Educators: What do parents want to know?

There are some stories that parents would love to hear. These are things that take place in your school, sometimes without much notice. A student wins a 4H competition. A teacher tries out a new software package to make history come alive. Here are five stories parents want to hear about your school:

  1. Stories that take them inside the classroom. Perhaps a history teacher has students reenacting the Constitutional Convention. Or a family and consumer sciences class has planned a meal for a local homeless shelter. Give parents these close-up views of what’s going on in your school.
  2. Stories about the curriculum. How are students learning physics? Why is it important? How is technology improving students’ writing? These are all questions that parents would be fascinated to learn.
  3. Student successes. The basketball team’s first-place finish in the regional tournament will probably make the news anyway. But how about the student who collects funds for cancer research?
  4. Teacher stories. The teachers in your school win accolades for their professional work as well as their community activities. Parents need to know about the article that a math teacher had published in a professional journal, or the drama teacher who is starring in a community theater.
  5. Nonteaching staff. The cafeteria workers, secretaries, and bus drivers are often the faces most familiar to parents. Why not do a story called, “A Day in the Life of a School Secretary”? Parents will be interested to learn about all the people who make your school a success.

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