For many teachers and administrators, one of the best things about summer is having more time (even just a little more time) to catch up on reading. If you’ve got a running list of books already – probably some fiction, some non-fiction, and hopefully some “just for fun” reads, too – here are some worthwhile additions that we recommend from a school communications standpoint. Note that we’re not affiliated with any… read more →

As a school administrator, you know how crucial parent engagement is. But getting there, of course, can be difficult. While some parents are enthusiastic volunteers, how do you get those other parents on board? You know, the ones who are too busy or distracted to really dig in and get engaged with what’s happening at school and in their child’s academics? It’s a problem, and one you can’t afford to ignore. The… read more →

Depending on where you’re located, you’ve either finished out the school year or are just about to. (Either way, woo-hoo! – right?) Before you get firmly into summer mode, take a few minutes to close out the 2014-2015 school year from a school communications perspective. It won’t take long, we promise, and you’ll reap the dividends in a number of ways. 1. Share those end-of-year photos with parents. The end… read more →

Usually, we like to focus our blog posts on parent engagement and related issues – which, as you know, we’re hugely passionate about here at MemberHub! – but today we’re going to depart a bit from that. In case you haven’t heard, Google has just made a massive change to how it serves up search results. As of Tuesday, April 21, the company has “expand[ed] its use of mobile-friendliness as… read more →

Despite all evidence to the contrary, a myth seems to persist among students and parents that teachers relish giving out homework – the more, the better! This is especially sensitive when you start talking about the amount of homework elementary school children get assigned. I am was personally surprised when my first grader (now in second) started coming up with ample homework. Homework can be a divisive issue between teachers… read more →

Every school has those superstar parents who are there whenever, wherever, for whatever’s needed. We love those parents! They are the bedrock of any strong school community. Other parents, however, are a little more difficult to pry out of their shells. How do you engage parents that are hare to engage? A common misconception among teachers and administrators is that these reticent parents simply don’t want to be more involved at… read more →

It’s always helpful to know what the parents at your school are thinking, about all kinds of things. Which is why it’s surprising that most schools fall into one of two categories when it comes to parent surveys: Asking the wrong questions, in the wrong way, at the wrong time. Never surveying parents at all. You don’t want to bother parents, of course – we’re all so busy – but… read more →

I read an excellent article a while back on the importance of nonprofits keeping their volunteers engaged. One of the statistics that really caught my eye was this one: Nonprofits rely heavily on volunteers, but most CEOs do a poor job of managing them. As a result, more than one-third of those who volunteer one year do not donate their time the next year—at any nonprofit. That adds up to… read more →

Happy New Year! We know many educators (and those who work with them, like me) tend to view timelines through the lens of the school year, but the start of a new calendar year is always an excellent time for a fresh look at things. And now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays has passed, now’s a great time to review your parent engagement strategy for 2015. Here… read more →

We have released a new version of the MemberHub iPhone app. Version 2.5 is all about access to photo albums! Update your iPhone app to this latest version and you can: Create new photo albums Upload photos from your library or camera Add photos to existing albums View all photo albums in a your hubs View individual photos and swipe to previous/next photo Save individual photos to your phone Add comments to photos Change… read more →