Are Your School Communications Actually Reaching Families? Let’s Find Out.

We get it—school and district communication is a tough nut to crack. You’re sending school newsletters, emails, posting on social, maybe even texting parents… but are they actually paying attention?

If you’ve ever thought, “Why aren’t families engaging with our messages?” you’re not alone. In a recent conversation with school leaders, four major challenges kept coming up when it comes to reaching families:

1️⃣ Low Open Rates: Are Your Messages Getting Read?

You craft the perfect email, hit “send,” and… crickets. The truth is, not all messages are created equal. Timing, subject lines, and even the format can make or break whether a parent actually opens your email.

💡 Try this: Instead of guessing, track open rates and clicks. Which messages perform best? Are more parents engaging in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening? Small tweaks can make a big difference.

2️⃣ Multilingual Families: Are You Reaching Everyone?

If your district serves multilingual families, communication gaps can be a huge barrier. Parents can’t engage with information they don’t understand.

🚀 Quick Fix: Stop relying on one-size-fits-all messaging. Use translation-friendly tools to ensure every family receives info in their home language.

3️⃣ “Set It and Forget It” Syndrome: Are You Using Feedback?

Communication isn’t a one-way street. If you’re pushing out messages but never asking, “Did this actually help families?”—you’re missing a huge opportunity.

✅ Next Step: Add a quick, low-stakes feedback loop—a one-question poll in your newsletter, a simple survey, or a “reply to this email” prompt. Parents want to engage; they just need an easy way to do it.

4️⃣ No Clear Strategy: Are You Guessing or Measuring?

If you’re not tracking data, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “We’ve always done it this way.” But gut feelings don’t always match reality!

📊 Solution: Pick just one metric to start tracking this month—open rates, click-throughs, or even what time of day gets the most engagement. Once you know what’s working, double down on it.

So… What’s Next?

The good news? These challenges aren’t impossible to fix. In fact, some schools have completely transformed their family engagement just by making small, strategic changes.

🔍 Want to dive deeper? In a recent webinar, Dr. Kara Stern (SchoolStatus/Smore) and Molly Delgado (Columbia Public Schools, MO) broke down real-world strategies schools are using to:
✅ Reach 19,000+ families daily
✅ Make data-driven decisions about communication
✅ Create content that gets read (not ignored!)

🚀 Get the full scoop & actionable tips—watch the webinar on demand here!

Because when it comes to school communication, it’s not about sending more messages—it’s about sending the right ones. 💡