The partnership between schools and families can go beyond parent-teacher conferences and monitoring academic performance. When there is dialogue about students’ routines and behavior in different settings, educators can gather information that helps them understand specific needs and work together to find solutions.

According to Bete Rodrigues, an educational consultant at Disciplina Positiva Brasil Consultoria, communication with families needs to be planned and conducted in a non-imposing manner. “One approach is to share practices adopted by the school that can also be useful in daily family life, especially those related to social skills, organization, and hygiene,” explains Bete.

One example is guiding families on habits taught at school—such as washing hands before meals or brushing teeth after eating—so that these practices are also valued at home and there is greater consistency across the different settings the child frequents.

“I believe the main strategy would be to carefully select the professional who will communicate this routine to the parents and to determine how that communication will take place. I recommend that it be done in person, not via audio or text,” he says.

According to Bete, the conversation should allow parents to raise questions, share examples, and express their observations about what is happening at home. In her view, this interaction should also take place on more than one occasion, allowing the school to assess how the guidelines were received and implemented by families.

During the panel discussion, Bete Rodrigues explained the importance of family partnerships. Photo: Bett Brasil.

Listening helps identify difficulties

Communication between the school and the family can also help identify difficulties before they escalate. For Bete, this depends on both sides being willing to ask questions without turning the conversation into a process of accusation or judgment.

“We’ve managed to build a genuine dialogue with questions that aren’t accusatory or judgmental, but are genuine questions—questions where you want to know what’s happening in that other space,” he says.

The school can gather information about aspects of the student’s daily routine that help explain their behavior, such as sleep, diet, study time, and screen use. At the same time, school staff can share with parents or guardians any situations they have observed in the school setting.

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According to the consultant, the exchange of information makes it possible to observe connections between behaviors exhibited at home and at school. The goal is to use this data to develop joint strategies for supporting the student.

“When the school provides the facts and parents also share what happens at home, we’re able to establish a genuine dialogue based on active and empathetic listening. That way, we can better understand the situation and work together to find solutions,” she explains. Bete.

Welcoming as a Starting Point

Family involvement is another aspect highlighted by Leonardo Xavier, the bilingual educational coordinator at the Center for Integrated Education. In his view, the school needs to understand the needs expressed by parents and guardians before determining how it will proceed.

“I believe that the most effective strategies begin with welcoming the family. Understanding what that family needs, understanding what problem needs to be solved, and, from there, finding effective strategies to resolve it,” she says.

In Xavier’s view, this process should be based on concrete information about the situation presented by the family, avoiding decisions based solely on perceptions. Once the need has been identified, the school and the parents or guardians can work together to find alternatives.

Leonardo Xavier emphasized the importance of schools welcoming families. Photo: Bett Brasil.

He also argues that communicating early about a difficulty allows the family to be involved in finding alternatives before the problem worsens. Among the possibilities, the educational coordinator mentions support at home, supplementary activities, or private lessons, depending on the identified need. The key point, according to the coordinator, is that the family be involved from the very beginning of the process.

“As soon as you identify a student’s difficulty, discuss it with the family and involve them in the process of resolving the issue together with the school,” he says.

Ongoing communication, based on listening and sharing information, allows schools and families to gain a broader understanding of students’ needs. In this model, parental involvement is no longer limited to formal occasions but becomes an integral part of the day-to-day monitoring of students’ development.

This content is based on the participation of Bete Rodrigues, an educational consultant at Disciplina Positiva Brasil Consultoria, and Leonardo Xavier, a bilingual pedagogical coordinator at the Centro de Educação Integrada, with Mirella Araújo, a columnist for Jornal do Commercio (PE), serving as moderator at the Bett Nordeste 2026 Conference.

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