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by Mary Beth Gaertner Ed D. (Author)
Is there anything out there that can help us to communicate more effectively with parents? Nothing concerns me more as a school administrator or causes me more angst as the fear of unhappy parents. Very early in my career as an early childhood administrator, I vivdly remember a mommy physically backing me up to the wall with her jabbing words and bullying attitude. It seemed there had to be more going on than her discontent with a teacher who wasn't "loving enough" to her child. My deeper concern was how to prevent a parent from getting this angry in the first place. After finding a startegy to forge positive communciation between parents and teachers, I employed the strategy, in serviced teachers, and replicated the research for two years. Parents who are satisfied with the school's attempt at good communication were also pleased with the way the school was going. There is a strong correlation between parent satisfaction and school communication practices. The book details the "tell the teacher more" strategy, the training of school personnel, the research, and the comments from the teachers themselves how one strategy at the beginning of the school year can have major impact on the positive communication that happens all year long! If you want to make a major impact in the communcation with your school parents, grab the book and read about the "Way to Go!"
