Technology Builds a Bridge: Schools and Parents Collaborate to Close the Achievement Gap

Parents are a child’s first teachers. In a recent blog post about the importance of building a strong foundation for success in kindergarten through high quality pre-kindergarten programs, I mentioned the importance of parental involvement. A  review of the literature by Anne T. Henderson and Karen Mapp

(2002), “A New Wave of Evidence,” demonstrates that when parents are engaged with school, so are their children. Teacher outreach to parents is related to consistent gains in student performance in both reading and math.

With barriers such as language, culture, non-traditional households, extended work hours and other social factors confronting parents today, it can be difficult for teachers to build relationships. Schools must make parents feel like partners and parents must be willing to dedicate their time and commitment to their child’s education.  Communities are discovering that the effort involved is well worth the investment from both schools and parents. High-performing schools are bridging socioeconomic and cultural differences by recognizing, respecting and addressing families’ needs through trusting, collaborative relationships. In the end, children are the winners.

In their blog, “The Home School Team”, James Comer and Norris Haynes outline how schools, parents and communities can work together successfully. They remark that incorporating technology with digital portfolios could quickly connect teachers and parents, allowing parents to review their children’s actual schoolwork, schedules and suggestions from the teacher. Advances in technology now support digital portfolios thereby providing parents who would otherwise be disconnected with an intimate understanding of how they can support classroom learning goals at home.

Significant and meaningful parent involvement improves student growth and performance. Real-life examples like the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project, which was implemented at the Susan B. Anthony Elementary School in Sacramento, California, show us how parental involvement can break down barriers that stand in the way of students’ long-term success in school. Due to language barriers, lack of parent education and many other socioeconomic disparities between themselves and teachers, parents once felt marginalized and disconnected from the school. After working with a community organization to implement a home visitation project that resulted in higher parental involvement, parents and teachers were able to address students’ behavioral issues together. The school reported a reduced suspension rate after only one year of implementation and marked improvements in student achievement and test scores.

The work by Henderson and Mapp found that when families are actively involved with children’s education, regardless of socioeconomic factors, children earn higher grades and score better on standardized tests; they attend school more regularly, have improved social skills and are better behaved in school; and they are more likely to continue their education past high school.

How are you using technology to build bridges in your school?