Team up to Support Student Success
Families and teachers are a team with a shared goal: helping New York City students thrive. When we build trust, communicate openly, and work together, students are more likely to succeed.
NYC FREE TOOLS AND RESOURCES
CONNECT with Families Early to Build Trust
Reach out within the first two weeks of school with a positive note, phone call, or brief in-person conversation. Starting with a student’s strengths builds the foundation of trust you’ll need for honest academic conversations later in the year. Send home clear information about the updated curriculum you’re teaching before report card season arrives.
Protip:
Use CPRL’s Spread the Word: A NYC Reads Family Partnership Toolkit to build deep, early parent-teacher alignment around literacy expectations. And, check out these practical Parent-Teacher Home Visits Conversation Starters to kick off meaningful, two-way communication from day one.
COMMUNICATE Grade-Level Progress with Objective Data
Help parents clearly understand their child’s learning by sharing beginning-of-year testing data with families alongside classroom grades. Sharing this data in a clear and actionable way gives families a better picture of whether their child is meeting grade-level standards and where extra support may be needed.
Protip:
Use the Understanding Assessments Tool to help families interpret their test results and understand the difference between a classroom grade and state proficiency.
Conversations with families about grade-level performance can feel challenging, but they don't have to be. Review the
Candid Conversations Teacher FAQ
for guidance on addressing family concerns and delivering clear, transparent academic updates.
CREATE a Tailored Action Plan Together
Review what students are learning, provide examples of grade-level benchmarks, and make a shared plan to support each child at school and at home. Pulling from your curriculum-embedded family resources, show and practice at-home learning activities with families.
Protip:
Use the customizable Parent-Teacher Planning Tool during late-fall parent-teacher conferences to capture parent and student insights, share grade-level progress, and co-create a plan for student growth.
Hear from a teacher on how you can partner with families to maximize classroom learning.
Did you Know?
More than 8 in 10 New York City parents believe their child is learning at or above grade level in reading (87%) and math (81%).
Sharing benchmark assessment data early is our most actionable opportunity for alignment.
*Edge Research NYC Reads/NYC Solves New York City Parent/Caregiver Survey
TEACHER RESOURCES & QUICK LINKS
Check out these helpful tools from trusted organizations
Cultivate strong parent partnerships around curriculum expectations.
Navigate honest academic grading and performance discussions with families.
Missing just 2 days of school a month quickly sets a student behind in reading. Use these evidence-based strategies to engage families early and address attendance barriers collaboratively.
Access expert resources, podcasts, and videos to confidently implement classroom accommodations and support the 1-in-5 students who navigate learning and thinking differences like dyslexia and ADHD.