A lot of school management systems include a parent portal — a small opening or window through which parents get a narrow view of information selected for them. Although this is an okay start for getting parents involved in your school, what your parents truly want is to become part of your school community with access to so much more than what a portal provides.
When you’re looking for school management software, whether focused on learning management systems or student information systems, make sure to think about the type of information you’re providing to your parents and how your system is giving them the features they want, such as:
- Parents want a broad view of school activities, in addition to the narrow grade and attendance data usually provided by a portal. A system that is more than just a portal can allow parents to see events and activities happening in the school, track performance across multiple classes and children, and even see exactly what their students see within their classroom environments. More involved parents mean more successful students, which helps teachers and staff members do their jobs more efficiently.
- Parents want easy two-way communication with staff, so they have a voice. A full school management system, such as Twine, allows for communication via internal private messages, public posts, and announcements, so parents are informed and feel that their opinions and needs are being tended to, making them more likely to re-enroll their students in future years.
- Parents want ways to connect with your school and with other families, via committees, volunteer opportunities, extracurricular activities or even parent discussions. Joining the school community and actively participating in these activities helps families feel a deeper connection to the school, helping you retain students year after year.
Whether you’re looking to upgrade from a portal to a full-fledged school management system or to roll out a platform for the first time, our school management software checklist can help you determine which features would be most beneficial for your school and keeping your parents happy. Please download your checklist.