ParentSquare

ParentSquare

About this app

What is ParentSquare?
-------------------------

ParentSquare is a safe and secure platform for all school-to-home communication. The two-way group messaging, private conversations, district-wide alerts and notices, and simple user interface keeps everyone connected, creating a vibrant school community.

In today's ed-tech world, schools need a better communication system than relying on hard-to-track emails, lost flyers, missed robocalls, website updates that are never read, or piggybacking on SIS or LMS tools meant for student communication. ParentSquare brings the power of ed-tech revolution to the parents. It reverses the trend for disparate, one-way communication that keeps parents as 'spectators' to their child's education.

Understanding the need for a whole-school adoption, we strive to keep an easy to use interface for ParentSquare, much like the social tools you are used to in today's online digital world. ParentSquare caters to every parent, including those who rarely use technology.

ParentSquare for Android
-------------------------

With ParentSquare for Android, parents can easily connect with teachers and staff at their children’s school from their Android device. The app allows parents to:

- View posts, appreciate and comment
- Sign up for wish list items, volunteer, and RSVP and view your sign ups
- Check dates for upcoming school and class events and add them to your device calendar
- Send private messages (with attachments) to staff members (or other ParentSquare users*) in your school
- Participate in group conversations
- View posted pictures and files
- View the directory of your child’s school*
- View notices (attendance, cafeteria, library dues)
- Respond to absences or tardies*
- Purchase for goods and services offered for sale by the school

* If allowed by your school's implementation

Ratings and reviews

Overall a solid app but a bit glitchy at times and won't allow me to click into certain sections/tabs. Usually closing and reopening fixes this. The big issue is that PS doesn't allowing parents to CC each other on messages. For example, if a teacher messages my spouse and me, those messages are sent separately and we can't see each others responses. Additionally I can't even add non-teachers (just classroom parents) to messages I send. This makes communicating on parents square ineffective.

Whoever thought that this style of app would be good for busy parents must be someone with no kids. There are too many options, and it's not intuitive. Sending a direct message to one of my kids' teachers is nearly an endeavor. The only reason it gets two stars instead of one is that it nominally functions. I eventually figure it out after MUCH effort and consternation. 10/10 would NOT recommend schools implement.

Very cluttered interface, not at all intuitive. Needs major UX improvements. Our district is rolling this out, starting with the communication section. The communication feed is a mess. It's a wall of repetitive text. The graphic design/visual aspect is so cluttered and overwhelming. Zero attempt at visual hierarchy. Get rid of the heart/comment stuff if disabled, use logo vs text - didn't clutter screen. Update 9-26: 6 months later and zero improvements.

What's new

Bug fixes.