“I am a teacher and I routinely make positive phone calls home,” said Laura. “But their power really hit home when my son’s teacher called me to tell me something great he did at school. I was worried that he was flying under the radar, but she noticed and that call brought me to tears.”

Strong family school partnerships are based on relational trust. But the question is how do you start to build that relationship? Home visits are a powerful tool, but take time and resources that your school and staff may not have.

But an easy way to start is to make positive phone calls home. They don’t cost anything and take just a few minutes to do, but  their impact can be enormous.

In the Everyone Wins! The Evidence for Family School Partnerships and Implications For Practice, a team of researchers review recent findings on the power of family-school partnerships.” According to them, a “full, equal, and equitable partnership” has the following impacts on schools:

• Positive school climate
• High level of relational trust
• Higher morale and retention of teachers
• Improved facilities, curriculum
• More responsive to community
• More support from community

Positive phone calls cannot replace at-school events for families or student-led conferences, but over time, positive phone calls will create a relationship of trust between you and your student’s families and produce a culture in your classroom or school of partnership and success.

The challenge with phone calls is converting them from “a thing you feel like you should do” to “a thing you do as a matter of routine.” Here’s a strategy to get started:

1. Set aside 15 minutes a week to make the phone calls. That is, ACTUALLY block it off in your calendar.
2. Be clear on a short, clear, positive message about the student before you dial the number—and remember to keep it short and sweet.
3. If the parent wants to talk about another issue, suggest that they make an appointment with you so you can focus and discuss the issue further. If necessary, gently let the teacher know that you have to make several phone calls and your time is limited.

Sample Script

PARENT: Hello

TEACHER: Hello, is this Alexa’s parent?

PARENT: Yes

TEACHER: This is Alexa’s teacher. Don’t worry, everything is fine. In fact it’s great. I’m calling because I want to share a celebration with you. I am so excited because your student turned in all of their homework this week. I’m really proud of the growth I have seen in Alexa this week and I just wanted to share that with you

PARENT: Oh thank you

TEACHER: You are very welcome, have a wonderful day

Tips for School Leaders

Here are some ways you can help positive phone calls become a “habit” at your school:

• Give teachers an opportunity to make calls during time blocked off for staff meetings or professional development. This gives teachers a chance to get started, demonstrates the school’s commitment, and can feel less scary to a teacher than doing it entirely on their own.
• Give positive feedback to those who make the calls. Perhaps even highlight those positive phone calls in a staff meeting or newsletter to help encourage others to do the same.

References:

Henderson, A., Mapp, K. L., Cuevas, S., Franco, M., & Ewert, S. (2022). Everyone wins!: The Evidence for Family-School Partnerships and Implications for Practice. Scholastic Professional.