Recently, my sister asked me if emailing teachers several times a week is too much. She wanted to know how her three elementary-age children were doing in class, and one child in particular. Whether a parent, a teacher, or both, you know how important it is to work as a team. Families and school staff are working for the same outcome: student growth and success.
Family communication is a critical part of supporting student needs in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports, starting with positive interactions about student strengths and honest, constructive feedback about student progress. When problems arise, those investments in relationships pay off because administrators, teachers, and families have previous positive interactions and trust to draw on. Research tells us that increased family engagement impacts student attendance, student engagement, and student success in school. We can’t afford to NOT connect with families!
Here are some easy-to-use ideas and strategies to help you communicate about the MTSS process with families.
1. MTSS Family Intro: Slide Deck
Make the first introduction to MTSS for families a simple and positive message about how your school supports all students, including those who need extra help. Share this brief slide deck with families during back-to-school events, conferences, or a family engagement night.
Start with this ready-to-share slide deck:
2. Building Personal Relationships: Surveys
Strong relationships with families pay dividends in critical moments. It starts with small steps — getting to know families and creating a common understanding of the students you serve. Getting to know students and their families takes time, especially if you have more than one section of students. A simple survey for families provides meaningful information and connection points with your students.
Try one of these ready-to-use templates to get started:
3. Communications Protocol: Scripts
Use a clear protocol for staff to communicate MTSS with parents, outlining when and how to do so, to help eliminate time delays and confusion. Phone and email scripts help teachers communicate effectively without having to start from scratch or jump through hoops, ensuring clear communication from the school.
Consider this standard treatment protocol:
|
MTSS Standard Treatment Protocol |
Suggested Parent Communications |
|
Identify students in need and root causes |
Email/letter home, phone call |
|
Create effective intervention plans |
Email/letter home, phone call |
|
Implement and monitor progress |
Parent-teacher conference, individual student support meeting, phone call |
|
Interpret and use data to adjust |
Parent-teacher conference, individual student support meeting, phone call |
(From "When is the 'Right' Time to Involve Parents?")
Phone Script
Making phone calls can be a challenge, especially if you are worried about being understood by parents. A simple phone script can be extremely helpful for new or even veteran teachers. Remember to make the first call a proactive, positive one!
Email Script
When helping parents understand MTSS, be sure you are offering clear, practical information.
This email template and these scripts can help to simplify and strengthen family communication:
- Phone Script PDF
- Editable Email Script (Canva)
- Email Script PDF
4. Tracking Family Contacts: Communication Log
It’s essential to track parent contact to ensure that all parents are getting the information they need and that parents of struggling students aren’t overwhelmed with redundant or negative communication.
The Branching Minds platform streamlines communication and enhances collaboration by allowing everyone on a student’s team to see basic details of all parent contacts, whether by letter, phone, email, or in person.
5. Student Ownership: Student-Led Conference Template
Communicating student progress can be a challenge. Most parents are busy and want to know whether their child is on track or not. Involving students in explaining their work in the classroom and intervention can be a game-changer. Hearing students demonstrate their progress in their own words helps further parents’ understanding and investment in the educational journey.
Learn more about the impact of student-led conferences from Lindsey Helton, Principal in Waco, TX, in this episode of Schoolin’ Around Podcast!
Related resource:
Working Together for Every Student
Remember my sister sending those emails to her children's teachers? She understands the importance of supporting her children’s education in various ways at home and building a partnership with the teachers who are working diligently to meet the needs of all their students. I told her that, most likely, the teachers would appreciate her reaching out and would gladly help in whatever way they could.
When teachers and parents are on the same team, everyone benefits — especially the students!
Additional Resources:
Your MTSS Transformation Starts Here
Enhance your MTSS process. Book a Branching Minds demo today.
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