Is Your District Guilty of This?

Is your school district guilty of looking the other way when it comes to overwhelming evidence? Has your district considered but then walked away a time or two when considering innovative communication? Don't worry, you're not alone! With more than 1 million smartphones being activated daily, school districts NEED to implement a district mobile app- like yesterday.

Here's the steps I advice you take to move your school-family communication to the next and necessary level if they're guilty as charged:

1.Read "The Case for The District App"
2.Make enough copies for your school board, Superintendent, parental involvement directors, and your tech guys
3. Give it one week and then call them back to ask when they plan on increasing communication with their district students and families through a mobile app. Be kind, be assertive, and use the facts that the article states. Don't be afraid to remind them of the importance of family-teacher communication and the overwhelming evidence that informed and engaged parents increase student success and self-efficacy.

(OPTIONAL: You can direct them to www.ejucomm.com  if you feel so obliged. We would be honored to create a custom mobile app for your district to increase communication and give your families tools they need to stay informed on their devices. However, this article is not about eJucomm- it's about you and your new district app. We'd love to help but mostly we want every school district to get a mobile app PRONTO so promise you'll at least go somewhere. All your families and students are waiting.)

Note: I feel like I need to warn you that if your district decides to get a mobile app, then they must be willing to face the repercussions of their choice which may include a flood of e-mails from parents to teachers, more informed students and families, increased attendance at school functions, and an overall equitable playing field when it comes to informing and communicating with district stakeholders. Be prepared!

*The Case for The District App was featured in the September issue of the American Association of School Administrators. They've got something pretty great going on over at AASA so check them out.
Juntos. Podemos-Dalinda Gonzalez-Alcantar, Educator and CEO of eJucomm