A recent survey of 1,000 U.S. teachers found that the state of parent-teacher engagement still has room for improvement. The survey, conducted by ClassTag, found that 65% of teachers reported adequate parent engagement, but 35% of parents had no interaction with their classrooms last school year.
In the survey, which was conducted between June 23 and July 22, 2018, teachers cited parent-teacher engagement, alongside home life and classroom climate, as the critical factors in student success, far ahead of even student aptitude.
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To reach out-of-touch parents, teachers turn to a array of tactics, the survey found. One teacher holds open conference nights at an apartment complex where many of their students’ families live. Other teachers meet with parents at their places of work. Still others enlist the help of siblings and grandparents to open channels of communication.
To help further spur parent-teacher engagement, ClassTag recently announced it was making more than $3 million in free supplies and exclusive discounts available to classrooms that earn ClassTag coins as a reward for parent engagement behaviors such as volunteering, attending conferences or simply reading teachers’ messages.
