Collaborating with Families

You can see that a parent has not logged into the parent portal at all. Their student is not completing homework in several subjects, and you are concerned about their academic progress.

A common assumption: The family refuses to support the student's learning at home.

Reflect: How could this belief negatively impact my attitude when working with this student's family?

Consider a Shift in Attitude: You recognize that many families don't know how their student is actually performing in school. You ask the family if they are aware of the student's missing assignments. You also ask questions to learn about any barriers that may be getting in the way of accessing the parent portal.

What might happen if you ask the parent “What are your goals for your child?” and “Where do you want your child to be a year from now?”