Do your parents ever complain they can’t find information they need? If so, you’re not alone. Information overload is a real thing, and for parents, especially those that have multiple children, it’s easy to get frustrated and give up.
Take moment to consider how many systems and places a parent has to check. This includes a tuition management account, parent portal for grades and academics, website for calendars and forms, email, text, social media, multiple mobile apps for extracurriculars and sports, and more. Add to this multiple classes for middle and high school students, and you can see why a parent might miss information or become disengaged.
Today’s school leaders must create a digital communications strategy that is parent-centric, driving parents (not to mention students and staff!) to as few places as possible to keep up with their child’s experience. Some of the components of a plan like this include:
- Do an assessment. Determine all of the systems, platforms, apps and web pages parents are accessing. Then determine who all is sending emails and on what schedule. Get a true picture of your current parent experience.
- Evaluate opportunities for consolidation. Maybe you need to move information from the website to a parent portal or get a tuition management system that integrates with your SIS.
- Define the rules and expectations for emails and texts. Include teachers in this. Create an email schedule and stick to it.
- Limit mobile apps. Get athletics, arts and clubs on the same page. Define official apps that staff can use with parents and students and purchase a site license.
- Create a cheat sheet for parents – let them know where to find information quickly. Don’t leave them to call or email to ask where things are.
Hiring LeadershipOne Technologies to complete an assessment and develop a plan will pay dividends for your school community. We have the experience in education to know what to look for, coupled with the ability to be objective in our review, plus the time to dedicate to this project. It might even pay for itself through reduced software subscriptions.
A robust digital experience for parents helps keep parents engaged in the school community, which can result in increased retention and better word of mouth marketing. Let us help you create the best digital experience possible for your school community. Contact us today!
