Strengthening the Home-School Connection: The Power of Sharing Student Work with Families

Schools are continually striving to keep families, parents, and guardians engaged, seeking greater community involvement. They explore new ways for parents to get involved and stay informed. However, many schools are missing the mark. The reason? The way they share information with parents is often too generalized and vague.

The Problem with Generalized School Communication

Typical school communications include announcements like:

• "The school is having an event this weekend."
• "There is a basketball game on Monday."
• "Family engagement night is on Wednesday."
• "The third-grade class is currently reading the following book."

While these announcements are important, they lack the personalized touch that truly engages parents. According to Goodall and Montgomery (2014), moving from parental involvement to parental engagement requires more meaningful and individualized communication.

What Parents Really Want to Know

Parents want to know about their own child—their student. They are eager to see how their child is doing in school and to view the actual work they are producing. Parents are interested in knowing if their child is learning, engaged, interested, and progressing.

• Visual Engagement: Photos of their child collaborating with peers, smiling, and being actively involved in class activities.
• Academic Progress: Essays, artwork, and problem-solving tasks that showcase their child's thinking and creativity.
• Personalized Feedback: Specific insights into their child's strengths and areas for improvement.

However, what parents often receive are generalized statements like:

• "Your student has a B in math class."
• "Your student received a 75% on the last English Language Arts test."
• "Your student was sleeping in class today and doesn't seem engaged."
• "Your student didn't do his or her homework last night."

These statements lack depth and personalization. Epstein (1995) emphasizes that effective communication between home and school is crucial for building partnerships that support student learning.

The Limitations of Traditional Reporting

Grades and generic comments do not provide parents with actionable insights into their child's learning journey. Hattie and Timperley (2007) highlight that specific and timely feedback is essential for improving student learning outcomes. Simply reporting a grade does not inform parents about their child's thought processes, challenges, or achievements.

Leveraging Technology for Personalized Communication

In the past, sharing individualized student information was challenging. It was easier to send a single memo home to every family. But now, with advancements in technology, schools have the tools to send incredibly personalized information to families—daily.

Imagine parents receiving:

• Daily Photos: Images of their child engaged in classroom activities, both academic and extracurricular.
• Samples of Actual Work: Handwritten responses to complex math problems, essays, art projects, and more.
• Insights into Learning Processes: Annotations and teacher comments that provide context to their child's work.

Thompson, Mazer, and Grady (2015) found that utilizing communication technology enhances parental involvement and positively impacts student outcomes.

How Sharing Student Work Enhances Parental Engagement

How does sharing student work with parents improve engagement?

Sharing actual student work allows parents to see how their child is thinking and progressing. It opens avenues for meaningful conversations at home about what they learned during the day. Gonzalez-DeHass, Willems, and Doan Holbein (2005) found that parental involvement in reviewing student work positively influences student motivation and self-regulation.

Moreover, when parents can see their child's work compared (anonymously) with peers, it provides context and fosters a deeper understanding of the learning environment.

Strengthening Bonds Between Parents, Students, and Teachers

By providing daily updates with student work, schools can strengthen the bonds between parents, students, and teachers. Henderson and Mapp (2002) assert that strong family-school partnerships contribute significantly to student achievement and school improvement.

When parents drop their child off at school and pick them up later, they naturally wonder what their child did during those hours. It's often difficult to engage in a conversation with a young child about their day. By sharing actual student work—essays, solved math problems, completed projects—parents gain tangible insights into their child's daily experiences.

Our Solution: Bridging the Gap with Innovative Tools

At Solved Consulting, we are committed to bridging the gap between families and student work. Our new school apps enable schools to send actual student work directly to parents on a daily basis.

Features include:

• Daily Updates: Photos and samples of student work from their classes.
• Personalized Insights: Information about how students are thinking, problem-solving, and engaging with the material.
• Enhanced Communication: A platform for teachers to provide specific feedback and for parents to respond.

By doing so, we address the challenges highlighted by Jeynes (2007), who emphasized the importance of parental engagement in improving academic achievement, especially in urban school settings.

The Impact of Personalized Communication

Kraft and Rogers (2015) demonstrated that proactive teacher-to-parent communication leads to increased parental involvement and improved student behavior and effort in class. Sharing student work not only satisfies parents' desire to be involved but also enhances student learning.

Conclusion

The way to get families more engaged and involved in the day-to-day activities of students is through sharing student work. By focusing on personalized, meaningful communication and leveraging technology, schools can transform the home-school connection.

We invite schools to join us in this transformative approach. Let's move beyond generalized statements and grades and provide parents with the insights they truly value.

About Solved Consulting

Solved Consulting specializes in innovative educational solutions that empower teachers and enhance student learning. To learn more about our new school apps and how we can help your school engage families through personalized communication, please visit www.solvedconsulting.com.

References

• Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712.
• Goodall, J., & Montgomery, C. (2014). Parental involvement to parental engagement: A continuum. Educational Review, 66(4), 399-410.
• Gonzalez-DeHass, A. R., Willems, P. P., & Doan Holbein, M. F. (2005). Examining the relationship between parental involvement and student motivation. Educational Psychology Review, 17(2), 99-123.
• Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.
• Henderson, A. T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. Austin, TX: National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools.
• Jeynes, W. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42(1), 82-110.
• Kraft, M. A., & Rogers, T. (2015). The underutilized potential of teacher-to-parent communication: Evidence from a field experiment. Economics of Education Review, 47, 49-63.
• Thompson, B., Mazer, J. P., & Grady, E. F. (2015). The role of communication technology in parental involvement and student outcomes. Computers & Education, 88, 204-216.

At Solved Consulting, we're dedicated to enhancing the educational experience by fostering stronger connections between schools and families. By sharing student work and engaging parents in their child's learning journey, we can create a more supportive and effective educational environment for all students.

For more information, please visit www.solvedconsulting.com.

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