Parent-Teacher Communication: What Parents and Teachers Think and What School Leaders Need to Know

This mixed methods study focuses on communication between teachers and parents in primary and secondary schools in northeast Texas. Based on data from surveys in 11 districts, received from 230 teachers and 171 parents, this study found statistically significant differences between teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of the classroom teacher’s role, as well as the need for more understanding between teachers and parents; furthermore, it revealed that all parents want the same information about their children but prefer to receive it through different methods and that teachers and parents disagree about what constitutes valuable content in communication.