Sunday, November 27, 2011

Schools Are Expected To Eliminate All Animosity Between Students...Or Prove They Tried To!

• documenting their efforts to investigate reported incidents? 
  
• documenting interventions used to diffuse the situation? 
• documenting efforts to contact parents and guardians?
• documenting initiatives to prevent the behavior in the first place?

It sounds easy.  School personnel know it is not.  It may seem unnecessary.  It definitely is not.  Nonetheless, proper documentation is professional behavior.

We all know that students are often in conflict of one sort or another.  School personnel, especially in middle school, spend a significant chunk of time investigating and resolving all sorts of student disputes---including bullying. 

Consider a case like that below.  A student tries to kill herself.  She had reported bullying.  The family claims that nothing was done.  It goes on and on.  It is a we-said, they-said.

The school should have documentation to refute her claims.  It sounds like this case was prolonged enough that they may.  Often, there would be little to no documentation.  The story below is repeated often...across our country.  This headline isn't new and we are seeing it more frequently.  Is your school ready to prove your due diligence when students are being pushed to the edge like this?  Many schools are doing most everything they can to prevent incidents like it. They should do themselves the service of documenting their efforts!

See a video story here.

The full written story can be accessed from the South Florida Times by clicking the article below.

EdClick can facilitate your school's documentation efforts!

Posted at 8:27 PM (permalink) 1 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: EdClick, Discipline, Parent Communication, Documentation, Bullying, Lawsuit

Monday, November 7, 2011

Why Start All Over Each Communication?

Posted at 9:26 PM (permalink) 0 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: EdClick, Collaboration Manager, Discipline, Parent Communication, Documentation

Friday, November 4, 2011

If They Just Would Have Called Me! Now I'm Mad!

When I received a call today from a parent I know who was frustrated by the stack of failing papers she had just received from her daughter's teachers, I was reminded yet again how important it is for the teachers of struggling students to reach out to parents.  The earlier the better. 

Each attempt should be documented.  Beyond the C.Y.A. factor, this is valuable information.  Written communication to/from parents should be archived.  Verbal conversations should be documented in notes. Not merely that the conversation occurred, but the notes should also include a brief summary of some sort. 

When this type of documentation exists, professional staff members with a need to know can readily refer to a "file cabinet" (of sorts) where these notes are stored.  They can easily access these notes and other documents before making a call, so they gain insights that help them build on prior conversations colleagues have already had with the parent.  They should enter conversations with parents as informed and prepared as possible.  And, those conversations should be as focused and constructive as possible.

The file cabinet I am referring to is not two-drawer, nor is it four-drawer.  In fact, it is not really a cabinet at all...unless you're stuck in the 20th century.  Instead, it is a database on the internet that makes the process I outlined above a snap for all personnel.  Easy.  Accessible from anywhere.  A series of check boxes, pull-downs, and text-fields. 

EdClick's Collaboration Manager is the collaborative "file cabinet" your school can use to enhance and document parent communication--->cheaply, easily, and in a manner that improves your school's performance!  You can see it work in an online demo, right from the convenience of your computer!

In a coming post I'll share other ways Collaboration Manager
can improve communication between school and home.

Posted at 8:21 PM (permalink) 3 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: EdClick, Collaboration Manager, Discipline, Parent Communication, Documentation

Monday, October 24, 2011

Is Your School Properly Equipped For Discipline, Part III

Posted at 7:19 PM (permalink) 1 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: Discipline, School Climate, Accountability, Special Education, Compliance, Documentation, Teachers, BIP, IEP, ISS, Assistant Principals, Principals, EdClick

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Is Your School Properly Equipped For Discipline, Part Duex!

In a healthy discipline program, the "radar screens" that keep personnel informed and actively participating in the school's discipline program extend out to parents too. 

One such radar screen is documentation:

*Does your school collect data over time, in a "electronic repository" that can be used by the school to, for instance, create discipline histories allowing parents to view patterns of behavior, interventions attempted, consequences assigned, consequence follow-through, and so much more?  This is a radar screen on their child that parents deserve to see readily.

The technology EdClick offers schools does this--->efficiently, easily, and inexpensively.

Another component of an effective discipline system that gives parents a radar screen on their child's overall behavior is regular communication pushed out by the school, especially when it relates to the child of that parent.

*Is a documented attempt at contacting the parent of each student involved in each discipline matter part of your school's discipline program?  If so, does it happen...even most of the time...really?

The technology that EdClick offers schools does this--->efficiently, easily, and inexpensively.

Bring a little automation to the task of running your data-dependent school!  In the process, create radar screens parents can use to get a truer picture of their child's contribution to the disciplinary climate of your school!

More "radar screens" to good discipline in upcoming posts!

Posted at 6:50 PM (permalink) 3 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: Discipline, School Climate, Accountability, Special Education, Compliance, Documentation, Teachers, BIP, IEP, ISS, Assistant Principals, Special Education Diagnosticians, Special Education Psychologists, School Counselors, Parental Involvement, EdClick

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Is Your School Properly Equipped For Quality Discipline?

More "radar screens" to good discipline in upcoming posts!

Posted at 11:08 AM (permalink) 4 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: Discipline, School Climate, Accountability, Special Education, Compliance, Documentation, Teachers, BIP, IEP, ISS, Assistant Principals, Special Education Diagnosticians, Special Education Psychologists, School Counselors, ISS Monitors, EdClick

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Discipline: Looking For Someone To Blame In Times Of Tragedy--->Will You Be Next?

Click the image above for the full story at WFAA.com

Posted at 12:31 PM (permalink) 0 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: Discipline, Bullying, Suicide, Documentation

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Discipline: Educators---->Documentation, Documentation, Documentation

Posted at 7:02 PM (permalink) 0 Comments View/Leave Comment
Keywords: Discipline, Fighting, Documentation, Bullying