You see
them, some of them at least, dropping their children off at the school gates
each morning. A quick straightening of shirt collars, a last tidy of hair, a
peck on the cheek, a have a good day and they turn on their heel, reach into
their pocket and begin thumbing their iPhone / Blackberry (insert favourite
brand of smart-phone here) desperately trying to get on top of things before
they roll into the office or merely flicking through the latest status updates
from their friends on Facebook and Twitter. Yes, I am talking about the modern parent – technology rich
and time poor.
This is
not a critical observation by any means – I am actually one of the people I am
describing. In fact I am one of the lucky parents that actually has the
flexibility in my day to be able to drop the kids off at school rather than
the before school club. We are a generation of, whether we like it or not, hardworking,
information soaked techies and our online lives are already defining us as the
‘modern parent’.
The vast
majority of Primary school parents today are Generation X (29 to 42 years old).
Studies show that 70% of this age
group in the UK habitually shop and bank online. 88% of this group also use
some form of social network to keep in touch with friends, colleagues and
family. Increasingly though, and certainly in years to come, Primary school
parents will be Generation Yers (today’s teenagers and twenty-somethings) of
which a whopping 96% are using social media every day! These folks are
hyper-connected children of an interactive internet (web 2.0) they communicate,
and expect to be communicated with, entirely online.
When I
meet with Head Teacher groups and ask the question; what is your school doing
to connect with these people, the ‘tech-parents’ of today and tomorrow? The
answer is usually along the lines of “well we have a website…. oh, and we send
text messages!”. Not nearly enough.
It is
perfectly understandable though if your school is yet to take steps toward
social media to communicate with parents. The press is full of scary stories
about the evils of social networking and how it is a vehicle for online torment
of teachers the world over. But, I believe schools need to take a strong stance
and tackle this brave new world head on rather than run scared of it.
Here are five
key considerations that I believe every school should have front
of mind when it comes to addressing the rise of technology savvy parents;
1)
Develop a 21st century
communications strategy and supporting policy - this is not
just about selecting technologies that the school will use to interact with the
school community, although the tools you use will undoubtedly help shape the
way you communicate. This is as much about re-writing the rule-book on how
dialogue with the modern parent is managed. It is important that this blueprint
for communication is developed in consultation with parents so as to define
clear boundaries, standards and expectations on both sides.
2)
Privacy and security are paramount - just because all your parents are on Facebook does
not mean that the school should use it. Private online networking tools
designed specifically for schools (Scholabo.com) have been created to take the best
of familiar social networking whilst allowing the school to retain full
control.
3)
Expect to be engaged - The modern parents’ expectation of school communication is no longer about being just a consumer of information – you need to provide the opportunity for them to collaborate and
interact too. If parents are to be engaged properly by the school and their opinion and input valued, the school needs to prepare for how to handle the interaction.
4)
Use Social Media to your advantage - focus upon the benefits of harnessing the technology to
interact with the parent community rather than the potential pitfalls. You’ll
be astonished at how the “I never saw the letter in the book-bag” excuses
disappear overnight and the positive reaction that you will receive from parents.
5)
Let your new generation of teachers
lead the way - Fight fire with fire as they say. You doubtless
have teachers who themselves fall into the Gen X/Y category. So, who better to help
define and manage your modern communications strategy than them!
