A proper communication channel between the school administration and parents is a must. May it be through online or offline means, both parties need a consistent tool to exchange messages.
The school’s efforts to communicate with external parties have come a long way. Before the mainstream use of technology, schools put up bulletin boards and send out individual letters addressed to each of the student’s parents. But now, instant messaging and school management software suites are at everyone’s disposal.
Communication software, in particular, is the most efficient tool to provide on-time school announcements and reminders. Parents can also use the portal to communicate with the administration and the teachers directly.
Here are some of the best School-Parent communication software in the market today.
Best School-Parent Communication Software
1. GoSchooler
GoSchooler is an all-around school management software that places emphasis on its communication feature.
The software uses intuitive online communication tools that seamlessly connect the different stakeholders of the institution. The dissemination of alerts and news messages from the school administration is easier with the tool’s use. It makes sure that each constituent receives the message as the software notifies the user of any activity.
Using the features highlighted in the screenshot from the GoSchooler site, you can communicate with the parents through different means.
Moreso, the software is used by the teacher, students, and parents to communicate regarding the student’s milestones and progress report. Parents can quickly raise their concerns about their child’s grades. At the same time, teachers can also reach out to inform the parents of their child’s problematic behavior at school.
GoSchooler provides an open communication model for the parties involved. This measure is to make sure that the student will have the best experience at school.
2. Klassly
Klassly is a platform that hosts digital classrooms where the teacher invites both students and parents. Its interface mimics most social networking sites where the users scroll through the feed to see all recent posts from the teacher. The posts vary from announcements, reminders, and various tasks. It is a combination of a digital bulletin board and an online classroom.
When the teachers leave a post, they have an option to include images, videos, and other accompanying files that will make the instructions clearer. Both students and their caregivers can see and interact with these posts. Inviting the parents as participants of the digital classroom is an intelligent innovation. This decision proves to be essential as the Klassly is primarily targeted for kindergarten to elementary use.
A requests tab is available where parents and teachers can post questions and clarify a particular assigned task. Aside from that, the software has several communication features. It has messaging and video conferencing features. The parents and teachers use it to communicate with one another seamlessly.
3. ParentSquare
Say goodbye to printed permission slips and newsletters once you start using ParentSquare.
ParentSquare is a school-parent communication software that prioritizes the ease and comfort of information dissemination. Aside from catering to the usual parent-teacher communication, ParentSquare also supports other forms of correspondence, such as activity or conference sign-ups and quarterly newsletters.
This tool is perfect for parents who want to keep a close eye on their child’s status at school. It is the ideal tool that helps in keeping them updated on all of the school’s timetables, such as the current activities and ongoing activities or celebrations.
ParentSquare is also a helpful tool when it comes to surveys. The school administration can upload the survey questionnaire to the software. The app will notify the target respondents, thus increasing the response rate compared to distributing paper and pen questionnaires.
4. Classting
The main goal of the team behind Classting is to create an improved class environment. One of the current facets of schooling that needs dire improvement is communication. When the administration has concerns about their students, the main course of action is to arrange face-to-face meetings with parents. However, this arrangement isn’t applicable to everyone.
Some parents are far too busy to spare some time for an unannounced meeting with the school. Classting can bridge that gap. This software can connect the school, teachers, and parents to provide a better learning experience for the student.
Through this mobile app, the parents can also put up posts to inform the teacher of any news about the child. They can also communicate with the teacher if ever the instructions are lacking or unclear. This feature is especially necessary for parents of kindergarten children.
If you wish to receive notices at any time, but don’t have the capacity to download the app. Classting offers an option to send and receive notifications through text messages. This feature makes it more inclusive to all types of users.
5. TalkingPoints
This communication software gets rid of the language barrier that hinders seamless communication between teachers and parents.
TalkingPoints is designed as a multi-lingual app that supports classes that host diverse students. Similar to other applications’ digital classrooms, teachers use TalkingPoints to post announcements and assign tasks. They can also include supporting images, videos, and other forms of media that are needed to relay the points clearly.
What sets it apart is that once the parents choose to join the class, the teachers send messages to them using their native tongue. Parental participation is purely voluntary, but it offers significant help especially for kids who are not well-versed with the primary language at school yet.
The parents are then given instructions about their role and how to use the software. They can also opt to receive notifications through text or through the app alone.
Conclusion
Quality and open communication between the school and parents is essential. Similar to how other relationships develop, the communication between these two parties makes them trust each other to provide a better learning experience for the student.
From printed letters and notices on bulletin boards, the school’s efforts to communicate with parents have come a long way. They are now venturing towards the full use of school management software suites, specifically school-parent communication software.
These software applications make communication easier and much more efficient. It provides an instant notification system to make sure that the recipients become aware of any message as soon as it arrives. These apps offer so much more, but at the end of the day, it prioritizes a clear communication channel between one of the school’s main stakeholders.
