More and more schools are adopting direct messaging platforms to create stronger relationships and improve their schools’ communications. In our recent District Communications Report, nearly 60% of participants don’t use a chat system, but more than 32% of participants are considering adding a parent/teacher/student chat to their comms tools within the next one to three years.

It's easy to see the appeal. Chat apps offer so many possibilities for parents, students, and staff alike: 

• Instant feedback on assignments
• Personalized support for students
• Increased engagement with course material
• Teachers can answer questions in real time, provide individual guidance, and even share resources

The benefits go further than the classroom, too. Coaches can use direct messaging to organize practice schedules, share game day information, and build team spirit (and never have to leave the dugout…). Meanwhile, administrators can send school-wide announcements, coordinate with parents on important events, and provide immediate support for urgent matters.

This opens up a whole new level of efficiency and connection in school-to-home communication, but direct messaging also raises important questions:

• How can your school know that communication between students and teachers stays appropriate? 
• How can you protect student privacy?
• Why add yet another communications tool for your school?

Allowing direct chats between students and teachers can be helpful, but it also comes with its own set of challenges, so it's important to find the best approach for your school.

Let’s consider the pros and cons of apps for school chat and explore how the right platform, with the right features and safeguards, can unlock some pretty great benefits for your school's communication strategy.

Pros of Teacher-Student Communication Apps

Immediate Feedback and Support

One of the biggest advantages of direct student-teacher chats is the ability to provide immediate feedback and support. If a student has a question about an assignment or needs more detail on a topic, they can quickly reach out to their teacher and get a prompt response.

For example, if a student is struggling with a math concept, a quick message to the teacher can provide an explanation and help them move forward.

Stronger Teacher-Student Relationships

Direct chats can strengthen the relationship between teachers and students because we all know that when students feel they can easily communicate with their teachers, it builds a sense of trust and support. That leads to better academic outcomes, more engagement, confidence, and a better school experience all around.

Engagement at the Classroom Level

Direct communication allows for more personalized learning experiences at the classroom level, too. Teachers can tailor their responses and support to the individual needs of each student. If a student has a specific interest or learning style, your teachers can provide resources and advice that are geared toward those preferences. It’s another level of personalization that helps students feel known and understood.

Improved School-to-Home Communication

The benefits of direct messaging go far beyond just teacher-student interactions, though. Administrators can use chat platforms to send one-way school-wide announcements, coordinate with parents on important events with group chats, and provide immediate support for urgent matters.

Keep Reading: Supporting Parent-Teacher Communications with Chat

Furthermore, coaches can use the platform to organize practice schedules, share game-day information, and celebrate with the team after a big win.

The Cons (and Solutions!) of School Chat Apps

OK... clearly there are some considerations that are important to cover, especially when putting a new communication tool in the hands of students.

Potential for Inappropriate Communication

One of the biggest concerns with direct student-teacher chats is the potential for inappropriate communication. There’s the risk that conversations could stray from educational topics or that boundaries could be crossed.

Make sure your chat provider helps you minimize this risk by providing:

• Profanity Filtering and Flagging: To help create safe and respectful communication, the chat app should include automatic profanity filtering and flagging capabilities to prevent inappropriate language and alert administrators to potentially harmful messages.
   
• Clear Roles and Permissions: To maintain control over communication channels, your provider should offer role-based chat access with different permissions for reviewing, sending, and responding to messages.

Increased Monitoring Requirements

Another comms tool to manage!? Chats require additional monitoring to ensure that all communications remain appropriate and productive. This increased oversight could be time-consuming for administrators, so schools need to enforce monitoring tools and protocols to review chats regularly.

Make sure your provider eases the burden with:

• Powerful Monitoring and Moderation: The app needs to provide oversight and monitoring capabilities to allow admins to enter any conversation, connect roles to chat roles, block or remove users, view analytics on active chat users, and flag and report messages.

Privacy Concerns

Understandably, chats can raise some privacy concerns, especially if sensitive information is discussed. For example, whether it’s about grades, mental health, or behavioral issues with other students, establish clear policies on what types of information can be shared through chat.

Make sure your provider’s app allows for the configuration of privacy settings to protect any sensitive information.

Balancing Accessibility with Professional Boundaries

While direct chats increase accessibility, it’s also important to maintain professional boundaries. Teachers are already stretched thin and need to balance being available for their students with their own time and privacy. Setting specific hours for chat availability can help with that balance.

Teachers can mute chat rooms and messages, or designate times when they’re not available for direct chats, and share these hours with their students (and their parents) so that both parties respect each other's time and boundaries.

Establishing Clear Guidelines and Policies

To address the potential challenges of direct student-teacher chats, your school should establish clear guidelines that are in line with your other communication policies, like acceptable use, expected behavior, and procedures for reporting any concerns. That's not necessarily a bad thing, however, as your school or district should be regularly reviewing its communication policies.

Key Takeaway

With a chat app and its moderation features, schools can harness the benefits of direct student-teacher communication while mitigating any concerns. Clear guidelines and privacy controls are needed, but schools can create a supportive and effective space for communication that enhances the experience for students, teachers, and admins alike.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. At Finalsite, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.