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Watertown City School District
Watertown City School District: 3x Parent Engagement and a Complete Survey Turnaround
Challenge & Solution
Watertown CSD’s annual surveys consistently rated communications as a problem area, with families overwhelmed by disconnected platforms and high school parent engagement at 10% or less. The district adopted ParentSquare to unify all channels into one platform with translation into 10 languages, real-time contactability data, and streamlined attendance and health screening forms
Results
- 99% contactability with clear data showing who is being reached and tools to correct invalid contact information
- High school parent engagement tripled, measured by event attendance, direct messaging, and post interactions
- Family surveys now cite communication as a district strength, a reversal from years of negative feedback
When Surveys Revealed a Communication Gap
99% Contactability
With clear data from ParentSquare about who they are reaching, Watertown CSD is able to monitor if contact information is invalid and adjust accordingly. They are also given information about how to improve their contactability. With these new tools, Watertown CSD improved their contactability to an impressive 99%!
Increased Parent Engagement
After implementing ParentSquare, they noticed that high school parent engagement tripled, whether measured by attendance at school events, the rate of direct messaging between parents and school staff, or the number of likes and appreciated posts. Increased parent engagement is a win-win for everyone and makes the school community stronger.
Time Saved
With readily-available forms for K-6 attendance and health screening, Watertown CSD created a more efficient process. Teachers now send out a daily form for parents to evaluate remote attendance—especially for students who are at home working on assignments at night, but not attending daily Zoom calls and marked present because of obstacles like childcare. Additionally, the direct process for communicating with parents in their preferred language saved them time in finding translators or translating documents.
Increasd Parent Satisfaction
After conducting a family survey this past fall, overwhelming feedback came in from parents indicating the district’s improved communications strategy was a strength and something parents would like to see continued.
A Unified Platform for Staff, Families, and 10 Languages
Watertown CSD turned to ParentSquare as a way to unify their communication methods and provide a “one stop shop” for all of the information and resources staff, parents, and teachers needed.
- With features such as pulse alerts, shared calendars, forms and permission slips, and conference sign ups, Watertown CSD can continue using the elements of communication that they already had, but everything is now in one place
- Health screening forms can be filled out quickly and easily each day before school.
- Attendance forms are completed each day, which allows for accurate attendance data.
- Parents can send and receive messages in their preferred language. The message translates back to the teacher or staff in their preferred language, eliminating the need for professional translators.
- Staff has clear contactability data that allows them to see who they are reaching and if there is invalid contact information that needs to be updated in their SIS.
“We are now real believers that the school communications piece is the basis for a healthy school culture. We’ve seen the immediacy of need for that. We’ve seen the immediacy of effects that our communication strategies employed from March until now are having on the way people perceive and regard our district’s community”
Lisa Blank
Director of STEM Programs
Director of STEM Programs
01 / 01
From Problem Area to District Strength
ParentSquare allowed Watertown CSD to organize their communication methods so that staff and teachers could communicate with all families effectively, and parents could easily navigate information. District-wide connectivity is higher than ever after implementing ParentSquare.
99% Contactability
With clear data from ParentSquare about who they are reaching, Watertown CSD is able to monitor if contact information is invalid and adjust accordingly. They are also given information about how to improve their contactability. With these new tools, Watertown CSD improved their contactability to an impressive 99%!
Increased Parent Engagement
After implementing ParentSquare, they noticed that high school parent engagement tripled, whether measured by attendance at school events, the rate of direct messaging between parents and school staff, or the number of likes and appreciated posts. Increased parent engagement is a win-win for everyone and makes the school community stronger.
Time Saved
With readily-available forms for K-6 attendance and health screening, Watertown CSD created a more efficient process. Teachers now send out a daily form for parents to evaluate remote attendance—especially for students who are at home working on assignments at night, but not attending daily Zoom calls and marked present because of obstacles like childcare. Additionally, the direct process for communicating with parents in their preferred language saved them time in finding translators or translating documents.
Increased Parent Satisfaction
After conducting a family survey this past fall, overwhelming feedback came in from parents indicating the district’s improved communications strategy was a strength and something parents would like to see continued.
“We needed a means of streamlining our efforts and reaching people better. So, ParentSquare helped us in unifying these communications.”
Lisa Blank
Director of STEM Programs
Director of STEM Programs
01 / 01