Effective Communication Strategies To Keep Parents Of Private Schools Updated During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The arrival of the COVID-19 virus in Hawaii in March 2020 required schools to go into lockdown to protect the health and safety of the students, faculty, and community. Schools were faced with new challenges – distance learning, enhanced safety measures, schedules, new technology. What methods are schools using to keep parents informed and engaged? What types of communication strategies are most effective when communicating with parents? Effective communication is paramount in education. During a crisis, effective communication requires additional attention and care. In particular, COVID-19 is a health crisis that presents unique challenges for K-12 education, and consequently, school-parent communication. Although COVID-19 has had a noticeable impact on K-12 education, surprisingly little research has examined how K-12 schools communicate with parents as this health crisis unfolds. It is important to examine this topic because strong communication is essential to ensuring families feel supported during times of uncertainty. To provide perspective on the importance of school communication and furthermore communication strategies during COVID-19, I conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 11 parents who currently have children studying in Hawaii’s various private schools and 8 school leaders at various Hawaii private schools. Thematic analyses of interview transcripts showed that: asynchronous communication, synchronous communication, communication styles, specially trained personnel, and COVID-19 facts, were some key techniques and elements that private schools deployed when communicating about COVID-19 with parents. Implications of these findings are discussed.