Polls Promote Parent Communication

Polls Promote Parent Communication

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In Minnesota, school districts are taking advantage of technology to communicate with parents and gather feedback. Online tools allow schools to reach parents quickly and receive an almost immediate reply when seeking information regarding academic policies and practices. And while they wont replace face-to-face meetings and discussions, web surveys are providing schools with better and more efficient responses from the community.
When St. Cloud was considering moving the districts annual spring break from March to February, staff used a free online survey tool to measure feedback. Parents were notified a day in advance that they would be asked the following day when they wanted the spring break. Families were surveyed through phone and email. The school district received over 2,000 responses, and the majority preferred the March spring break, thus putting an end to the discussion.
Sartell-St. Stephen uses Facebook and Twitter to keep parents informed about school events and policy proposals. Most recently, the district updated its Facebook page after a plan that transferred some students to different schools was approved.
Other uses
All school districts use a student tracking system, with the newest versions enabling the schools to interact with parents and parents to follow their childs progress, contact teachers, and find attendance records. These systems also give schools the ability to quickly notify parents of emergencies and schedule changes.
Rocori has the same system as St. Cloud and is considering using it to poll parents regarding its plans to renew a tax increase approved in 2001. The survey will ask some demographic questions and specific questions about desires for programs and at what level a tax increase might be supported.
The survey tool is not perfect though, as there is no way to limit it to only district residents, and the survey can be taken more than once.
This winter, St. Cloud asked parents and community members to give suggestions for budget reductions by filling out an online form. However, several of the districts Somali parents do not have Internet access or do not read English. Still, surveys conducted online are more efficient than those sent via snail mail, as the latter approach is more costly and carries an unfavorable return rate.
Surveys engage the two most important communication tools: listening and valuing


About the Author:
"BooRoo - Create free online surveys, quizzes, and web polls with BOOROO, http://booroo.com"



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