Comments and questions on communication . . .

Yesterday's post about communication resulted in three comments you can find here. In one Scott asks the following important questions that require reflection and answers. I will share what I know and think and invite others to do the same.

1. Does an increase in online access make a difference in the education of our students if parents and students are not taking advantage of this up to date information and data? The simple answer is no if it means that all parents and teachers will be using the data. For those students and parents that do use the data then I would say it is value added and supportive of learning. The sharing of grades and ability to monitor homework and test dates are some of what parents are telling us makes a difference for them.

2. Is the real concern that teachers need to be more communicative with our families? I think that the concern is coming from parents who are using the sites and experiencing the differences in both quantity of information available and structure of the information. They question the lack of consistency and are asking the system to explore the issue.

3. Should all the burden of student progress be put on the teachers? I have many parents that e-mail me and vice versa which makes for a great home/school connection and those students find lots of success. Again, the simple answer is no. We do, however, have the data that they are asking us to share. When and how we share it is the issue that we currently face. A partnership as LoomDog shares in his comment about building a community structure is what we must continue to work towards.

4. What are the basics for required information on the web? Won't there always be those that have a super website and therefore parents will expect that all have that. Identifying and communicating the "basics" of what and how is what we need to consider. We can mitigate against asking or requiring all teachers to have the "super" website by identifying the purpose of the tool and the required elements necessary to accomplish that purpose. This should not require a "super" website.

In reading the comments, I did a disservice to the principal when I shared the "Nordstrom" comparison without the context. It was not meant to emulate or compare our work with that of the business community. It is a way of suspending our assumptions and considering the question of data availability and consistency from the parent perspective. Yes, we need a collaborative effort in educating their children, but we also need their support in the larger community. We need them as tax payers and story tellers in the community about how we respond to expressed needs. In this context, we need them to be telling stories about how supportive we are at assisting them in playing a meaningful role in their children's education through data sharing.

At this time the conversation is taking place in one building. It must become a system conversation that includes the time issue Scott and Anonymous bring up and the support that will be necessary when the demand changes.

Thanks for the comments. Feel free to join the conversation.