ABSTRACT
Effective communication by a school, whether oral or written, is considered essential if parents are to be realistically involved. However, as a national survey of local education authorities and interviews with a sample of parents (Jowett and Baginsky 1991) has ascertained, there is still considerable room for improvement. The researchers state that:
while there were meetings held for parents to explain the curriculum, or how something was being taught, these were frequently inadequately planned and failed to convey information in a clear and accessible form … More attention needs to be given to the presentation of written communication. Many of the school handouts and other documentation for parents … were not particularly informative and were written in a style that could itself discourage parents. (202)
