SMS for School to Parent Communications

Parent Communications with Schools are a Top Priority

Parental involvement is crucial for maintaining a child’s educational success. Parents report that good communication is a key component of a good school.  However, maintaining parental involvement can be difficult if pertinent information can be lost in the fray. Nearly 87% of school to parent communication is through memos, emails, or printed notices to the parent. While email is an effective way for many parents to stay updated, it sorely lacks the timeliness and nearly-perfect SMS open rate.

 

Schools Use SMS For Attendance

Frequent absenteeism correlates to poor in-school performance by a child. Low attendance can severely damage a child’s education, especially with frequent absenteeism between kindergarten and 2nd grade. Lacking in reading proficiency by 3rd grade (Attendance Works).

When schools integrate SMS communications into their plans, then students are more efficiently counted and their parents can be assured that their child is attending class. In India, SMS-based attendance is taking off. The Information Kerala Mission (IKM)’s School Management System allows parents to get real-time SMS updates about when their child has shown up to class. An SMS attendance system in Bidar, India provides a cost effective way for educators to take attendance and save money. Each class’s attendance is sent to a specific monitor that takes count of both the students and teachers, which has “yielded vital data on education to better implement schemes.”

 

Important School News in Real-Time

Where do you go for real-time information about school closures? Parents across the US often huddle around the television or radio awaiting updates from their local news stations. However, what happens if your home loses power or the information doesn’t arrive quickly enough? SMS alerts provide the best way to get real-time information about school closures due to extreme weather or circumstances. The Anchorage School District in Alaska allows parents to receive SMS alerts about school delays and closures (KTUU). This is a useful method that offers another option for parent communications, beyond the automated emails and phone calls that some parents receive.

 

Using SMS for Parent Communications Works

Closing the gap between school and household is important for maintaining parental involvement in education. Hands-on involvement with parents can drastically shape a student’s academic performance – especially in younger students. Maintaining contact has become a lot easier with mobile solutions such as SMS alerts and updates. A simple text message could a big difference in educational success.

 

Curious how mobile technology can improve communications in your school? Learn More

 

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Everyone Graduates Center,