Congratulations! Your Child Belongs in Algebra.

How to message acceleration opportunities

Last week, I praised Fairfax County Public Schools for boosting the share of kids enrolled in Algebra by 8th grade, but I noted that the district’s communication efforts around the policy could use some improvements. They felt a bit impersonal and overly focused on risks without emphasizing the potential benefits to students. There’s a tension between being laying out logistics while also expressing a belief that the student is being selected for acceleration because they’re likely to be successful.

So I asked my friend Michelle Lerner, a communications expert with experience at non-profits and school districts, on how she might draft a more encouraging message.

Michelle Lerner from Lerner Communications

Here’s what she had to say:

It’s great news that Fairfax County Public Schools implemented automatic enrollment in middle school algebra, especially for students who are economically disadvantaged and students of color, those most frequently left out opportunities like these.

But this smart policy is obscured by less-then-clear communications. It’s a common problem. I write this as a parent of a child in another public school district and an inbox full of district emails I’ve had to read multiple times to understand.

It’s possible for districts to both create and implement great policies and to communicate about them effectively, which families want.

Below is a proposed message that would, for one, make automatic enrollment just that: automatic. The original letter clearly signaled the ways a student could opt out, but didn’t clearly explain the benefits.

In the suggested rewrite below I try to explain the value of the accelerated pathway and some level of personalization. A parent will take a school letter far more seriously if it includes some details about their child and, at a minimum, references their name. The proposed draft also adds excitement about high standards. If schools aren’t geeking about math, who will?

Dear [Student First Last Name’s] Family,

Congratulations! Based on [Student First Name]’s success in Advanced Math, [Student First Name] will be enrolled in Algebra 1 Honors next year. This is a high school-level class that moves at an accelerated pace and will be included on [Student First Name]’s high school transcript and GPA.

Completing algebra in middle school is an important milestone to accessing higher-level math and science in high school, which opens doors for students to find their passion in high school and beyond.

At Fairfax County Public Schools, nearly 85 percent of 8th graders take or already have completed Algebra I, helping to meet our goal that every student has access to high-quality academic programming.

We believe [Student First Name] can be successful in Algebra I Honors so no additional steps are needed to enroll. If you want to learn more about Algebra I Honors, you can find more information online. Please also see the email from Fairfax County Public Schools sent on [DATE].

If you have questions, please contact [Student First Name]’s math teacher at EMAIL ADDRESS, where you can alternatively enroll in Prealgebra Honors.

Thank you for helping us live up to our promise of excellence, equity, and opportunity at Fairfax County Public Schools!

[Sign off by Middle School Principal]

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