Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


ClassTag Releases Automated Newsletter Functionality to Augment Communications

classtag

ClassTag, a free parent engagement app for teachers and schools, has released a fully customizable and automated newsletter functionality to augment its communications and scheduling capabilities. The announcement was made during the TCEA conference in Austin, TX this week.

More than 50 percent of teachers report an inability to reach all parents and “wasting time and paper on newsletters” as their biggest challenges, according to ClassTag’s recent online survey of K–12 teachers. Another 20 percent are frustrated by the lack of visibility into who is reading the newsletters, according to the same survey.

ClassTag’s Weekly Update has been designed to replace labor-intensive paper newsletters. An e-mail newsletter with an overview of all upcoming activities can be sent weekly to parents invited by the teacher to his/her class at a time and day determined by the teacher. Teachers can add custom content or sit back, knowing that ClassTag keeps parents in the loop, according to a news release.

Additionally, teachers are able to print the newsletter with one click so they can reach all families and print a few copies only for those who need it.

The automated newsletter functionality aims to address the problem of broken communication between teachers and parents.

“There are two big problems interconnected here,” said ClassTag CEO Vlada Lotkina in a statement. “On the one hand, we have parents who don’t have internet and email access, frequently change phone numbers and don’t have smartphones to download the apps. On the other hand, parents want to get relevant and concise information vs. a generic newsletter that takes a long time to read only to find that 10 percent of content might be applicable to them. We are addressing both of these problems as each newsletter is personalized to a parent with relevant information.”

As part of ClassTag’s platform, teachers and schools also get complete visibility into who is reading the newsletters, as well as overall level of readership and involvement using ClassTag’s Statistics.

ClassTag is exhibiting at TCEA this week in booth 2660. For more information, visit the company’s website, or download ClassTag on iTunes or Google Play.

About the Author

Richard Chang is associate editor of THE Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • digital graph

    Building Genuinely Data-Informed School Districts

    Schools today generate enormous amounts of data. The difference between collecting it and using it effectively often comes down to quality, access, and context.

  • Neon blue security locks with a single red highlight

    With AI, Cybersecurity Focus Shifts from Finding Flaws to Fixing Them

    For decades, one of cybersecurity's biggest challenges has been finding vulnerabilities before attackers do. A growing number of security professionals now say artificial intelligence is changing that equation, shifting the focus from discovering flaws to fixing them quickly enough to prevent exploitation.

  • Top View Shot in Elementary School Computer Science Classroom

    Education's Top 5 Technology Priorities and the Challenges Standing in the Way

    Cybersecurity ranks as the No. 1 priority for education technology leaders in the United States, according to the latest State of Ed Tech report from CoSN, yet insufficient cybersecurity staffing and the lack of a dedicated budget are key barriers.

  • Engineering team implements digital guardrails on AI

    3 Starting Points for Integrating AI Guardrails in K-12 Districts

    As education leaders start to craft an AI policy that is both practical and flexible enough to evolve with this fast-changing technology, there is at least one principle that should be foundational: AI should serve to augment human critical thinking and creativity but never replace human interaction and decision-making.