Parent-teacher conferences may never go out of style, but there
may be an easier method for parents to keep abreast of their
children’s school work.
Gilroy – Parent-teacher conferences may never go out of style, but there may be an easier method for parents to keep abreast of their children’s school work.
Since school started, more than 400 Gilroy High School parents have registered on Edline.com – a Web site that enables them to view their children’s schedules, grades and attendance records at the click of a mouse. The technology is part of a districtwide initiative to increase communication with parents.
“It’s pretty sophisticated software,” said Rob Van Herk who serves as the Information Technology manager for Gilroy Unified School District. He is also the parent of a GHS freshman. “It’s relatively simple. It’s still the Internet so you need to know a little bit.”
By logging onto the site, parents can click on their child’s name and get information they may not be able to divulge at the dinner table.
“I had a senior who had senioritis – and I don’t like surprises,” said Shelley Walton, a former GHS parent who struggled to keep her son on track his final semester last year. “And (Edline) eliminated the surprises.”
Walton, who is completing her teaching credentials this year, finds that it keeps teachers, parents and students on the same page if they all use it.
“Everything’s on there. Quizzes. Essays. There’s just no question about what’s done,” Walton said.
Teachers have their own Web pages on the site and post information about upcoming projects or events. The software enables both parents and students to stay on top of assignments and stay connected with school – from home.
“As a parent I find it extremely helpful,” Van Herk said. “It’s one more way (to stay informed). The alternative is calling the teachers. This is easier. You can do it at 11 at night.”
Edline.com was introduced last year at GHS, and has caught on – a stream of parents signed up at the grand opening celebration of the new high school library Tuesday.
The technology also helps teachers communicate with their students better.
“(Students) are a lot more aware. They’re always seeing what changes occur,” said GHS Web design teacher Eric Kuwada.
According to Kuwada, most teachers use Edline.com and update their pages intermittently – some more frequently than others.
“E-mail for me was one of the most valuable tools that has ever been invented,” he said.
Parents get back to him faster through e-mail, and he can attach information such as assignments and expectations at the same time.
But Edline.com is not the answer for everyone.
“There’s still a population that doesn’t have Web access so that’s a drawback,” Kuwada explained. “But there’s still the regular routes,” such as calling or meeting with a teacher.
While the tool is only used at the high school – the software costs about $2,500 – the three middle schools are using think.com for all math classes, Van Herk said.
But even some science teachers have started using the site.
According to Walton, three of her son’s teachers at Brownell Middle School have also taken advantage of the software.
The Web site does not allow parents to view grades online, but does keep them up to speed with student assignments.
Periodically Walton will log onto the site just to stay in the loop.
“I just check – then I’m informed. Then I can ask informed questions,” she said.
After the district’s first ever parent survey last year – communication was one area that needed work. Most responses were submitted online instead of on paper.
GUSD officials became aware that the Internet was a preferred medium of reaching out to parents after meeting the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council, and has made it one part of their strategic goals for improvement.
Teachers are also being targeted for better communication.
Earlier this month, GUSD was awarded a $275,665 grant by IBM Corporation to develop a personalized use for Riverdeep Software – a Web-based tool that allows teachers across the district to share lesson plans and best practices.
According to GUSD’s Coordinator of Parent Involvement and Enrollment Juanita Contin, the district is heading in a more tech savvy direction.
She headed efforts to redesign the district’s new Web site, which was unveiled earlier this month.
“We wanted to make it easier for (parents) to navigate,” she said. “If you can make it easier for people to get information it gets parents more involved.”
