Using Technology to Drive K-12 Family Engagement

A school district leader turned edtech executive shares his purpose-driven progress.

INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero

When used effectively, technology can support better communication between educators, students, and their families, driving the type of parental engagement that is critical for student success. But as Chad Stevens notes, certain conditions must exist for this type of interaction to occur.

Stevens, who is Head of K-12 Engagement at ClassDojo, has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He was a teacher, principal, adjunct professor, and school district chief technology officer before moving into the business world with stints at Dell, CDW-G, Amazon, and other companies. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and recently completed a six-year term on the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Board of Directors and was named an EdTech Top 100 Influencer by EdTech Digest in 2023.

In a recent interview, Stevens distilled what he’s learned over the course of his career about the role technology can play in forging stronger school-home connections.

What have you learned about best practices in school-home communications based on your experience as an educator, edtech leader, and business professional?

K-12 leaders have to remember that technology is just a tool. A common trap that superintendents and CTOs fall into is thinking that this one tool is going to fix everything, and that’s just not true.

At the other end of the tool is a person. If someone has a hammer but they can’t hit the nail, then that hammer isn’t very effective.

‘At the other end of the tool is a person. … You can’t ever forget there’s a person on the other end.’

When you apply this lesson to school-home communications, you could have the best communication platform in the world, but if a teacher or parent doesn’t know how to use it, or a stakeholder doesn’t feel like their privacy is being protected, or a student or parent doesn’t have a meaningful relationship with the teacher, then it’s still going to fall flat. You can’t ever forget there’s a person on the other end.

Some technology enables instant communication, like an emergency notification system that helps people understand when there’s an emergency situation and what they need to do. That’s really important. But actually, engaging in the content, having a two-way dialog or having some discourse about it, requires a strong human element as well. Teachers need to build trust and establish relationships with parents and other caregivers if they want to engage these stakeholders in their children’s education.

MAPPING THE FUTURE. Chad Stevens shares his secret plans for improving the learner experience. His expertise lies in blending business strategies with educational insights to drive long-term sustainable growth.

Ease of use is another key consideration. One of the things consumer technologies have excelled at, but edtech companies have historically struggled with, is the user interface. If I want to order a cup of coffee, the user interface on the Starbucks app is going to let me do that pretty quickly. If a communication tool isn’t extremely easy to use, then nobody’s going to adopt it.

K-12 leaders should look to consumer-level products as a model, because that’s the standard we should be aiming for in education as well. At ClassDojo, that’s one of our strengths. It’s a consumer tool, and it’s very simple to use. In the end, it has to stand alone as a product a parent would be willing to purchase.

What are the primary challenges school systems face with communications technology that can’t be ignored?

I think the biggest challenge is protecting student privacy and information. Education is an attractive target for cyber criminals, and the number of cyberattacks against K-12 schools continues to rise. As a superintendent, I think you have to have the mindset: It’s not whether we’re going to be targeted in a cyberattack, but when. You can never be too cautious when it comes to data security.

Cybersecurity involves three core elements: people, processes, and tools. You’ve got to have a plan across all three of those layers. Obviously, the tools include technologies such as firewalls and network monitoring software, as well as communications tools and other edtech platforms that take data privacy and security very seriously. You also have to have strong processes in place, where you don’t unintentionally open up security holes because you’re moving too fast in implementing technology. And you have to teach users how to use online tools effectively, such as not clicking on unfamiliar links or sharing personal information online.

‘…you have to teach users how to use online tools effectively, such as not clicking on unfamiliar links or sharing personal information online.’

With respect to ClassDojo, obviously we’re COPPA and FERPA compliant. Because we’re a global company, however, with 45MM students around the world using our platform for communication, we have a very high bar for security. We also comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a European Union regulation that is an even stricter privacy standard than exists in the United States. And we’re transparent about our privacy policy, which is available on the Privacy page of our website.

Edtech companies have to stay on top of privacy, and one way to do that is to form alliances with like-minded people and organizations who care deeply about this issue. ClassDojo was one of the first signers of the Student Privacy Pledge, as well as the CISA K-12 Secure by Design Pledge. We are also very proud to be one of the first companies to earn the new Common Sense Privacy Seal.

There’s a myth that applications available to educators free of charge are of less quality, or they don’t take student data privacy and security seriously. The truth is more complex than that. K-12 leaders should do their due diligence in evaluating the security stance of their edtech providers and not just block an application simply because it’s free.

How do you envision school learning communities evolving as the world becomes even more tech-enabled?

During my time as a teacher and school principal, I saw that kids learn best when they have a community to support them.

If you think about an elementary school, which is the level I taught at: You have the core classroom teachers who are the primary deliverers of instruction. But you also have a nurse. You have a counselor. You have diagnosticians, psychologists, and tutors. You have music, art, physical education, and wellness programs. All of this supporting infrastructure built around students enables them to be successful.

Today, students also have online learning communities. I would love to look outside and see kids running around, riding their bikes. But the reality is, kids are spending more and more of their time online. And these online communities are where much of this supporting infrastructure exists now.

‘I would love to look outside and see kids running around, riding their bikes. But the reality is, kids are spending more and more of their time online. And these online communities are where much of this supporting infrastructure exists now.’

For example, Dojo Islands is a place where kids can invite their friends to gather online and learn through play and collaborative problem solving. It’s a community where they can feel safe and express their creativity, while learning at the same time. There’s a reason why online communities like Minecraft have taken off: They allow kids to learn, create, and play together in a fun and safe environment.

There are always going to be some kids who thrive in that kind of world, and some who don’t. We need to meet kids where they are and give them options for learning and building community in both the physical and the digital world. Everyone’s looking for their community, and technology is one option for finding that.

What are the success metrics that districts can use to evaluate their communication technologies from a financial perspective?

K-12 leaders must invest in tools with a proven return on investment, and that’s especially true during a period of economic uncertainty.

Improving communication between schools and families has been proven to boost student success. Children whose families are engaged in their education are more likely to develop self-confidence and motivation, earn higher grades and test scores, exhibit better classroom behavior, and graduate from high school.

‘Children whose families are engaged in their education are more likely to develop self-confidence and motivation, earn higher grades and test scores, exhibit better classroom behavior, and graduate from high school.’

But successful communication requires regular and meaningful interaction. For this type of connection to occur, teachers and parents need simple-to-use tools that facilitate engagement. Tools that allow teachers to easily send messages, schedule events, extend students’ learning beyond the school day, and provide a window into students’ experience at school with private story feeds for photos, videos, and more.

The tools that schools use must also be secure. Student data privacy breaches are very costly, not only in terms of dollars but also in terms of trust. Any educational ROI that schools might realize from a communication tool is erased if it can’t ensure the privacy and security of student and family information.

The value of a school-home communication tool can be measured in how widely it’s used and how engaged families are in their children’s education as a result. When you have a tool that’s easy to use, and you focus on educating teachers and helping them build relationships with families, then you see rapid adoption—and a quick and solid return on your investment.

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Victor Rivero is the Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest. Write to: victor@edtechdigest.com

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