Making contact with parents to share important information about the classroom has always been a challenge. Teachers often don't have access to telephones during the school day, parents aren't at home to receive calls, and everyone is busy after school. One possible way to solve the communication challenge is the Internet--especially through the use of teacher-created classroom Web pages.

Across the country, teachers and parents are finding that the Internet is a quick and easy way to keep parents informed about what's happening in their children's classrooms.

Teacher-Designed Web Pages

While teacher-based Web pages are gaining popularity, teachers who use them haven't entirely abandoned paper newsletters, The majority of teachers using Web pages--especially in grades K-3--still have some kind of printed weekly or monthly newsletter they send home to parents. This is partly because not all parents have access to the Internet. Even if they do, many parents aren't accustomed to regularly checking a Web site to stay up-to-date on their child's progress. For most teachers who use Web pages, getting parents used to it is part of the process. If you can win parents over to this technology, the rewards are great.

The pages created by teachers are as different from each other as the teachers themselves, but they share several common goals: providing information about the classroom for parents and families, showcasing student work and in-class activities, and enhancing students' ability to access the powerful resources the Internet provides,

Laura Candler, who teaches fifth grade in Fayetteville, North Carolina, started a Web page so she could increase communication with parents. Another goal of her page was "to highlight the successes of the students in my class." In one section, titled "Classroom News," Candler posts pictures and captions of recent activities in the classroom. She also has a "Quest Book," where people can send notes to the class or add comments about the Web page. In addition, there's a "Parent Resources" section on the Web site that includes printable worksheets and forms (such as a homework log and a lab report) and a list of excellent research links.

Nancy Ferguson, a third-grade teacher in Newton, Massachusetts, has been managing a Web site for her class for several years. Ferguson posts her students' work on her Web site, which provides a way for parents "to see what their children can do" as well as a way for the students "to own what they do" by having it viewed by a much wider audience than just their peers. This has also motivated Ferguson's students to work a bit harder.

Doug Shivers, a bilingual kindergarten teacher in Gresham, Oregon, has a Web site in both English and Spanish that is designed specifically for parents. Shivers has been maintaining the site since 1996 and updates it weekly. It has become a perfect communication vehicle for his English- and Spanish-speaking parents. (Half of the parents in his class during the 2001-02 year spoke Spanish only.) "Usually kindergartners will tell their parents that they 'just played' at school that day," says Shivers. "The [Web site] lets me explain how they're learning through play every day. I also often give them ideas of how to reinforce at home what we are doing in school."

Information Central

Classroom news, announcements, and homework assignments are all easy places to start for teachers building Web pages. For some teachers, that information alone is the purpose of their Web sites. Many pages of Ferguson's Web site describe investigations and virtual adventures her class is conducting. She reserves a section of the site for fieldtrip announcements, requests for parent volunteers, and assignments.

For Shivers, having a Web site has resulted in a steady flow of letters in Spanish from early-childhood teachers around the world, many of whom have good ideas for activities he can do with his class.

Many teachers' Web sites include lists of links to useful sites where students can find information for class research projects or homework assignments. These "hot lists" have proved to be quite valuable for students as well as parents.

Kathi Mitchell, for example, knew her page was serving its purpose when one of her students was home sick for a day last year. He accessed the class Web page and found that there was a homework assignment based on the latest issue of "Time for Kids." He was able to download the article and arrived at school the next day with the completed assignment. Mitchell, a fifth-grade teacher in Concord, New Hampshire, also notes that communicating with parents via e-mail has saved time, and has given her the chance to respond to questions more quickly than she could by phone. "My homework page has been well received," she says. "Parents do check. They also e-mail me with questions, which is great feedback."

Roe Flaherty, the librarian and assistant principal at Collicot Elementary School, in Milton, Massachusetts, started building such a research-oriented page when she was teaching third grade. "Parents love my site," she says, "because they know that everything is organized by topics, and they know that I've previewed the sites to make sure they're appropriate for kids."