At a Glance
Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) is the fifth-largest school district in California, covering a large part of Sacramento County. Its 67 schools serve 62,000 students; 54% qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch program. Families in the district speak more than 100 different home languages.
Reaching parents during school shutdowns became one of the highest priorities
- When the pandemic shutdown began, connecting with all families was imperative. At the time, district-wide communications were available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese only, and translator resources were limited.
- With the need to reach families in more than 100 home languages during a rapidly evolving time, a different approach was needed.
- Teachers had their hands full supporting distance learning and navigating the logistics presented by the shutdown, so any new solutions had to be easy to use.
The district adopted TalkingPoints for all schools to ensure that no families were left behind and so staff could stay engaged with all families in support of student learning.
TalkingPoints’ Impact on Family Communication
- EGUSD schools used TalkingPoints as an immediate solution for their translation needs.
- Teachers share that they’re hearing from families for the first time and that previously unreachable families are showing up for meetings and conferences.
- Communicating through TalkingPoints has given families more visibility into their child’s education and spurred more conversations with their child about school.
- District Leaders heard from support staff such as counselors, EL coordinators, and resource teachers who also wanted to use TalkingPoints.
TalkingPoints Family Engagement Solutions
Easy-to-use, two-way communication with translation in over 100 languages. Teachers can use the web browser or mobile app, while parents can choose text messages or the mobile app. Messages are automatically translated both ways between English and family home language.
TalkingPoints is the only platform investing in the highest-quality translation, contextualized for education, using human translators and machine learning/AI.
Teachers can seamlessly communicate with families to check in on students and share important information about grades or school updates. Additional features like polls and videos with translated captions help teachers connect with families.
In just seven months…
Teachers appreciate how easy using TalkingPoints has been, particularly during remote learning when they’ve had to adjust to many new technologies. Since using TalkingPoints, teachers find that families are more informed and students are more engaged in learning – coming to class, turning cameras on, and turning in work.
