What Meaningful Communication Between Schools and Families Looks Like

Strong schools depend on strong relationships, and strong relationships require meaningful communication. For schools and families to be true partners, communication must be timely, clear, accessible, and genuinely two-way.

Edgewood Schools already shares many helpful newsletters, announcements, and updates with families. We can build on those efforts by making communication easier to find, understand, and respond to.

Timely Responses Build Trust

When a parent or caregiver reaches out with a question or concern, they should know their message has been received and taken seriously. That does not mean every situation can—or should—be resolved immediately. School employees may need time to gather information, speak with others, or follow required procedures.

However, families should not be left wondering whether anyone has read their message.

Schools could establish a clear standard that all corporation employees provide an initial response within two business days. Sometimes that response may simply say, “I have received your message and need time to look into this. I will follow up with you by Friday.” That brief acknowledgment, paired with a specific next step and expected time frame, can make a huge difference.

Trust grows when people know what to expect, and when promised follow-up actually happens.

Make Information Easier to Find

Families should not have to search through multiple pages, platforms, or social media accounts to find basic information or determine who to contact. A well-organized school website should include an accessible staff directory and a simple “Who do I contact?” page. It could clearly direct families to the right place for routine questions, transportation concerns, extracurricular activities, safety issues, or other time-sensitive needs. When families can reach the appropriate person from the beginning, employees also spend less time redirecting messages.

Community members should be included when school websites and communication systems are reviewed. Short surveys, listening sessions, or user-testing groups could reveal what information families look for most often and where they encounter unnecessary barriers.

Communicate Clearly and Accessibly

Important announcements should appear as searchable text rather than being shared only inside an image. Images should include alternative text so information is accessible to people using screen readers and remains available when an image does not load.

Schools should also consider how much information families receive. Sending the same announcement several times through multiple channels may seem helpful, but it can make essential information harder to recognize. Communication should be timely, concise, and clear about what families need to know or do.

Social media can be a useful way to reach some community members, but it should not be the only place where important information is shared. Families should not have to join a particular social media platform to stay informed about their children’s schools or activities.

Simplify the Number of Platforms

Families with children in multiple schools and extracurricular activities may be asked to monitor several apps, email lists, websites, and social media groups—each with different expectations.

We should explore whether communication for all school-sponsored activities can be streamlined through fewer school-approved platforms. A more consistent approach would reduce confusion for families while giving coaches, sponsors, teachers, and staff clear expectations for how information should be shared.

Create More Ways to Listen

Two-way communication should not happen only when there is a problem. Schools can invite family perspectives through brief surveys, listening sessions, advisory groups, and opportunities to provide feedback on proposed changes.

Families have responsibilities in this partnership, too. We must keep our contact information current, read school communications, ask questions when something is unclear, and approach conversations with a shared commitment to helping students succeed.

Meaningful communication does not mean everyone will always agree. It means people know how to participate, receive timely and respectful responses, and trust that their perspectives have been heard.

That is the kind of partnership I want to help strengthen: one in which schools and families communicate openly, listen carefully, and work together for every Edgewood student.