The templates below support communication strategies to build authentic partnership between educators and families with high-impact tutoring. Because every district and program has their own unique branding, color schemes, and images, we recommend you use the language in these documents as a starting point to develop communications materials for your context.
The materials are organized in alignment with each section of the NSSA High-Impact Tutoring: Family & Caregiver Toolkit for School Districts:
- Empower Families to Partner and Advocate: Empower families to partner and advocate for high-impact tutoring
- Share Opportunities: Communicate with families about high-impact tutoring program launches
- Align Understanding with Students’ Academic Progress: Align family’s understanding high-impact tutoring with students’ academic progress
Empower Families to Partner and Advocate
Use these communication drafts to empower families to partner and advocate for their children’s high-impact tutoring programs. These communication drafts are based on the language developed in partnership with families to support partnering and advocating for high-impact tutoring. If your program does not meet the high-impact tutoring standards, be sure to adjust the language to ensure the information you share is accurate. Programs that do not meet high-impact standards should remove the language that references studies that show students can gain 4-15 months of additional learning, as these studies pertain only to high-impact tutoring.
| Communication | Action |
|---|---|
| Letter Inviting Parent Participation in the Design of the Tutoring Program | Using your district, school or program’s branding, customize the language in this template to develop a letter to families inviting them to participate in the design and/or the annual revisions to the design of your high-impact tutoring program. Even if you’ve already designed your high-impact tutoring program, it’s never too late to bring families together to learn more about what you can do to strengthen partnerships and parent voice in high-impact tutoring programs. |
| Sample Agenda for Parent Partnership Meetings | Use this sample agenda as a starting point for leading parent partnership meetings. When developing opportunities to partner with parents on high-impact tutoring programs, be sure to consider how to make the opportunity inclusive for all parents to participate. Translation services, childcare, and accessible transportation resources can help eliminate barriers to participation. Consider working with your district’s existing family engagement teams (ie, family liaisons at school sites) to strengthen this work across participating schools. |
Share High-Impact Tutoring Opportunities
Use these communication drafts to ensure families and caregivers have timely information about your high-impact tutoring program opportunities. These language recommendations are based on the language developed in partnership with families to support understanding high-impact tutoring. If your program does not meet the high-impact tutoring standards, be sure to adjust the language to ensure the information you share is accurate. Programs that do not meet high-impact standards should remove the language that references studies that show students can gain 4-15 months of additional learning, as these studies pertain only to high-impact tutoring.
| Communication | Action |
|---|---|
| Flyer, Postcard or Letter | Using your district or program’s branding, customize the language below to develop a flyer or postcard to send home to families whose students qualify for high-impact tutoring. Use colors and photos to draw attention to the page. Be sure to consider representing the students your district serves when you choose which photos to use. Here is a free Canva Template created by NSSA that you can make a copy of and customize. Consider working with your district’s existing family engagement teams (ie, family liaisons at school sites) to strengthen this work across participating schools. |
| Newsletter Blurb | Use this template language to develop a newsletter blurb about high-impact tutoring opportunities available to students. This content could go in a district or program-wide communication to all families, or into school-specific communications to families. Consider adding colors and images to accompany this blurb to spark excitement for the opportunity. |
| Social Media Posts | Use this sample language to develop social media posts to communicate high-impact tutoring opportunities. Add in your own #hashtags that families and caregivers follow in your local community. Encourage partner community organizations to repost the information with their own thoughts about why this is an important opportunity for students. |
| Press Release | Use this sample language to develop a press release to send to your local media outlets. Customize the content to your personal setting. If you have a communications team in your district or organization that can review the press release and field requests for an interview, ask them to send it out for you, as they tend to have stronger relationships with media outlets and will know what media contacts are most likely to reach families and caregivers in your local area. |
Align Understanding with Students’ Academic Progress
Use these communication drafts to ensure families and caregivers have access to information about their students’ academic progress, and how high-impact tutoring can support their individual needs. These language recommendations are based on the language developed in partnership with families to support partnering and advocating for high-impact tutoring. If your program does not meet the high-impact tutoring standards, be sure to adjust the language to ensure the information you share is accurate. Programs that do not meet high-impact standards should remove the language that references studies that show students can gain 4-15 months of additional learning, as these studies pertain only to high-impact tutoring.
| Communication | Action |
|---|---|
| Letter to Accompany Assessment Scores or Report Cards Sent to Families | Using your district, school or program’s branding, customize the language below to develop a letter to send home with students to schedule time to meet with their families to discuss their academic performance and high-impact tutoring. This could be for students already enrolled in high-impact tutoring, or for students you recommend enrolling based on recent academic performance. Consider calling families to follow up with them about their students’ academic progress. It’s important to create a welcoming environment, inviting families to partner with you on how to support their students’ academic needs. Use these resources to support this work. |
| Letter to Celebrate Academic Progress and How to Support At Home | Using your district, school or program’s branding, customize the language below to develop a postcard, email, or letter to send home with students to celebrate their academic achievement. Consider including ideas for how to continue supporting at home, including encouraging conversations about their high-impact tutoring program. |
| Teacher Version- Parent/Teacher Planning Tool | Use this template from Learning Heroes to develop an agenda to meet with parents about their students’ academic progress. The action steps to take can include high-impact tutoring, and how to support at home. |
| Understanding and Supporting Your Child's Academic Growth | Use this guide along with your district’s assessment calendar, report card calendar, and high-impact tutoring program dates to plan opportunities to partner with parents to celebrate academic successes, address academic needs, and to leverage high-impact tutoring opportunities to support these efforts. |
| Sample Letter for Tutors and/or Teachers to Meet with their Students’ Families | Using your district, school, and/or program’s branding, customize the language in this template to invite parents to meet with their students’ tutor and/or teacher about their progress in high-impact tutoring. Depending on the size of the program and the resources available, these meetings can be formal or informal. The important part is making sure the caring adult supporting each child can learn and share with their child’s family. |
| Sample Text Message Reminders | Customize these sample text message reminders to parents to ensure they know when their students are participating in high-impact tutoring sessions. If the student also has a cell phone number, consider sending a similar text message directly to the student as well. Sending consistent text message reminders to families and students has been shown to increase attendance in tutoring sessions. |