Call Parent or Note Home

Why should I do it?

• Provides parents with direct & accurate info on child’s school behaviors
• Helps to keep issues, situations, and circumstances clarified
• Builds rapport, trust, and open dialogue between school and home
• Helps establish and maintain behavioral limits that are consistent between school and home
• Some kids respond very well to calls home
• Gives parents power to enforce and follow through with limits and consequences
• Avoids situations where kids can use misinformation to pit teachers against parents and manipulate the situation to avoid taking responsibility for their actions
• Encourages some students behavior positively
• Can take a small behavioral or academic gain and create more significant momentum
• Can create parent “buy in” or establish of improve rapport with parents
• Boosts student self esteem and self confidence 

When should I do it?

• As a consequence
  • When a student breaks a rule or whose actions are disruptive enough to require a formal consequence
  • When a child is exhibiting a chronic habitual behavior problem
  • When you need more support in addressing a behavior
  • When the behavior appears to be stemming from something in the home
  • When you suspect a child’s behaviors are due to environmental circumstance, like a family death, illness, etc.
  • When the student does not seem to respond to your authority
  • When there does not appear to be home consequences for poor behavior in school
• As a reward
  • When a student has been well behaved
  • When a student has done well on an academic task’
  • When a student has been helpful
  • When a student meets a daily, weekly, monthly goal, either academic or behavioral
  • When a student needs to be encouraged to do something
  • When a student is a significant behavioral or academic problem and does ANYTHING remotely positive or productive 

How do I do it?

• Use a calm neutral tone with parents to avoid arguments, blame games, and power struggles
• Describe the behavior clearly and with detail
• Explain what you have already tried to address the behavior
• Do not dwell on blaming the parent for the child’s behaviors, rather — focus on solutions
• Ask the parent for their input and ideas to get them involved
• Always say something positive about the child or something he/she did well
• Have the child’s grades, behavior records, and the specific data ready in front of you when you call