Many schools hold parent-teacher conferences, particularly at the end of the first quarter each fall. Other opportunities for parents and educators to meet face-to-face include PTA meetings, although such situations typically discuss larger issues rather than individual students. For more individual attention, parents and teachers should be able to contact each other via phone at certain times of the day. Teachers should inform parents the time for their planning periods and be available for parents before and after school. Likewise, parents should tell teachers when they're available.
Individual written communication is another way for teachers to get information to parents. Notes sent home in backpacks, however, can get lost in the mass of papers. For individual written communications, sending an email is a good choice for many modern families as teachers won't need to rely on children to get the message home. Both parties need to create good habits of checking for messages at various times throughout the day.
Regular general communications work well to eliminate the sometimes overwhelming amount of material parents receive from schools. If the school, PTA and teacher each send out a newsletter once a month, parents know when to expect such information and look for it. Groups and educators may post such pieces on the Internet to save printing costs and reach larger numbers of people as long as parents receive notification of when and how to find such information.
Some schools use less traditional methods of communication with parents. Journals allow teachers and parents to discuss issues in written form on a consistent basis. These can be set up in specific folders kept in a child's backpack or put into electronic form if all parties have access. Home visits allow teachers to learn about students' socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds and create good discussion opportunities. Creating student-centered events encourage parental participation in school activities and invite further conversation and concern.