INGENIOSUS

The 4Bs of Garnering Impassioned Parental Support in Gifted and Talented Communities - Part II

Welcome! In our inaugural blog post, I addressed the mounting tensions between parents and gifted and talented (GT) professionals. I recommended empathetic listening as a first step toward healing the inherent friction. In this entry, I'll cover three more steps.

 

As mentioned, these first two Ingeniosus blog posts are primarily directed at GT professionals working in public or private schools; however, directors of summer programs and/or other GT practioners may discern benefits as well. Let's take a closer look at steps two through four.

 

2. Be open and available.

Parents leave districts and/or summer programs primarily because of ineffective communications or concerns that go unaddressed because of a lack of communication.

 

GT professionals, who may know how to create the ultimate dinosaur curriculum for gifted first graders, differentiated curriculum for a 5^th grade math prodigy or a mentorship program for high school students, often don’t have the time, bandwidth, inclination, resources or training to know how to keep parents “in the know” and involved. They also can’t read parents’ minds; something they – and parents – often forget!

 

So how does an overworked and underappreciated GT teacher foster ongoing dialogue with the overworked and underappreciated parents of GT students? They do it by:

 

·         Creating a communications plan

·         Sharing that plan with parents

·         Sticking to it

·         Reviewing the communications plan often

 

It’s astounding how often a quarterly meeting and/or a simple report card is equated to advanced communications. Given that we’re talking about the future scientists, researchers, artists, business leaders, authors, politicians, teachers and change agents of this nation and world, it’s in our best interest to keep our gifted and talented students inspired and engaged. That will only happen if they receive collaborative support from both their teachers and parents.

 

Creating a communications plan need not be equated to writing a thesis. It may be as simple as creating a monthly printed newsletter or bi-monthly eblasts to parents, regularly updating a special section of your Web site and/or creating a series of focus groups and parent meetings. From the onset, though, parents need to know how communications will be handled, including how often they will hear from you and through what channels. They need to know how to reach you with concerns, how you prefer to be contacted and what type of turnarounds they can expect.

 

Given the asynchronous development and inherent challenges our GT students face, it’s vital to build in more time for discussing pivotal issues. 

 

Those districts and/or private schools able to invest in a Communications Audit will quickly learn more about their programming than they ever thought possible. Parents want – and need – to be heard and GT leaders want – and need – to create better partnerships with parents and keep their target audiences inspired.

 

With today’s technological advances, a Communications Audit can be done on a reasonable budget. Even if you’re not in a position to hire a marketing communications consultant to audit your program, consider giving more attention to this area.

 

Create a newsletter or provide more regular updates to GT parents in your district or community. Ensure your database is updated regularly and don’t forget to ask for feedback. You’ll be surprised at how much you learn!

 

3. Be wildly creative.

When resources and time are in limited supply, communications become even more strained. Even though your district or private school is filled with GT teachers exuding passion, talent and commitment, parents primarily care about one thing – their own son or daughter. These mothers and fathers bring their own set of biases to the table, which includes innate knowledge of their son’s or daughter’s story.

 

If you’re experiencing tension with parents, consider getting wildly creative. A savvy consultant can guide you and/or help your school or district find new ways to build bridges, whether through traditional means like newsletters and focus groups or through Facebook, LinkedIn and/or other social media sites.

 

The options for advanced communications continue to grow. And while creating a group on one of the social media sites may be more appropriate for a private versus a public school, it pays to think strategically in terms of reaching parents though convenient channels. Host a series of international potluck forums, create a GT Think Tank for parents and/or develop a blog highlighting individual student achievements and/or have GT teachers send a brief personal update once a month.

 

Yes, these all take time; however, the benefits of advanced communications strategies are tenfold. Not only will parents feel a greater sense of community, they will quickly be educated on all of the many ways your district or program is benefitting their child. They’ll be less apt to complain and more likely to take your lead and become true partners. They may even raise money for you! They just need to know what’s going on and that their opinions matter.

 

If you’re not equipped to set up online newsletters, create new events and/or have time to find out why certain students didn’t return to your summer program, consider outside support.

 

Recently, while talking with a parent, I learned she wouldn’t be sending her daughter back to a GT summer camp in the West because she’s heard about too many security breaches, such as young students walking across campus unsupervised.  More than likely, she’s not the only parent that has this concern.

 

An hour of phone calls and/or a survey to previous attendees can bring to light such issues and/or new considerations for improved programming.

 

4. Be consistent.

The weeks fly by, as do the months. It’s vital that someone at the top of your organization is monitoring communication roadblocks, improvements and ultimately successes on a regular schedule. It’s easy to let administrative duties take precedent, but communications consistency is as critical as curriculum differentiation. You need advocates; you’ll gain them through dialogue.

 

It’s worth the time and effort to stimulate open communications with parents and benchmark your program’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Consistency will ensure that everyone working diligently on behalf of your program or school has the best chance for ultimate success.

Remember, if you’re able to invest in improved communications, you’ll find parents becoming champions of your hard work and efforts. These mothers and fathers will volunteer, spread the word, rally around your cause and become partners in support. As communications are tailored to the idiosyncrasies of parents, you’ll witness exponential benefits!

 

I hope you're feeling inspired! Please send me an email at innovate@deborahmersino.com if you want to connect and/or have additional comments. I'd love to hear from you!

The 4Bs of Garnering Impassioned Parental Support in Gifted and Talented Communities - Part I

Let’s face it. Parents can be a great support or a nemesis. They’re either whiny, belligerent victims or impassioned advocates of the services you’re offering. On rare occasions, you’ll find parents who are not only open to learning, but also who are empathetic and pragmatic with their feedback.

 

These parents support their gifted and talented sons and/or daughters fiercely; however, they have a balanced assessment of their children’s strengths and weaknesses. They’re involved and willing to engage with you about their perspectives and show respect for your professionalism, knowledge and insight. These parents are partners in the best sense of the word. How can you grow this group of satisfied parents in your community without spending every waking minute and/or last dollar tending to their needs? The answer lies in strategic communications.

 

In this inaugural blog entry, I hope to offer you the first of four simple steps to fostering better relations with parents in your gifted and talented community. Although these tactics are most applicable for gifted and talented (GT) teachers and coordinators working in public or private school settings, those overseeing summer programming or private consulting practices may also discern benefits.

 

How can you partner with parents and be more effective with your communications?

 

1. Be empathetic.
2. Be open and available.
3. Be wildly creative.
4. Be consistent.

1. Be empathetic.

Remember, in most instances, you are dealing with gifted adults who are avid learners. These parents can’t get enough information about their gifted and talented child. They’ll voraciously eat up any nuggets you offer, but abhor silence and perceived indifference.

 

Recently, I participated in a Saturday seminar for parents of gifted and talented students. More than 100 parents came armed with energy and a fair share of coffee. They were ready to learn and share – and share they did. The majority of attending parents claimed they felt out of the loop and out of sync with their child’s primary GT teacher. Seven out of the eight parents at my table alone complained about their child’s Advanced Learning Plan or felt their GT coordinator didn’t really “know” their son or daughter.

 

Before launching into defensiveness, lack of funding, limited resources and a discussion of how parents overestimate their child’s gifts, GT professionals would be wise to start by listening with empathy. The parents may, in fact, be overzealous and unrealistic; however, most of them are smart cookies with good intentions. Both sides of the aisle need to listen more carefully to one another if we are to overcome the exorbitant chasm that currently exists between GT professionals and parents.

 

Ironically, I happen to know that the district in question this auspicious Saturday cared – and cares – deeply about its GT students. Its leaders continue to actively pursue improved programming, be responsive to the individual needs of learners, be accountable for their data and provide continued professional development for their instructors.

 

On this occasion, the district’s primary GT coordinator did a consummate job with active listening; it was inspiring to watch! Most of the disgruntled parents felt heard and walked away with a new appreciation for the district’s commitment to their sons and daughters. While it certainly didn’t solve all of the communication challenges, it served as a meaningful launching pad.

 

Empathic communications has the potential to be one of the strongest catalysts for positive change in GT communities across the nation. So, the next time that you feel inclined to interrupt a parent and/or defend your position, don’t. Instead, lead by listening, nodding and then listening some more.

 

I hope you have enjoyed my first “Gifted Perspective” post. Throughout the next week, I’ll be highlighting how GT organizations can be more open and available, be wildly creative and be more consistent with parental communications. I'll focus on examples, trends and tactics to help schools, universities, nonprofits and businesses serving gifted and talented communities throughout the United States bolster their impact.

If you know someone else in the GT community who could benefit from the Ingeniosus blog, please pass along the URL and/or have them contact me, Deborah Mersino, principal of Ingeniosus, at innovate@deborahmersino.com.

 

I’m also currently researching the economy’s impact on gifted and talented summer programming. If you would like like to participate in the short survey, send me an email. I'll look forward to relaying these results soon and sharing more posts!

Cheers!

Deborah Mersino