I recently came across an article over on the Center on Reinventing Public Education. It spoke mainly of insights and lessons learned from the pandemic—and how our education system should not only remember them—but how they should continue to apply them long after the ending of the pandemic. But one example stood out to me specifically, as it is something the schools and districts we serve have been using for a long time. Not only that, it has helped countless families and students to stay in touch with their school community.
Going back to the article, the first sentence that jumps out as a great explanation of this problem is, "If the goal is equitable access for all families, parents who do not speak English fluently need reliable engagement with teachers who can cultivate effective and culturally competent ways to communicate with them." The problem? Ineffective communication and cultural outreach. Many of the schools and districts with an app by SchoolInfo know that their branded mobile-app serves as their one-stop-communication-shop for many families. But what if English is not those families' first language?
Luckily, the content in the mobile-apps we build can be translated to over 35 different languages. From the start, we knew this functionality would be important. Any of our schools and districts would more than likely tell you the same thing. The article goes on to say that, "While several families and teachers reported that communication improved during the pandemic, the gains were significantly less for culturally diverse families or families from limited English-speaking backgrounds." Meaning, it's going to be even more important moving forward that these families don't get left out of the loop because of a lack of communication.
SchoolInfo is proud to have a solution to at least the communication aspect of this issue. Sure, there are plenty of other areas included in this goal of equitable access for all families. Like having proper translators for lesson plans in the classroom or virtually, among others. But with a digital communication plan that can be translated into your families native language, we can set a starting point in motion to bring these issues to light. All while keeping your school community in the know with real-time information.
There are many other great examples of why parent engagement is crucial to student success in the article, which you can read in full here! If you are interested in learning more about how an app by SchoolInfo can help bridge the language gap within your school district—and how a mobile-first communication plan can significantly increase family engagement—please schedule a demo today!