Communicating Effectively With Parents

76.Which of the following is not identified by research as a benefit of home-school cooperation?

a.Decreased student responsibility

b.More positive attitudes

c.Better attendance rates

d.Greater willingness to do homework

77.Parents with which of the following characteristics are most likely to participate in school activities?

a.Member of cultural minority

b.Has a child enrolled in an English-as-a-second-language program

c.High socioeconomic status

d.Has a child enrolled in a special education program

78.Which of the following describes the most desirable time to send a letter of introduction home to your students’ parents?

a.The second day of the school year, to establish early communication links between the school, you, and the parents

b.The second week of the school year, to allow the students a chance to get settled into the routine of school

c.After the first set of grades on homework and quizzes have been given, to provide parents with feedback about their youngster’s initial work

d.Together with interim progress reports, which are given during the middle of the grading period in most schools

Use the following vignette for items 79 and 80.

Four teachers are planning for their communication with parents. The school in which they all teach has a beginning-of-year open house, and all parents are invited. The attendance at the open house is typical for most schools. Some parents attend; others do not. Interim progress reports are also sent to parents midway in each grading period.

Ryan Hurst prepares a letter to the parents that expresses his optimism about the coming school year, and in it, he describes his rules and procedures. He has a friend read the letter to be sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors in it. He also sends packets of students’ work home every two weeks to be signed by the parents and returned. He periodically calls parents to tell them when their son or daughter has done exemplary work.

Monica Winters sends home a letter of introduction to parents and expresses her enthusiasm about the coming school year. She also e-mails parents when a problem of misbehavior occurs and solicits parents’ support in dealing with the problem.

Denise Nixon gives each of the parents that attend the open house a handout that describes her rules and procedures, and she verbally expresses her optimism about the school year and how much she believes her students are going to learn.

Jerry Conway sends a letter of introduction home to parents in which he describes his rules and procedures for the year. He also calls or e-mails parents in cases where problems with misbehavior occur, and he follows up with an additional call to let parents know about the progress their son or daughter has made.

79.Based on research examining home-school communication, the teacher who communicated most effectively with the parents of his students was:

a.Ryan.

b.Monica.

c.Denise.

d.Jerry.

80.Based on research examining home-school communication, the teacher who communicated least effectively with the parents of his students was:

a.Ryan.

b.Monica.

c.Denise.

d.Jerry.

Essay Items

81.Describe four benefits of home-school communication.

82.Describe three strategies for establishing and maintaining communication with parents.