The Home-School Connection: Making the Right Choice for Students, Parents and Schools (2000)

Picture a school district with a warehouse of data, including teachers' grades, free and reduced-price lunch participants, and overdue library book listings, drawn from various systems. Think about various companies independently seeking this information from staff, parents and students, and forming different warehouses of data out somewhere in an uncontrollable e-world. It makes no sense. The schools have the only accurate and up-to-date information. Why should parents, students and staff spend extra time to send it to a cyberspace warehouse that acts independently of the schools? It's inefficient and risky. American schools are in a dotcom revolution. But some parents and educators are concerned that companies are moving so fast to secure their own financial success that it could result in the wrong home-school connection choice for young students. The potential of home-school portals for our public schools is extremely positive, and this connection can be one of the most promising e-commerce ventures. It represents a wonderfully exciting vehicle for improving education and education services. However, it won't just happen by itself. We don't need to build thousands of information warehouses made up of disjointed, incomplete school information that has limited value for managing schools and improving instruction. School leaders need to take the initiative to define policies and strategies that will lead to business partnerships that revolve around the districts' and the schools' needs. Parent and Student Privacy Rights Schools and school districts have always been keepers and protectors of instructional, as well as support services information. While public records laws in most states make most information available to the public, they do exclude specific information and generally provide a reasonable process and timeline for response. Also, student information is protected under both state and federal privacy legislation. The advent of the Internet doesn't remove the responsibility of the schools as the overseers of school information; it simply makes it more complicated and important. Schools must take the initiative to define policies and strategies that best serve children, parents and staff. They must continue to assure the collection, flow, validation, and dissemination of data. You need to know what data are leaving your schools, to whom that information is going, and how it's being used. The Internet does not eliminate the responsibility to live up to the privacy information requirements of the law, or the expectations of staff, students and parents. The interests and rights of parents and young people must take priority in the home-school connection. Guideline Questions to Connect By To ensure that schools receive the optimum Internet connection for parents and students, school leaders must seek out companies that are responsive to their unique needs. Here is a suggested checklist for school administrators to use in choosing the best e-products and services: 1 Get It In Writing: Is the company willing to sign a contract with your schools or school district, spelling out in detail what it will and will not do? For example, a list of school services should be very detailed, and extension of service to homes should be optional. You should receive a listing of benefits. 2 Support the Mission: Does the company's product or service support the school district's educational mission? If so, how? It should provide administrators, teachers, students and parents with information that supports and guides teaching and learning. It should streamline decision-making by providing accurate, up-to-date information for such functions as planning, budgeting, and reporting in the various instructional and support service areas. 3 Support the Parents: Does the company have an adequate parent support system? It should give parents the tools to interact with school systems from home, saving time and improving accuracy. …