The first weeks of school are the perfect time to send out a teacher survey for parents. Setting up start-of-term surveys can open the door to honest, meaningful parent-teacher communication right from day one.
In this article, I’m sharing 20 great questions for parent-teacher communication—plus practical strategies for adapting your survey to reach every family, regardless of language or background.
20 essential questions for your parent-teacher survey
When I craft a survey, I always like to group questions so that I capture a well-rounded view of families' needs. Here are 20 example questions, organized for maximum clarity and impact.
Communication Preferences
What is your preferred way to receive classroom updates? (e.g., email, text, phone call, messaging app)
What language do you speak most comfortably at home?
How often would you like to hear from me about your child’s progress?
Do you feel comfortable reaching out to me with questions or concerns? (Yes/No/Not sure)
Is there anything I can do to make our communication easier for you?
Academic Concerns
What subjects does your child enjoy the most? (Open-ended)
Are there any areas where you’d like your child to receive extra support?
How does your child feel about starting this school year?
What are your academic hopes or goals for your child this year?
Has your child faced any recent academic challenges you think I should know about?
Home Environment
Who is usually available at home to help with homework?
Does your child have access to the internet and a quiet space for studying?
Are there any family circumstances or routines we should consider to support your child better?
Is there a specific cultural or family tradition you'd like us to celebrate or respect in class?
Would you be interested in resources for at-home learning activities?
Parent Involvement
How would you like to be involved in our classroom this year? (e.g., volunteering, sharing expertise, participating in events)
Are you interested in attending parent workshops or info sessions?
What times are usually best for you if we need to meet or talk?
Would you like to receive regular tips on supporting learning at home?
Do you have suggestions for improving school-family partnerships?
Special Needs & Unique Considerations
Does your child have any medical conditions, allergies, or special needs I should be aware of?
Are there learning styles or accommodations that help your child succeed?
Have any recent life changes (new sibling, move, loss, etc.) affected your child?
Is there a preferred pronoun or name your child uses that we should honor?
Anything else you’d like to share to help me support your child?
Organizing your AI survey questions this way not only helps parents feel respected and heard—it also equips teachers with actionable insights for a positive start. Surveys reveal perception gaps even when most parents rate communication highly. An example: 85% of parents give teachers top marks for communication, but many teachers still report missing engagement from families. [1]
Adapting your survey tone for diverse parent communities
The way a survey “speaks” can influence how many parents respond—and how honest they are. Every community is different. For some, a formal tone builds trust. For others, a casual and friendly approach feels more welcoming. If you want to adjust language easily, Specific’s AI-powered survey editor allows you to describe your tone, and see it applied instantly.
Here’s how one question looks in different tones:
Professional: “Please indicate your preferred channel for receiving updates about your child’s progress (email, phone, messaging app, etc.).”
Friendly: “Hey there! How would you like me to share classroom news with you—email, text, or something else?”
Brief: “Best way to reach you for school news?”
No matter which you choose, keeping your tone consistent from start to finish helps families feel comfortable—and builds the trust that’s key to parent engagement. Interested in making quick tone adjustments with AI? Check out the Specific AI survey editor for a hands-on look.
Breaking language barriers with multilingual surveys
In today’s schools, language diversity is the norm—over 400 languages are spoken by English learners in U.S. public schools, and globally, 40% of people lack access to education in a language they speak or understand. [2] [3] For teachers, this makes it tough to reach every family with a one-language survey.
Automatic translation is a game-changer. A conversational AI survey builder with multilingual support (like Specific offers) ensures every parent can respond in the language that feels most natural to them. This isn’t just convenient—it’s inclusive. And if you receive a response in a different language, you can use automatic AI follow-up questions to clarify meaning or gather additional context without language getting in the way.
Feature | Single-language Survey | Multilingual Survey |
|---|---|---|
Family Reach | Limited to those fluent in survey language | Accessible to all, regardless of home language |
Response Quality | Short, less detailed responses from non-native speakers | Richer, more honest feedback from every parent |
Equity in Engagement | Some families left out or misunderstood | Every family has an equal voice |
When every parent can participate fully, equity in parent engagement becomes a reality—not just a goal.
Using conversational AI to understand parent concerns better
I’ve seen open-ended surveys miss the mark with families who want to elaborate—or say more but aren’t sure how. That’s why follow-up AI questions make such a difference. They help you dig deeper into each response, surfacing context you might never get through traditional forms. Here are three examples:
Parent response: “My child is nervous about math.”
AI follow-up prompt: “Can you share more about what makes math challenging or stressful for your child?”
Parent response: “We don’t always have WiFi at home.”
AI follow-up prompt: “How often does your family experience internet issues, and is there another way I can share assignments with you?”
Parent response: “I’d like to volunteer, but I work late.”
AI follow-up prompt: “What days or times generally work best for you to connect with the class, even if it’s virtually?”
Conversational survey sharing tools like Specific’s make this natural and seamless—you just send parents a link to the chat-based survey page, and the AI handles the rest.
This back-and-forth makes the survey feel less like an interrogation and more like a partnership. That’s how we build stronger relationships from the start.
Turning parent feedback into actionable classroom improvements
Manually analyzing feedback from 25 parents? That’s a headache no teacher needs. AI-powered analysis spots patterns and surfaces trends you might never catch on your own. You can ask the AI to break down responses by theme or identify common needs, using tools like Specific’s survey response analysis. Here are prompt ideas that work well:
“Summarize the top 3 ways parents want to be contacted this year.”
“Identify any recurring concerns about at-home homework support.”
“Show me patterns in when parents are most available for meetings or calls.”
These insights are gold for shaping your parent engagement strategy for the year—so you can act quickly, not just collect data. That’s the heart of impactful start-of-term surveys.
Start building stronger parent partnerships today
When parents and teachers communicate well, students thrive. The right start-of-term communication sets a positive tone for the entire year ahead.
Ready to become a champion for meaningful parent engagement? Start building your own AI-powered survey with the Specific survey generator.
A single thoughtful survey can reshape how your classroom community grows, learns, and succeeds together.