WASHINGTON, D.C. – According to the National Education Association, the American family is evolving so rapidly that educators need “to understand the uniqueness of each family” so they can “create a welcoming environment for all students and their families.”

In a recent article for NEAToday.org, writer Brenda Álvarez offers tips on how teachers can accommodate “today’s” families which are “less homogenous and monochromatic than ever before.”

For example, schools can become more inclusive of same-sex couples with children by stripping school forms of “father-mother language” and replacing them with the “gender-neutral” terms of “parent or guardian.”

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Teachers can apply those same principles to how they speak to students.

One Michigan teacher explains: “So instead of telling students, ‘Take this home to your mom or dad,’ I’m saying, ‘Take this to your parents.’”

Those changes may seem minor, but according to one parent, they help combat “heterosexist” viewpoints and the “micro-aggression” advanced by biased school forms.

NEAToday.org also offers ideas on how schools can engage families that use the non-traditional parental roles of “breadwinner mom” and “PTA dad.”

A Minneapolis teacher suggests that busy, working moms can still feel a part of their children’s school by purchasing classroom supplies, and coming into the building in the winter to help their kids remove their winter coats, hats and gloves.

(Gosh, maybe working moms really can have it all.)

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Stay-at-home dads, on the other hand, need encouragement to take that potentially awkward step of volunteering in the school or joining the school’s parent-teacher association, according to the NEA article.

One Indiana teacher explains that her district used a public relations campaign – dubbed “Real Men Join the PTA” – to increase male involvement in schools.

“It’s not just about moms,” the Indiana teacher says. “Years ago, moms were baking cookies. Now, we’re dealing with issues like bullying, sexting, and childhood diabetes. It’s important to have both parents involved.”

“Modern families” also includes single-parent families, and the NEA article notes that technology is making it possible for teachers to keep “divorced, separated, or co-parenting families … connected to their child’s education.”

Back-to-school nights, for example, can be put online for long-distance parents and parent-teacher conferences can use Skype to keep parents up-to-date about their child’s progress.

The NEA article concludes:

“Communication and collaboration are the keys to parental engagement. Whether its mom and dad, mom only, mainly dad, mom and mom, or dad and dad, most parents want to be involved and engaged by their child’s school.”

And now, thanks to the union’s helpful tips, more educators can accommodate the modern American family.