7 out of 10 Teachers Think the Internet Could Help Improve Communication With Parents

BERGEN, Norway, March 29, 2011 - 71% of teachers feel that a secure internet 'parent portal', where
parents could see details about their child's schooling, would improve
school-to-parent communication,according to a survey of 5805 teachers
released today by leading educational ICT provider itslearning
(www.itslearning.eu).

In the survey of teachers in France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the UK and
the US, 75% of teachers also rated parental engagement as either 'important'
or 'very important' for the success of a child's education. However, 44% said
they didn't have the time or means to communicate with parents as much as
they would like.

"Teachers agree that involving parents is critical,but they aren't able
to communicate with parents effectively," says Morten Fahlvik,Research
Manager at itslearning. "Most teachers speak to parentsat least once a
semester. But communication has to occur more often to be really effective.
The internet could be the answer - as long as the tool is correctly
designed."

How do teachers currently communicate with parents? According to the
survey, 46% of teachers email each of their students' parents at least once a
month; 37% use texts/SMSs and 24% still send letters.

"Many teachers use a mix of technologies to communicate with parents, but
none of them are specifically designed for the task," says Fahlvik. "Teachers
want a tool that will improve the flow of information and reduce their
workload."

To meet this need, itslearning launched a parent portal last year. As
part of the company's cloud-based learning platform, much of the information
on the portal - such as grades and attendance - is updated automatically to
save teachers time. Teachers can also add specific information about
individual students as required.

"The teachers have been extremely positive," says Fahlvik. "We're now
surveying the parents to discover how they feel about the portal."

For more information, please visit
www.itslearning.eu/parentsurvey2011

Visit www.itslearning.eu/press to find your local itslearning
press contact.

About itslearning

itslearning is a learning platform provider dedicated solely to the
education sector. Its learning platform is used by millions of educators,
students, admin staff and parents around the world - and can be found at all
levels of education, from primary schools to universities. The company is
headquartered in Bergen, Norway, and has offices in London, Birmingham,
Berlin, Paris, Mulhouse, Malmo and Boston.

    Contact information:

    Kristine Lango
    Marketing and Communications Manager
    Email: kristine.lango@itslearning.com
    Tel: +47-9828-3778

Contact information: Kristine Lango, Marketing and Communications Manager, Email: kristine.lango at itslearning.com, Tel: +47-9828-3778