New Teacher Parent Communication Plan and Expectations

Schools and teachers know that good communication with parents is an important part of their job. Teachers need to know about the children's families, language, and culture in order to help children learn. Parents benefit because they learn more about what goes on in school and can encourage learning at home. Most importantly, children benefit by improved communication because contact between home and school helps children learn and succeed (Krieder, Mayer, and Vaughan, 2020). 

The Role of Teachers in Communicating

Philosophy
In order to reflect current research-based best practices, Arvada West High School is transitioning from a school-driven/passive student/guardian academic environment to a student/parent-driven/teacher/admin-facilitated environment. To shift responsibility to students, teachers must give students more control over learning: what they learn, how they learn, and how they demonstrate they have learned it. Teachers must also solicit parent/community involvement in order to help support their students through the learning process.  Empowerment is motivational.

As a school community we commit to the following practices/policies in building community relationships.

1.      Encouraging and Creating Parent Support for Classroom Instruction

2.      Implementing Parent Meetings, Conferences, and Activities

3.      Providing Parent Volunteer Opportunities

4.      Creating a School-Parent Compact: A partnership between the educational leadership and the parental leadership for the advancement of education.

5.      Collaborating with Parents in School-wide Decision-Making

6.      Providing Parent Resources

7.      Soliciting Parental Feedback

**NOTE: Some commitments will be addressed in multiple areas due to ideologies being embedded throughout the educational process.  
Commitment 1

Commitment 2

Commitment 3

Commitment 4

Commitment 5

Commitment 6

Commitment 7