utilizing Instagram for sharing classroom ideas and schools are doing a great job taking that one step further as a great way to engage their community.

Wilkeson Elementary Built in 1912 - Stellar Blue Productions

The ‘Senior Walk’ A Tradition

This school started a “Senior Walk” and it’s the sweetest idea

Graduation season is upon us. Pretty soon, millions of high school seniors will don a cap and gown, collect their diploma and head off to their futures, whatever they may hold. It’s an exciting time for these teens and their parents, but it’s also a time for reflecting on how far they’ve come.

A Texas high school started a very sweet tradition that provides that reflection for the departing seniors, while also inspiring the little ones who still have a ways to go in their school careers. It’s called the “Senior Walk” and be warned: the photos might make you teary.
Van ISD posted photos to their Facebook page of this new graduation tradition that every school should do. According to their post, the Senior Walk allows the graduating seniors to walk the halls of the Elementary, Intermediate and Middle School campuses with the students at all of the schools lining the hallways to cheer them on.
Is anyone else’s heart exploding seeing those little faces looking up at the Big Kids? I know my children think teenagers are basically celebrities. They would lose it if their school did this. Indeed, the Facebook post says, “Our younger students cheered them on, gave them high fives, and shared in the excitement of their graduation.” How absolutely adorable.
When asked their thoughts on the walk, senior Ashley Mosley said, “I never knew how much of an influence we had on the younger kids, but seeing their faces light up as we walked through their halls and high fived them, it really put it in perspective for me. It’s something I’ll never forget.” Classmate Elizabeth Horton felt the same way saying, “Walking through the halls of the schools and waving to all the little ones brought me so much joy. It is an incredible thing to know that so many young people look up to us seniors.”

The looks on the seniors’ faces when they see the little ones hollering for them and going for high fives says it all. It must be a huge deal for them to realize where they started — and where they’re headed. It’s also probably dawning on them that they aren’t really kids anymore. And that these younger ones are inspired seeing what’s in store when they one day graduate.

Senior Sabrina Swinford says, “It was a nice reminder of where we’ve come from. At least for me, being a thirteen year student, it was nice to retrace my steps today.” That quote probably strikes a chord for anyone who stayed in the same small school district from kindergarten through graduation. There’s something undeniably special about being in the same place all those years. And being able to revisit where you began when things are about to end can only be described as bittersweet.

I was fortunate enough to have stayed in the same school from start to finish, and graduation was incredibly emotional for me and my peers. If they’d had us retrace the halls of our elementary school in our graduation gowns, it would’ve simultaneously crushed my heart and made it swell with pride. Physically stepping in the halls where it all started when these kids are on the cusp of adulthood, having finished the first big milestone in their education, must have been so moving.

Hopefully, these images being shared will mean that this fantastic idea is implemented in schools all over the country. It costs little to nothing and is probably one of the most memorable things to happen this school year for the younger children and the seniors. One group of kids sees what lies ahead, while another reminisces about what was. A beautiful way to end the school year for everyone involved.

SOURCE: http://www.scarymommy.com/van-isd-high-school-senior-walk/

Student Voice in Teacher Evaluation

April 30, 2016 By Brooke Perry 3 Comments

I am insanely passionate about teacher voice. In fact, I’ve dedicated a large percentage of my personal time to support and encourage teachers to share their stories of success, struggle, and everything in between. The conversation on education, whether it be high-stakes testing, student achievement, condition of schools, or teacher evaluation, seems, at times, to be dominated by those not experiencing the classroom firsthand. As paramount as teacher voice in all these avenues of communication, is the voices of those heard even less often than teachers. Those for whom we serve: our students. 

My focus area this year in TPEP has been assessment. I’ve spent the year analyzing my assessment strategies; their validity, effectiveness, and necessity. I’ve put extra emphasis on student use of assessment data, as that was most definitely my weakest area, and am proud to say that I’ve made definite growth (perhaps sharing the strategies I learned will be my next post?) This year’s assessment experience, however, included something I never would have thought of doing, thanks to a suggestion by my evaluator. Why not ask students how they know I’m assessing them? We started by her interviewing one of my students one-on-one, but the responses were so interesting, that it was suggested that I survey the whole class (note: this is was anonymous survey. I wanted my students to feel absolutely comfortable giving me candid feedback). The information was incredibly valuable and the wheels in my head are already spinning as I consider how to implement their feedback:

How does Mrs. Perry find information about what you’re thinking:

“She talks with us and sees what we’re thinking.”
“We tell her.”
“Pretests, conferences, quizzes.”
“Mrs. Perry takes surveys to find out what we’re thinking and it’s just between us.”
“After a math test you show us an answer key and give us a check list to mark if we ‘got it,’ ‘simple mistake,’ or ‘I don’t get it.'”

How do parents find out how you’re doing in school:

“Our parents find out by report cards, phone calls, and Class Dojo.”
“I tell my parents what we did that day at school, the good parts and the bad, and what we are learning and what I need help with and what I get.”
“They ask me and I tell them, but I think you email my mom too.” 

How does Mrs. Perry figure out your final grades:

“Mrs. Perry finds our final grades by all our tests we do and kind of finds an average a little bit of this and some of that.”
“You check in with us to see if we agree with the score. If we don’t, then you usually give us a chance to retake it.”
“All our assignments.”

Do you feel like you can go to Mrs. Perry if you get a score you don’t agree with:

“I feel very comfortable going to Mrs. Perry because we go over and correct our tests and she even says ‘I may have made a mistake so if you think I did, please come to me so I can check.'”
“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.”
“I think so because if I got a question wrong and it was actually right I could go up to you and ask.”

As you can see, not all answers were picture perfect (the rest of the responses mirror that as well), and that’s because I’m NOT a picture perfect teacher. I am incredibly comfortable with that fact, too, as it gives me motivation to continuously grow and improve my craft. The information from this survey will be submitted to my evaluator and I have no doubt that it will be the foundation of a rich discussion. Perhaps you’re not focusing on assessment, but where in your process can you build in more student voice? Even the youngest of students have a perspective on their experience; one that might help you make a positive change in your instruction… all you have to do is ask them.

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Brooke Perry

6th grade Teacher at Kent School District

Brooke has been an elementary teacher in Kent School District, Kent, Washington, for five years and has experience teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. As a Puget Sound Teacher Leader and whole-hearted believer in high expectations for students, Brooke writes about the Common Core, effective teaching strategies, and assessment practices for CORElaborate; a blog hosted by the Puget Sound Educational Service District. [...]