This blog was published in 2020 but was updated on May 25th, 2023.
Parent engagement software is modernizing how administrators manage school-to-home communications while remaining compliant with federal and civil rights laws.
Rather than developing required notifications and forms individually and translating each one every time, there is an amendment or update, administrators can use parent engagement software systems to send out translated notifications and comply with federal requirements and civil rights laws.
TransACT® ParentNotices is a software subscription to pre-translated federally required (or recommended) parent notifications and online collections of multi-language parent-school communications. ParentNotices is aligned with federal requirements, supports teachers in creating an inclusive communication strategy for all students, and keeps schools prepared in the event of a monitoring visit.
Our notices are written by a team of state and local federal programs directors, legally reviewed, and translated into priority languages to provide equitable access to school-to-home communications for all student populations. We began more than 25 years ago in partnership with a local school district that had issues accessing professional translators after recent growth in the Korean population.
A subscription to ParentNotices includes modern notification capabilities that support authentic parent engagement, including:
Parent Engagement Dashboard
Users can conveniently track which parents have opened, started, and completed the notifications that they or their team have delivered. They can see all the detailed reporting needed to understand what information was sent out, to whom, and what action was taken by the recipient.
Student Information System (SIS) and ERP Integrations
Teachers and program administrators can auto-fill forms with student and parent contact information and deliver federally required forms and notifications to the accurate and most up-to-date guardian. They can also save time by pulling roster information from the SIS. If fees are associated with a form or notice, they can be recorded in the district ERP with a complete audit trail.
Automated Approval Workflows
Administrators can automate the review and approval of notifications and forms before they are delivered to parents and families.
Search Tools
Staff and administrators can access advanced elastic search to easily locate federally required or recommended notices (such as EL service notifications) as well as frequently used general education notifications (such as head lice notifications) and create favorites to streamline future access.
Single Sign On (SSO)
Customers can leverage their district's existing user account management standard to simplify access for all of their users.
Why Mobile-Friendly Parent Engagement Belongs in Your School Communications Plan
Students perform better when parents and families actively participate in their education. And student outcomes across the district improve due to increased parent and family engagement. The delivery method for parent communications (paper, email, portal, native apps, or text messaging) can impact parent engagement and equity initiatives within the district.
According to the PEW Research Center, this is the breakdown of digital device ownership in America:
The PEW study noted that 1 in 5 homes in America own a smartphone but do not have home internet service. Those who own a computer or laptop may have limited or no access to the internet. This is important information for districts considering whether they will communicate via text message over a data network or email via Wi-Fi, to which many families may not have access.
The problem around device strategy quickly becomes an issue of equity when considering that smartphones are the preferred device for communication among:
- Younger adults and families
- Non-Caucasians
- Lower-income households
Given that some of the nation’s most marginalized communities have greater access to smartphones than they do to traditional computer-based web portals and email, school districts should include mobile-friendly communication in their district communications and parent engagement software.
The Benefits of Mobile-Friendly Parent Engagement Software
When mobile-friendly options for parent-school communication are included in a parent engagement software system, the odds of successfully reaching a parent or family member increase dramatically.
With ParentNotices’ mobile-centric capabilities, users have access to:
Mobile-Friendly (smartphone) Features
Staff can send pre-built notices and custom-built forms in mobile-friendly formats. Parents and families can access notices and forms on their preferred device, submit a digital signature, pay for fees, receive push notifications, and return completed notifications all from their laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Navigation and Search Capability
ParentNotices users can easily find forms and federal compliance guidance and navigate from their preferred device.
Store and Deliver District PDFs
ParentNotices' compliance capabilities cover a school district's most important parent notices and forms. Users can store their district's PDFs, request custom translations from within the application, and deliver notices to parents on the device of their choice.
Our mission is to provide state departments of education, school district administrators, and local teachers with the latest technology to help manage compliance with family and parent engagement laws under ESSA, Section 504, and IDEA, as well as in service to students and families throughout our communities.
To preview the updates coming to ParentNotices and our latest features, schedule a quick demo with a member of our team.
