3 Questions to Ask When Choosing School Communications Software

We know that effective communication among schools, parents, and teachers is essential to a child’s academic success, but how do you decide which school messaging platform is best for your needs? Here are three questions to consider as you evaluate school communication programs.

3 Questions to Ask When Choosing School Communications Software

1. How does the school communications software engage parents and guardians?

   When selecting a school communications platform, it is essential to consider how it can increase engagement. Parents play a critical role in their child’s education, and research shows that keeping families informed and engaged promotes academic success.

   Increased parent engagement is a large aspect of building a supportive environment through your school’s communication software. This can be achieved through newsletter updates, accessible communication channels, and easy-to-use tools that allow parents to stay connected and informed about their child’s academic progress. 

   When your communication system is trusted, reliable, easy to use, and readily accessible, it makes your work simpler and safer. When it offers two-way communication about attendance, behavior, and classwork, your communication is clearer. And, when it connects with your current system, engagement happens naturally. 

2. How does the school communications program protect student data?

   Another key consideration in selecting a K-12 communications platform is ensuring that student, parent, and staff data is secure. As technology in education becomes more commonplace, it is all the more essential to keep student data confidential, since a lot of data is held in schools.  

   K-12 district administrators have a duty to ensure personal data is protected, because schools are vulnerable to cyberattack. Schools must choose a platform that has strict security protocols in place, including data encryption, firewalls, and regular third-party security audits. 

   Ultimately, it is best to limit the number of vendors that have access to school data and to work with providers you can trust. School vendors often fall victim to K-12 cybersecurity threats. In fact, 55% of school cybersecurity incidents in the past five years originated from their vendors. This is why school leaders should work to minimize the numbers of vendors who have access to student data.  

   By prioritizing data security, schools can create a safer and more secure environment for students and parents, and foster trust and confidence in their chosen platform along the way. 

3. Is the school communications software integrated with systems that are familiar to users?

   Consistency in communications is important, especially when you consider that parents with multiple children may have around 3–10 teachers to work with each year. With a multitude of apps and platforms available, it can be challenging for well-intentioned parents to keep track of everything. Centralizing communications in a single app—especially one that parents are already using to track grades and absences—is essential.  

   Meanwhile, about half of all parents are “not very satisfied” with their interactions with school staff. Research suggests that schools need to improve the frequency and quality of communication with families. Providing a streamlined and user-friendly platform can make it easy for parents to stay connected. 

   When you choose a school communications platform that integrates with other education technology tools, such as your student information system (SIS), you will gain engagement, which benefits community satisfaction and individual student success.  

The Best School Communications Software for Your Needs

The best K-12 communications program for your school will be the one that you use regularly and exclusively. A trusted schoolwide system boosts safety, academic achievement, and family engagement. 

Whether you want to send parents updates on student progress, share photos of classroom activities, or send invitations for after-school clubs, plenty of services can do that. However, the right system can boost parent engagement by minimizing logins, increasing data security, and improving accessibility to create an environment where all students thrive.