How to Address Parental Complaints

How to Address Parental Complaints | Two parents speak with their child.

By Jessica Vician

One may not think of customer service as part of a school’s role, but when it comes to creating and maintaining a partnership between the school and parents, customer service plays a critical role.

Think about parental complaints. Parents might submit a complaint to the principal about a teacher’s disciplinary methods, or to a teacher about how much homework the child receives. Do you have a formal process to address parental complaints? If so, does every member of your staff know that process and follow it?

Use basic customer service principals in addressing parent complaints: thank the parent for bringing the complaint to your attention, acknowledge the complaint and make sure you understand exactly what it is, offer solutions to address it.  Continue reading →

Talk to Them

Think about what a parent had to go through to get their child to school on time today. Now talk to them. YOU: Your Child's First Teacher Parent Engagement Program

As educators, we have a lot to juggle in a day. So much so that we may not take the time to plan effective communication with a student’s parent.

Spend one minute thinking about what that parent had to go through to get their child to school on time. Remind yourself of your own struggles this morning.

Now talk to them. See how your communication approach changes. Your continued patience and understanding can lead to a more meaningful and effective partnership with that parent. And a better partnership means better students.

These are the kinds of conversations and strategies we have with educators in our YOU Program Training Workshop. We know that effective parent engagement leads to student achievement and we want to work with your school and district to show you how.